Elvis Presley's Graceland

The trophy room was originally used by Elvis and the Memphis Mafia to race slot cars. It would later become a tribute to Elvis' incredible international success, showcasing his countless gold and platinum awards, other awards and a selection of his spectacular clothing.

The Jungle Room features an indoor waterfall and houses three air conditioners that were used by Elvis to keep the room at a less than tropical temperature.

Did you know?: When Gladys Presley died in 1958 Elvis hesitated to replace a windowpane accidentally broken by his mother shortly before her death. While Elvis loved redecorating and changing things, he was reluctant to change things that reminded him of his mother.

Along with Elvis, Gladys and Vernon Presley, Minnie Maeis buried in the Meditation Garden at Graceland. The Meditation Garden also features a grave marker in memory of Elvis' still-born twin brother, Jesse Garon. The Meditation Garden was built by Elvis in the mid-sixties as a place for contemplation.

The bodies of Elvis and Gladys were moved from Forest Hill Cemetery following security threats. At one stage a group of men tried to steal Elvis' coffin from the Cemetery. The bodies were reinterred in the Meditation Garden on 2 October, 1977.

The Garden's centerpiece is a circular twelve-foot fountain pool with five single jets of water and a larger one in the middle all lit by colored floodlights. The curved wall behind the fountain is made of Mexican brick with four stained-glass windows. Near the Meditation Garden is Elvis' kidney-shaped swimming pool.

When Elvis lived at Graceland it went through several color changes. In 1977, at the time of Elvis' death, the mansion was in its spectacular red period. This was the result of Elvis' last redecorating spurt in 1974. There were red carpets, red walls, red drapes, red was everywhere.

After Elvis' death, Graceland was valued at US$350,000.Because of an annual upkeep bill estimated at $500,000, the mansion was opened to tourists by Priscilla Presley on June 7, 1982.

Touring Graceland: The mansion tour starts as fans board a shuttle bus to take them across the highway and up the windy driveway to the front steps of Graceland.

As part of the tour, visitors can view those parts of Graceland Elvis would have shown his friends: the music room, the dining room, the TV room (with its three television sets along one wall), the billiard room, the kitchen and the jungle room where Elvis recorded parts of the Moody Blue and From Elvis Presley Boulevard albums.

For various logistical reasons the upstairs part of Graceland is not open to the public. There is a symbolic significance in this. Even when Elvis was alive, the upstairs area was regarded as The King's inner sanctum, with the stairs representing the dividing line between it and the rest of the world.

The upstairs area consists of Elvis' bedroom, bathroom, wardrobe room, and office, as well as Lisa Marie's white and gold bedroom and bathroom and a bath and dressing area used by Elvis' girlfriends.

Did you know?: There was a glimpse of the upstairs area of Graceland in the biographical film, This Is Elvis.

Visitors use headsets to listen to the guided tour (originally the tour used actual tour guides, but these were discontinued as part of a cost-cutting exercise in the late 1990s). A virtual tour of the mansion is available at elvis.com Alternatively, fans can purchase the very popular 'Elvis Presley's Graceland DVD'. The documentary is also available from EPE in VHS format.

Apart from touring the mansion, visitors can also visit the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum, the Sincerely Elvis Museum, take the Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II tour and watch the film Walk A Mile In My Shoes.

On most days of the year there is also a FREE walk-up time to visit the Meditation Garden (details can be found at www.elvis.com.

The mansion is visited by up to 700,000 visitors each year, and as a home in the US is second only in visitor numbers to the White House.

Tickets to attractions are sold either individually or as packages (including group bookings for 15 or more people). Current ticket office opening hours and ticket prices are available by visiting the official Elvis web site at: www.elvis.com

Did you know?: The barn in the fields behind Graceland was used to house Elvis' horses until his horse buying spree got too much and he had to buy the Circle G Ranch. Descendants of some of the original horses still lived in the fields behind Graceland in the late 1990s.

Elvis Tribute Week: The city of Memphis comes alive each August as the annual Elvis Tribute Week is celebrated. Tens of thousands of fans and the media from around the world converge on Memphis to visit Graceland and enjoy the 50 or so organized events based around the King of Rock and Roll. One of the highlights of Elvis Week is the famous and moving fan tribute, the Candlelight Ceremony, held on the evening of 15 August.

Famous Visitors to Graceland: The official Elvis web site includes details of the long list of famous people who have visited Graceland over the years. The mansion is celebrated in the Paul Simon recording of the same name, and two noteworthy visitors over the years have been Bruce Springsteen and Jerry Lee Lewis. Springsteen has the distinction of, before he became a star, jumping the wall at Graceland to see The King, only to be ejected by the security guards. As it turned out Elvis wasn't home at the time.

Jerry Lee Lewis' visit is more notorious. "The Killer", one of the wild men of rock & roll turned up drunk, firing a gun, and demanding to see Elvis. Again, Elvis was not home at the time.

Graceland Visitor Center: across from Graceland are various retail outlets owned by EPE that market officially licensed Elvis items. (Close-by, at 3727 Elvis Presley Boulevard is the Graceland Crossing Shopping Center consisting of Elvis shops not affiliated with EPE).