Elvis Presley’s Graceland: A Look Inside the Gates of the Opulent Home
Elvis Presley’s former home, Graceland, is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and welcomes roughly 600,000 visitors each year. The singer moved his family into the house in 1957 and remained there until his death. While Elvis owned multiple other residences, Graceland is far and away his most famous home. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and works to preserve his legacy.
Fans flocked to the Graceland gates while Elvis was living there and began to stream in as visitors after his death. Here’s a peek inside the gates of the historic estate.
Elvis treated the Graceland grounds as his personal playground. He had a swimming pool, racquetball court, and shooting range on the property. According to Priscilla Presley, he often had “screaming thrill rides” in which he sped around the grounds on his custom-built golf cart (via Elvis and Me). Here, he drives out of the custom-designed gates, which looked like sheet music.
The interior of Graceland is as glitzy and opulent as one might expect. He made a number of changes to the design of his living room over the years. Visitors to the home today can expect to see white carpeting and furniture, but Elvis had redone the room in shades of red in 1974. They redecorated with the older, white furniture in 1982.
He installed the stained-glass peacocks in 1974 because they were an “ancient Christian symbol of eternal life and resurrection”(via Graceland). Elvis added additional stained glass over the pool table in the home’s basement that same year.
One of the most famous rooms in the house is the Jungle Room. While Elvis never referred to it by this name, it fits the room well. He decorated it with green carpeting, carved wooden furniture, lush foliage, animal skins, and a waterfall, which consistently flooded the room.
The room had a variety of uses. He ate breakfast and watched television in a large arm chair. He also entertained guests in there and, in 1976, recorded 16 songs in the room.
Elvis’ bedroom was on the second floor of the home and was a private escape for him in his lifetime. It remains off-limits to visitors along with the rest of the second floor. His personal quarters were opulent, just like the guest room pictured above, with its fluffy bedspread and red carpeting.
In the mid-1960s, Elvis gifted Priscilla Presley a horse. While he initially seemed intimidated by the large animal, he eventually bought himself a horse. Soon, he had purchased horses for each member of his entourage.
“The happiest I ever saw him was when he developed a passion for horses,” Priscilla wrote. “It all began when I said I wished I had my own horse. I’d loved them since childhood, and Graceland had a beautiful old stable in back, where Vernon [Presley] used to store old furniture.”
In Graceland’s backyard, just south of the swimming pool, lies the Meditation Garden. While this was initially a space for quiet reflection, it is now the final resting place for members of the Presley family. In 1977, Elvis was buried next to his mother, Gladys. His father, Vernon, grandmother, Minnie Mae, grandson, Benjamin Keough, and daughter, Lisa Marie, are all also buried in the Meditation Garden.
Ever since Priscilla Presley opened Graceland to the public in 1982, it has been a cherished destination for Elvis fans. It has become one of the most famous homes in America, second only to the White House, and is a near-religious experience for those who visit. The home has kept Elvis’ legacy alive and continues to introduce him to new generations of fans.
