Before Graceland opened to the public in 1982, it was practically unheard of for fans to take a tour of their favorite celebrity’s home.
Thirty-five years later, millions of Elvis fans from around the world have done just that at Elvis Presley’s Graceland. They’ve experienced the colorful Jungle Room and imagined watching TV with the ceramic monkey in the TV Room. They’ve been wowed by walls of awards and sparkling jumpsuits. They’ve stepped aboard his airplanes and taken selfies with his famous Pink Cadillac.
Graceland opened to the public for tours on June 7, 1982 – 35 years ago. Graceland has remained largely unchanged, but the Graceland experience has evolved and expanded into something you have to see to believe.
Check out this timeline and learn about how Graceland’s tours have changed over the years.
June 7, 1982 – Graceland opens for tours. Elvis’ cars were still in the carport, as no Car Museum had been created yet. Guests were transported to the mansion in vans, after purchasing a ticket across the street at a ticket office, which included a gift shop. Tour tickets were $5. More than 3,000 guests toured Graceland on opening day.
February 22, 1984 – Elvis’ jet, the Lisa Marie, arrives in Memphis and is brought down Elvis Presley Boulevard to its present location. Elvis Presley Enterprises acquires the shopping center across the street from the home. Later in 1984, one of Elvis’ tour busses and his small Jetstar are loaned to Graceland, and are opened for tours. Graceland also celebrates its 1 millionth visitor this year.
1985 – Graceland’s corporate offices open across the street from Elvis Presley’s Graceland, in what would later become the Car Museum. Gift shops and restaurants, including Heartbreak Hotel Restaurant, EP’s LPs (a music store) and Graceland Hall (complete with a dance floor and carnival games), open up in that same shopping center across the street, in what will eventually become the Graceland Plaza.
1987 – Christmas Wonderland at Graceland opens. It features special mechanical light displays, a dancing water show, horse-drawn carriage rides and a Christmas choir.
1989 – The Trophy Room is renovated, and the corporate offices move from across the street to a building near the mansion. The Elvis Presley Automobile Museum opens across the street on June 12, 1989. Vernon’s Office opens to the public.
July 3, 1989 – Graceland welcomes a record number of visitors in one day: 4,920.
1990 – Graceland’s famous front gates are restored by the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis. Elvis’ 1956 purple Cadillac goes on display.
November 7, 1991 – Elvis Presley’s Graceland is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1992 – Elvis’ tour bus, which was on loan, returns to its owner. Graceland celebrates its 10th anniversary of being open to the public. The “Elvis Up Close” area is redesigned as “Sincerely Elvis.”
1994 – Graceland makes the switch from live tour guides to audio tours on cassettes. The Kitchen is opened to the public.
1997 – The International Wall of Awards opens in the Racquetball Building. Elvis Presley Enterprises acquires the Graceland Crossing property.
1998 – Elvis’ parents’ bedroom opens to the public.
1999 – Heartbreak Hotel opens.
2000 – The annex becomes a new tour space. Jumpsuits are added to the display in the Racquetball Building, and new exhibits are added to the Trophy Building.
2001 – An exhibit focusing on fans opens in the Sincerely Elvis space.
2002 – It’s the 25th anniversary of Elvis’ passing. More than 30,000 fans visit during Elvis Week, which features a rainy Candlelight Vigil. A mobile Graceland exhibit tours the country.
2004 – The 50 Years of Rock ‘n’ Roll exhibit opens in Sincerely Elvis. On July 5, “That’s All Right” plays on radio stations around the world, and the tune is officially certified Gold. Elvis is named the Best-Selling Recording Artist in U.S. History, and he’s inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame.
2005 – The Elvis’ Memphis exhibit opens in Sincerely Elvis.
2006 – President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visit Graceland, which marks the first time a sitting president visits Graceland. An Elvis After Dark exhibit, which tells how Elvis went to the movies, the fair and more late at night, opens at Graceland Crossing, while an exhibit focusing on Elvis' 1956 opens at Sincerely Elvis. The post office at the Graceland Plaza, which allowed guests to mail postcards from Graceland, closes.
March 26, 2006 – Graceland is named a National Historic Landmark.
2007 – The 30th anniversary of Elvis' passing is remembered at Candlelight Vigil, where more than 75,000 fans paid their respects to Elvis. Candlelight Vigil lasted until 8:30 a.m. the next day. An exhibit focusing on Elvis’ jumpsuits opens in Sincerely Elvis, while an Elvis and Nixon exhibit opens at Graceland Crossing. The Graceland Harley Davidson shop also opens at the Crossing.
2008 – The audio tour is revamped from cassettes to digital. The annex becomes part of the VIP tour. Exhibits on the ’68 Special and Elvis’ service in the Army open at Graceland Crossing.
2009 – A special VIP exhibit focusing on Graceland’s 70th anniversary opens, while Sincerely Elvis becomes home to an Elvis in Hollywood exhibit. Elvis’ Rolls Royce and Mercedes limo from “Elvis on Tour," as well as Elvis’ restored John Deere tractor, are added to the Car Museum. Stables tours open during the summer months. The official tour video is created and sold in Graceland gift shops.
2010 – A new jumpsuit exhibit opens. The VIP exhibit focusing on the Presley family’s journey from Tupelo to Memphis opens, and the Fashion King exhibit opens in Graceland Crossing. The Graceland gates are refurbished, and the Trophy Building is renovated.
2012 – An “Elvis on Tour” exhibit opens at Graceland Crossing. A special VIP exhibit focusing on Elvis and his daughter, Lisa Marie, called “Elvis: Through His Daughter’s Eyes” opens.
2013 – The Hall of Gold is revamped, and an “Aloha from Hawaii” exhibit opens at Graceland Crossing. Graceland becomes the first National Historic Landmark to be a certified arboretum.
2014 – Graceland’s tour moves from an audio-only tour to an interactive iPad tour, narrated by actor and Elvis fan John Stamos. The first Auction at Graceland takes place, and Graceland offers authentication services (remember – the items in the Auctions at Graceland are from third-party collectors). The VIP exhibit celebrates 60 Years of Rock. During Elvis Week, a special ground breaking ceremony is held for Graceland’s new hotel, The Guest House at Graceland.
2015 – A photography exhibit, called I Shot Elvis, opens in Sincerely Elvis, while an “Elvis: That’s the Way It Is” VIP exhibit opens. Museums and exhibits shuffle around the plaza: the Elvis’ Tupelo exhibit moves from the Bijou Theater space to Graceland Crossing, and the Archives Experience exhibit moves into the Bijou space.
2016 – The new VIP exhibit, Elvis in Hollywood: From Teen Idol to Leading Man, opens, and features movie costumes, scripts, posters and much more. In May, Graceland celebrates its 20 millionth visitor.
October 27, 2016 – The Guest House at Graceland opens.
2017 – The trophies and jumpsuits housed in the Racquetball Building are removed so the court area can be renovated and restored back to its original condition. The Trophy Building’s artifacts are changed from gold records and other awards to telling the story of the Presley family.
March 2, 2017 – Graceland’s new exhibit and entertainment complex, Elvis Presley’s Memphis, opens, complete with new restaurants, shops, a soundstage and exhibits. Notable exhibits include a new car museum, Presley Motors, and the world’s largest Elvis museum, Elvis: The Entertainer Career Museum. The old plaza will soon become green space.
Things are only getting better at the king’s castle! Be sure to make your plans now to experience all that Graceland has to offer. Learn more about the new Graceland experience here.
And share with us – when have you visited Graceland? What are a few of your favorite Graceland memories?