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Elvis Presley Blvd
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 Graceland by challenger
Elvis bought the mansion in 1957 for $100,000. At that time it was located in a very respectable, rural neighbourhood. Nowadays it's not such a desirable location and you'd be hard pressed to find much else there you would like to visit.
The amazing thing about the mansion is that despite its reputation it is not as overblown and massive as you are made to believe. Instead it is very much a liveable, comfortable family house. Even The King's apparent design faux pas aren't that over the top. Or maybe it was just me finally getting in touch with the Hawaiian shirt part of my personality. I found the likes of the Jungle Room or his TV room more in line with general 1970s fashion sense than a symbol of a star's overblown excesses. OK, the pool room *is* pretty wacky alright!
There are two types of tickets available. The first one gives you access to Graceland and limited access to anything else. The other more expensive one ($25 if I remember correctly) allows full access not only to the mansion, but also to the automobile museum, his planes (Lisa Marie and Hound Dog Two) and the separate Sincerely Elvis exhibition.
Let's face it: More likely than not this will be your one and only visit to Graceland for quite some time, so there's no reason to save a few bucks on tickets. Needless to say, you'd be foolish not to go for the whole hog.
Some of the most impressive rooms are The Hall of Gold and The Big Room. If the spirit of the King doesn't hit you there, it never will.
You can walk along the mansion at your own speed under the guidance of an excellent CD guide. You are not allowed to bring bags of any kind, so leave them behind but do not forget your films like I did!
Don't forget to also check out my Travelogue. Leave a Comment
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 Graceland Main Entrance by emilienoelle
Surprisingly to me, the house itself is not at all like the celebrity homes one sees on "E" and the Travel Channel. It is much more like a regular home and you definately get the sense that real people lived their lives there, so much so that during my visit I often felt as if I was intruding on someone's privacy.
Flash photos are not allowed in the house, but they are in the yard and on the grounds including at Elvis's gravesite which is located beside the house. Also beside the house is Elvis's Hall of Gold Records. This building houses all of the King's gold records along with his film memorabilia and some of his stage costumes. I found the latter especially interesting because they give a real indication of Elvis's actual size and shape. He was not a very large man, as one would obviously assume.
For an additional price to the house admission one can also see Elvis's personal aircrafts, the The Lisa Marie and The Hounddog II. There is also an opportunity to see The Elvis Presley Automobile Museum which houses the King's famous 1955 pink Cadillac and many other cars and motorcyles. Leave a Comment
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 Graceland in the snow by vivalasteph
You enter a gift shop to buy your ticket, then join the throngs waiting in line to board a shuttle. You are then driven across the street and enter the house. They only allow groups of about 14 in at a time, so you really get to see each room. Only the ground floor and most of the basement is open to the public, the second floor and Elvis' bedroom are private.
In addition, you get to tour the outer builidings, housing his awards, gold records, costumes, etc.
It's a fantastic, well-presented tour, and once you get back across the street to the 'Elvis Mall', just try to not buy something!
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I'm a little ashamed to say I did not visit the Civil Rights Museum or Sun Studios, but spent a good half day at Graceland during my 18 hour tenure in Memphis. Well, after spending $64 for two PLUS $8 to park, I wasn't about to hurry my way through it, was I? It was pretty steep, especially when our daily budget for food/accommodation/gas was $50. But Graceland is a pilgrimage of sorts of any rock and roll fan and the opulence of Elvis' later years is voyeuristic intrigue unto itself. Besides, my wife's mother is a HUGE Elvis fan and we couldn't rightly show her trip pictures without some of her favorite singer's house. To be honest, it is a huge exhibit and you could spend an entire day there much like Disney World if you were a big fan. What makes it particularly appealing is you can take as many photos as you like. I even think you were allowed to use a flash. Leave a Comment
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 Graceland by myrtle
Check out my Graceland travelogue for more pictures. Leave a Comment
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A visit to Memphis would simply not be complete without a pilgrammage to the former home of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. A Memphis native, Elvis purchased this home which was built in 1939 and originally named Graceland. Elvis liked the name so much he kept it after he moved in.
