Graceland

Graceland is the former home of Elvis Presley at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee, where the singer lived from 1957 until his death in August 1977. The white-columned Colonial Revival mansion sits on 13.8 acres in the Whitehaven neighborhood of South Memphis and is the second most-visited private home in the United States after the White House, receiving approximately 650,000 visitors annually. Elvis purchased Graceland at the age of 22 for $102,500 and spent the following two decades decorating and expanding it in a manner that reflected both the excess of his era and his personal taste: the Jungle Room, a den decorated with tiki furniture and green shag carpeting on the floors and ceiling, contains one of Memphis's most photographed interiors. The mansion's formal rooms, including the living room with its 15-foot couch and custom stained glass peacock panels, the TV room lined with three television sets, and the racquetball building added in the 1970s, are toured via an audio guide voiced by John Stamos using transcripts drawn from Elvis's family members' recollections. The Meditation Garden behind the mansion contains the graves of Elvis Presley, his parents Vernon and Gladys, and his paternal grandmother. Visitors pay respects at the grave site continuously throughout the day. Across Elvis Presley Boulevard, the Graceland Campus includes Elvis Presley's Memphis — a large entertainment and museum complex housing the singer's custom vehicles including the Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II private jets, his stage costumes, gold and platinum records, and a collection of personal artifacts. A ticketed shuttle crosses the boulevard between the mansion and campus. Elvis Week in mid-August draws fans from around the world for concerts, tribute artist competitions, and a candlelight vigil.