Elvis Presley's world-famous Graceland: what's next?

After the death of Lisa Marie

After his body was initially buried in Forrest Hill Cemetery, a few weeks later his heirs received special permission to bury the remains of the King of Rock 'n' Roll in the Meditation Garden at Graceland. A place of pilgrimage for millions of Elvis fans from all over the world was born. His daughter Lisa Marie is now also to be buried there ...

Elvis moved into the property, named after the builder's daughter Grace, in the spring of 1957, at the tender age of just 22, shortly after his breakthrough. The singer is said to have only paid around 100,000 US dollars for the villa and the associated property at the time. His parents Vernon and Gladys Presley, both of whom were also later buried at Graceland, chose the home for their son and lived there for a time with their son.

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Elvis Presley had hotel rooms redesigned in Graceland style

For Elvis Presley, Graceland has been the center of his glorious life since that time. He lived there with his girlfriend for five years Priscilla Beaulieu (now 77) before they married in Las Vegas in 1967. Their daughter Lisa Marie also spent her first years in Graceland before she moved to California with her mother Priscilla Presley shortly before Elvis died and her parents divorced. Elvis loved his Graceland so much that when he was on tour he sometimes had hotel rooms remodeled in Graceland style to simulate a homey feel.

After Elvis Presley's untimely death, his only daughter, the late Lisa Marie, inherited the property. First, however, her grandfather Vernon and after his death her mother Priscilla were used as executors. Beginning in 1982, Graceland was opened to the public at the initiative of his ex-wife, Priscilla. The reason behind the rethinking: The enormous maintenance costs had to be financed urgently. The starting signal for the pilgrimage site: Since then, around 650,000 Elvis fans have made the pilgrimage to Graceland every year to be able to be close to their deceased idol and to reminisce.

This is what visitors get to see on a Graceland tour

Visitors are guided through Graceland on a tour and can also learn interesting details via an audio tour. Among other things, the tour leads through the living rooms and kitchen of the villa and also shows the TV and billiard room installed in the basement - including the bar. Of course, the legendary 'Jungle Room' is also part of the tour. This room, built in the 1960s, served Elvis initially as a classic study. The look of the room is kept in the so-called Tiki style: numerous objects are reminiscent of the US state of Hawaii loved by Elvis. In 1976 the 'Jungle Room' was converted into a recording studio in which Presley recorded his last two albums ' From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee' and 'Moody Blue'.

There are also numerous exhibits for visitors to see at Graceland. Among other things, a huge collection of platinum and gold records and numerous legendary stage costumes. The Graceland tour ends at Elvis Presley's grave. Car lovers also get their money's worth: Opposite Villa Graceland, the 'Presley Motors Automotive Museum' opened in 1989, showing the vehicle collection of the King of Rock'n Roll. The highlights include the famous pink Cadillac Fleetwood from 1955, a 1957 Ferrari Dino and several Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and his two private planes, the Lisa Marie (a Convair CV-880) and the Hound Dog II (a Lockheed JetStar), are also on display nearby.

After Lisa Marie Presley's death: Here's how Graceland's ownership is changing

A standard tour of Graceland currently costs visitors the equivalent of around 80 euros. Up to 215 euros can be charged for VIP packages and special tours. A visit to the car museum currently costs around 50 euros. Spontaneous visits are generally not advisable: the tours are often fully booked well in advance. Advance reservations on the official Graceland website are therefore strongly recommended.

What the future of Graceland will look like is still in the stars after the death of Lisa Marie Presley. Most likely, however, the pilgrimage site will not be fundamentally changed. The three surviving daughters of Lisa Marie were used as heirs: Riley Keough (33) and the twins Harper and Finley Lockwood (14) . Her son Benjamin took his own life in 2020 at the age of 27 .

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