Graceland is the second most visited private home in the United States, after the White House, and it is a far stranger and more moving place than the postcards suggest. If you are going for the first time, a bit of planning makes an enormous difference.
The basics
Graceland sits at 3717 Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee. It is about ten minutes from downtown Memphis and roughly three minutes from the airport, which makes it one of the easiest major attractions in America to reach. The site is generally open daily from 9am, with the last mansion tour in the late afternoon.
Elvis bought the house in 1957, when he was 22, for a little over $100,000. The estate runs to just under 14 acres. He lived there for 20 years and is buried in the garden.
Choosing a tour
Tickets are tiered, and the names change from time to time, but the structure is consistent:
- Mansion only. The house, the grounds and the Meditation Garden. Enough if you have half a day.
- Mansion plus the Elvis Presley's Memphis complex. This adds the museum buildings across the road: the car collection, the jumpsuits, the gold records, and his two aeroplanes, the Lisa Marie and the Hound Dog II. This is the version most people should buy.
- VIP and archive tours. Front-of-queue access, a guided element, and on the top tiers a look inside the Graceland archive, where the bulk of the collection actually lives. Significantly more expensive, and worth it if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Buy online in advance. Walk-up availability in summer is unreliable.
What you see inside the house
The mansion tour is self-guided on a tablet, which sounds impersonal and is actually excellent: you move at your own speed and the commentary includes family members talking about the rooms. You will go through:
- The living room and music room, with the white sofas, the peacock stained glass and the piano.
- The dining room and kitchen, kept as they were in the 1970s.
- The Jungle Room, with green shag carpet on the floor and the ceiling, Polynesian furniture and a waterfall wall. Elvis recorded his last sessions here in 1976.
- The basement, including the TV room with three sets built into the wall and the yellow billiards room with pleated fabric covering every surface.
- The Trophy Building, with the gold records, the jumpsuits and his army papers.
- The Meditation Garden, where Elvis, his parents Vernon and Gladys, his grandmother Minnie Mae, his daughter Lisa Marie and his grandson Benjamin Keough are buried, alongside a memorial to his twin brother Jesse Garon.
The upstairs floor, including Elvis's bedroom, has never been opened to the public and almost certainly never will be.
How long to allow
The mansion alone takes about 90 minutes. Add the museum complex and you are looking at four to five hours comfortably. If you want the archive tour and a proper look at the car museum, give it a full day.
When to go
Elvis Week in August and the birthday celebrations in early January are the most atmospheric and by far the busiest. For a calm visit with short queues, aim for late October through early December, or February into March. Memphis in July is extremely humid and much of the walking is outdoors.
If you are considering the big one, August 2027 marks 50 years since Elvis's death. We cover what is planned in our guide to Elvis Week 2027.
Practical tips
- Wear shoes you can walk a few miles in. The complex is spread out.
- Photography is allowed inside the mansion without flash. Tripods are not.
- The Guest House at Graceland is on site and the most convenient place to stay, but downtown Memphis gives you Beale Street and Sun Studio in walking distance of each other.
- Sun Studio, where Elvis first recorded in 1953, runs its own short tour and is a 15-minute drive away. Do both on the same trip.
Graceland FAQs
Can you go upstairs at Graceland?
No. The first floor is closed to visitors out of respect for the family, and that has been the policy since the house opened in 1982.
Is Graceland worth it if you are not a huge Elvis fan?
Yes, more than most people expect. It works as a time capsule of 1970s American taste and as a story about fame, and the Meditation Garden is quietly affecting regardless of how much of the music you know.
How much time do I need?
Half a day for the mansion, a full day if you want the museums and planes without rushing.
What should I bring home?
If you miss the gift shop, our home decor range covers posters, ornaments and mugs, and the Jukebox Cookie Jar is a Graceland-grade piece of kitsch. See also our gift guide.