Graceland

Reviews 3

AL

Allan Ritter

This is a must do even if you are not a big fan of Elvis but a music lover in general. The accomplishments that this artist achieved within a short life-span is mind blowing! IMHO the best way to see Graceland is to pair it with the Sun Studio Tours. Going there first is a good way to start getting warmed up for all the rest of your afternoon. Sun Studio will also provide a shuttle to Graceland so you can avoid the parking fees as well as the dilapidated areas around Graceland. We took the trolley to Sun Studios from our hotel so we didnt have to drive at all and it only cost $1 per person and a short walk from the drop off which was directly behind the Sun Studio building. The Sun Studio tour takes about an hour. There is some Elvis memorabilia in there and the tour guide does tell stories regarding Elvis being at Sun Studios and how he was discovered. Afterwards, we boarded the shuttle and took the 15 minute ride to Graceland. We were one of the last tours of the day and got there around 4:00. Get the Platinum tour package; its about the same price ($3 difference) and you will get your moneys worth out of it. We were under a bit of a time constraint though since the shuttles last run was at 6:00. That being said two hours wasnt enough time to go through everything but enough that we were able to do the Graceland tour, the Car Musuem, the Live from Las Vegas exhibit and the two Airplanes. Thats a good bit to see and there were still the Hawaii, Tupelo and 68 Special left over. The silver lining in all of this is that by going later we avoided most of the crowds. Now to Graceland itself... Going through the first rooms (the dining,the sitting room, parents bedroom, and kitchen) will definitely take you back if youre a child of either the 60s and 70s. It was culture shock for me since I was born three years before his passing. To see the old styles of furniture, tvs, appliances and whatnot brought a smile but also some fascination that this was top of the line decorating in its heyday and how things have changed since then. Speaking of decorating, the amount of shag carpet found in this house probably kept many textile companies in business! Its on the floors, walls and ceilings!!! My favorite parts of the Graceland compounds were the Trophy room that houses all of his gold and platinum records, movie memorabilia and other exhibits that gives a recounting of different parts of his life and the racquetball room, which contains a mass of Elvis collectibles. With us being one of the last groups I was able to get long shots of empty record and trophy rooms. Be warned though, no flash is allowed so bring a camera that can shoot in low light. We then hit the automobile museum, Live at Las Vegas and airplane tours. I think I enjoyed seeing the old and very ornate costumes that Elvis donned in the Las Vegas tour first and then the car collection second. Interspersed in the Las Vegas tour are videos of his performances. You can tell from the way he moved and rocked that he was so into performing and loved every bit of it and the audience(s) definitely got their moneys worth! I wish I could have seen one performance live. The airplanes were okay but after seeing Graceland you kind of got your fill of seeing 70s furniture; even if it was in an airplane. Again, go do this tour! It was well worth the time and money to find out about someone very fascinating who died so very young but accomplished so much. If you werent a big fan before you will leave with a much greater appreciation of him than before after going through the tour of Graceland and the other exhibits! I will definitely go back for another tour again soon!

LA

Lauren Vildberg

I visited for my 21st birthday in September and had an amazing time. The mansion was absolutely beautiful. There was definitely an energy surrounding the property and standing inside Elvis home was totally surreal. My mom and I chose the VIP tour and ended up going through the mansion three times in one day (every time we did so, we saw something we missed before). I thought it was nice being sans tour guide because you could really take your time and linger in the rooms and take it all in. Going through multiple times also allowed me to go in with the iPad one time, and another time without (allowing me to hold my camera and take pictures) . Being a fan that was born nearly 20 years after he had passed away, I am so thankful for what the Presley family and EPE has done to preserve his home and legacy and continue to share with fans. I was so happy to see how tastefully and respectfully everything was done. I really hope nothing changes. If you read reviews saying "i was surprised it was so small" "it wasnt that great," please, disregard them. Lets remember this house was purchased in 1957 and always had state of the art technology and amenities. The additional exhibits and displays throughout the property do really add to the experience. I knew a great deal about Elvis going in but definitely learned more. I am well aware of the negative publicity he received towards the end of his life and anyone that believes that negativity wholeheartedly should really visit and understand more of the individual he was and how he truly changed the history of music. It was so cool to see in person rooms/items/outfits etc that I had read about or seen pictures of. In my experience, all employees were pleasant and helpful (especially one of the shuttle drivers and the bartender in the Jungle Room ). I was also delightfully surprised at how fairly priced all the souvenirs were. The selection was huge and all high quality products. I stayed at the Heartbreak Hotel and the different shuttle services to downtown Memphis and other attractions was a very nice and convenient extra that certainly added to our trip. Definitely take the trip out to Sun Studio, that was amazing. If you are an Elvis fan (diehard or not!) or even just a fan of music in general and on the fence about visiting,definately do! It was worth every penny. I cant wait to go back. Im looking forward to staying in The Guest House and checking out the new plaza when it is complete !!

D

D Sanders

This place should change its name to Elvis World and Resorts. and I do not mean in a good way. The positive, the time capsule house, (does not seem like a mansion), the how well conserved the costumes are, the cars, The bad... everything else. Be prepared to walk a lot with very little sitting area. I felt like I was at Disney world without the amount of rides and the fun. First you will park, cha chin, 10.00 dollars, than you walk to the tickets counter, cha chin, more 60 dollars a person, than wait in line, you go to a "holding room" or should I say movie... the employees either forgot to put the movie on, or we stayed there for the purpose of timing the amount of people, either way, they kept us there for 15 min for a 5 min movie max. Finally we left the holding room and are forced to take the $35.00 dollar picture "cha chin" (we did not buy). wait in line again for the shuttle, more 15 to 20 min... Finally we take the shuttle to the house, and wait some more to enter the house (more 15 to 20 min) enter the house.... You will not see upstairs only the downstairs and basement. out side areas, .... wait for the shuttle again and go back to the giant shopping area or should I say the automobile museum, before you enter it, they try to make you buy the 35.00 picture. Finally you enter the museum, and walk and walk some more. The cars are very far away from each other and you need to meander the gift shops to see the cars and keep meandering the gift shops to see the clothes and his awards, Grammy, etc. In conclusion, be prepared to walk a LOT, something that should take max an hour, it easily will take 3 hours due to how far things are and the amount of waiting, DO NOT take children. There is nothing for them to do, they do not know who Elvis is, they do not care, and they will drive you nuts. Take them to the ZOO to see the Panda Bear. Anyone under 18 should not go to this place. Finally, if this is a must see in your bucket list, go, but do not go out of your way to see a tacky house and over commercialized place. It is a giant gift shop.

Other organizations