Park in the visitor's lot across the street and get tickets to one of three tours. From there you catch a shuttle bus that takes you across the street and drops you off right at the front door. You can purchase a very good audio tour which is helpful because the tours are not guided. There are staff in the rooms who are available to answer questions however. The rooms on the tour have been maintained as they were when Elvis lived there. Overall the rooms are not as garish or tacky as one may have built up in their mind over the years. They certainly weren't to me anyway! Also, the house is much smaller than one would expect considering the crazy-sized mansions a lot of celebrities build these days.
Of particular interest are the Trophy Room and the Racquetball Court which have been convetered to shrines to the King complete with framed gold records, movie memorabilila, video displays, and actual costumes the King wore in movies and during concerts. Lastly there is a visit to the graves of the King, his parents, and his grandmother on the other side of the smallish swimming pool.
Expect to spend 1.5 hours for the basic tour when going to Graceland. It is certainly worth the visit and definitely a must-see for anyone with an interest in rock and roll. Leave a Comment Phone: 901.332.3322Directions: Take I-55 south and take Exit 5B for Elvis Presley Blvd. The Graceland visitor's parking lot will be on the right. Look for the signs.Website: www.elvis.com
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 Graceland the jungle room by lashr1999Leave a Comment
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 In the garden at Graceland
Mansion by Yasmine03
Graceland receives about 700,000 visitors from all over the world every year. On 7 November 1991, Graceland was honoured with a listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Leave a Comment Phone: (901) 332-3322Directions: For information, maps, directions, area hotel listings and tour prices, write: Graceland P.O. Box 16508, Memphis, TN 38186-0508.Other Contact: (800) 238-2000
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We did not take the version of the Memphis tour which allowed us to go into Graceland. I like Elvis' singing, but I had no real desire to fight the mobs to go through the whole tour, so I just took some pictures from the bus.
My daughter did visit Graceland when she was driving through Memphis and she said it was quite interesting.
Operating Schedule
Graceland operations are open year round, seven days a week.
March - October
Open daily.
Monday - Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
November
Open daily.
Monday - Sunday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
According to the website, the Graceland Mansion Tour is perfect for those who are looking for the Graceland experience but are on a tight schedule. The Graceland Mansion Tour includes an audio presentation and tour of Graceland Mansion and grounds only.
Graceland Mansion Tour
Adult $22.00
Seniors 62 and older and Youth/Students 13-18 or Students with College ID $19.80
Children 7-12 $9.00
Children 6 and Under Free
The Graceland Platinum Tour is more expensive. It includes includes an audio-guided tour of Graceland Mansion and grounds, along with self-guided tours of Elvis's two custom airplanes (photos 3 and 5), Elvis's Automobile Museum, the Sincerely Elvis Museum, and Elvis After Dark.
Adults $30.00
Seniors/Youth/Students $27.00
Children 7-12 $15.00
Free Walk-Up Times for Meditation Garden
There is a special period of time for free-admission walk-up visits to the Meditation Garden at Graceland, where the gravesites of Elvis and members of his family are located. Walk-up times are daily from 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM. Leave a Comment Phone: 901-332-3322Directions: FROM HWY 51 / MILLINGTON Take Interstate 240 South to Interstate 55 South. Off of I-55 South (Jackson, MS), take exit 5 B (Elvis Presley Blvd). Continue south on Elvis Presley Blvd. Parking will be at the 4th light on the right.Website: http://www.elvis.com/graceland/
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We are all big Elvis fans, so we really enjoyed this. There was just so much to see that I was totally Elvis'd out by the time we were done. So we didn't even go to the Elvis After Dark museum. If you love Elvis you will be in heaven, if you don't or just don't care you will probably be bored to death. But it is still a good opportunity to see history. And it's amazing what he did with his house. There is the sense of sadness that you get thinking about him and his life, and seeing his grave. Plus you can't help but wonder if anyone will even care about Graceland or Elvis anymore once that generation starts dying off...
Plan to spend at least 2 hours seeing everything. Definitely pay to see the museums and the airplanes, it's all very interesting. I read another post where someone commented that the part of town was bad and they were afraid to park their car. I didn't get that feeling at all, although it was rundown. But they have a special parking lot for Graceland that is cut off from the street. Be sure to bring $5 to pay for it though. Or you could try to park out by the Elvis After Dark museum, for free, and see if you can walk over there.
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