Amazing Graceland: Elvis' Memphis home celebrates 30 years as a tourist attraction

By Travelmail Reporter

Published: 07:29 EST, 14 June 2012 | Updated: 07:29 EST, 14 June 2012


The iconic home of Elvis Presley celebrates 30 years as a tourist attraction this month.

Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee, has helped transform the city into a top destination for music lovers, clocking up nearly 18 million visitors in three decades.

But when the house opened to the public in 1982 - some five years after 'the King' died - nobody knew if it would be such a success.

Graceland, Memphis

Pillar of the community: Graceland is located a 20-minute drive from downtown Memphis, in Whitehaven

Elvis' former wife Priscilla says it's the spirit of the singer, and not just music history, that keeps the crowds coming to Graceland.

'Every time I go in there, I feel like Elvis is going to come down the stairs any minute,' she said in a recent interview about the landmark's anniversary.

'I have no doubt that he's there, somewhere, his spirit. I think people feel that.'

The king of rock 'n' roll died on August 16, 1977, and by the early 1980s, Graceland had become a burden on his estate, which faced high estate and inheritance taxes.

One of the sitting rooms at Graceland

The King has left the room: The house has been preserved, keeping everything the same as when the singer was alive

Accountants and bankers wanted to sell the home, but Priscilla said she thought that opening the house to tourists could solve the financial problems while keeping Elvis' legacy alive.

She secured a $500,000 (£323,000) investment and visited other tourist attractions - Hearst Castle, Will Rogers' home, and even Disney World - for inspiration.

Graceland opened for tours on June 7, 1982.

'We had no idea whether 30 people were coming, or 300, or 3,000 that first day. Fortunately, it was the latter,' said Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, who helped Priscilla with her plan.

They sold out all 3,024 tickets on the first day and Graceland's success led to a worldwide merchandising and licensing business that keeps Elvis' legend strong while generating $32 million (£20.6 million) a year in revenue.

Elvis Presley

Legend: Elvis belts out one of his hits during a performance in 1972

And the flow of tourists has remained steady, with an average of 500,000 annual visitors to the mansion and exhibition area across the street, according to Soden.

Visitors come all year, but peak in August during the annual commemoration of Elvis' death, which includes a candlelight vigil.

Graceland, which expects to welcome its 18 millionth visitor this year, has also helped turn Memphis into a major music destination.

'When Graceland opened, city leaders saw the impact it brought from visitors from all over the world,' said Regena Bearden, vice president of marketing for the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau.

When Presley died, Beale Street in downtown Memphis, which had been known for the blues since the early 1900s, was in disrepair and shunned by visitors.

But today, it is a bustling attraction featuring blues-themed bars, shops and restaurants.

And Sun Studios, where music producer Sam Phillips worked with Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and others, opened as a tourist attraction in 1985.

The studio for Stax Records, known for Otis Redding and others, has been reborn as a slick multimedia museum of the label's distinctive Memphis soul sound.

And 'Memphis in May,' a month-long event that includes a music festival and barbecue contest at a park along the Mississippi River, now attracts tens of thousands of people.

Future plans include $50 million (£32.2 million) in improvements to Elvis Presley Boulevard and other infrastructure near Graceland.

'I'm blown away by the mere fact that it's 30 years,' Priscilla said.

'It's been incredible to see that the legacy of Elvis is still going strong. We wouldn't have imagined that when it was opened in 1982. Elvis is as popular now as he was then, if not even more.'