Graceland

Graceland is a roughly 14-acre estate with a 17,552-square-foot, 23-room mansion where Elvis moved after his first number one hit and spent the remainder of his life. Elvis is also buried there in the Meditation Garden with his parents, paternal grandmother, grandson, and daughter. Visitors can take a tour of the first floor of the mansion with its wonderfully gaudy decorations, including carpeted walls, mirrored ceilings, and array of color themes. After winding through exterior buildings and exhibits with touching home videos of Elvis and Lisa Marie, the tour exits through the Meditation Garden so you can pay your respects to The King. 

Across the street, visitors can also enjoy a range of displays at Elvis Presley’s Memphis, a multi-million-dollar entertainment and museum complex. Journey through Elvis’s career, wardrobe, military service, plane and car collections, and more. There are also several onsite gift shops and dining options. If you’re looking for a nearby place to stay, consider the Guest House at Graceland or the Graceland RV Park & Campground. 

graceland.com, Graceland, Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38116

Elvis Presley House on Audubon Drive

Using royalties from his first number one hit, “Heartbreak Hotel,” in 1956, Elvis purchased a one-story ranch-style home in East Memphis at 1034 Audubon Drive for him and his parents. Following his success, several national magazines published pictures of his house and the location was soon frequented by mobs of fans and photographers. Just 13 months after moving there, the fanfare became too much and Elvis sold the house to move to the more private Graceland. While the property is not open to the public, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and visitors can respectfully walk or drive by. A small plaque outside the entrance notes its history, including information about the current owner.

1034 Audubon Dr, Memphis, TN 38117

Sun Studio

A small, quirky building on a corner lot is the recording studio that started it all. Stop by for a Sun Studio tour to see where Elvis recorded “That’s All Right (Mama)” in 1954, which quickly launched him into fame. The esteemed venue also recorded big names like Rufus Thomas, Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis, and continues to offer recording sessions for artists today. On the tour, you’ll hear outtakes from original recording sessions, stand in the same spot where Elvis first recorded his songs, and even get a chance to pose with the old stand-up microphone that Elvis himself used. Before you leave, make sure to touch the doorknob outside that Elvis and so many other greats did to enter the building—the rumor is it’ll bring you good luck!

sunstudio.com, 706 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38103

Beale Street Elvis Statue

No trip to Memphis is complete without a trip to Beale Street, a three-block entertainment district that’s listed as a National Historical Landmark. As a rising star, Elvis frequented the many clubs along Beale Street, soaking up inspiration from the diverse music scene there, such as Big Mama Thornton, Little Richard, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and B.B. King. Just west of B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale Street, you’ll find a lifesize bronze statue of Elvis playing his guitar that was placed in 1997. The original bronze statue—the first in the world—was erected in 1980 at the same location but was moved indoors in 1996 to the downtown Memphis Tennessee State Welcome Center to protect it from the elements and over-adoring fans.

115 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103

Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum

This Smithsonian Institution-curated museum is located just south of Beale Street at FedExForum. It aims to provide a comprehensive story on Memphis music, beginning with the rural field hollers and sharecroppers of the 1930s, through the city’s musical heyday in the 1970s, and ultimately how it gained global prominence. In showing this full musical history of Memphis, the museum connects regional folk music traditions to music legends like Elvis. Visitors can see some of Elvis’s original costumes, lyrics, and other memorabilia in the museum while they listen to a “rock ‘n’ soul” playlist along the way.

memphisrocknsoul.org, 191 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103

Memphis Music Hall of Fame

Located on Beale Street, Memphis Music Hall of Fame is one of five halls of fame that Elvis graces. With more than 150 gold, platinum, or multi-platinum albums and singles, it’s not a surprise to see the American icon here. Elvis’s exhibit in the Memphis Music Hall of Fame captures his journey through different genres over time and the aspects that made him so legendary. Stop by for a tour to see The King, as well as the stories of other talented Memphis artists throughout the years.

memphismusichalloffame.com, 126 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103

The Historic Peabody Hotel

Perhaps best known for its duck march that occurs daily at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., The Peabody Memphis is an ornate and historic downtown hotel that holds intriguing relics of the past. A history room on the mezzanine level hosts Elvis’s original RCA recording contract. You’ll also find Elvis’s name on the Peabody Duck Walk of Fame, which honors Memphis residents for their contributions to the city. Also inside the hotel is Lansky Brothers, known as the “Clothier to the King.” The family-owned shop helped Elvis develop his signature style. Today, you can find and purchase an Elvis-inspired collection there and plenty of rock ‘n’ roll lore.

peabodymemphis.com, 149 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38103

Overton Park Shell

On July 30, 1954, Elvis played his first paid gig at the Overton Park Shell as an opener for Slim Whitman. This open-air amphitheater was built in 1936 as a New Deal project of the City of Memphis and the Works Progress Administration. Today, the unique venue hosts local, regional, and international soul, folk, rock, funk, and country talent from spring through fall. If you miss one of the 50 free concerts in the park during the season, you can still stop by for a photo in front of the historic stage or schedule a tour.

overtonparkshell.org, 1928 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38104

Circuit Playhouse

Located in Memphis’s Overton Square Performing Arts District, the Circuit Playhouse was once a movie theater frequented by Elvis, who would rent it out for private late-night showings with his friends. Catch the latest theater performance in the historic building on your next visit. If you happen to come during Memphis’s Elvis Week—scheduled annually during the week preceding the star’s passing on August 16—the theater offers storytelling tours about Elvis’s evenings there. At the end of your tour, you can even snap a photo sitting in the original theater seat saved for Elvis the Pelvis himself.

playhouseonthesquare.org/the-circuit-playhouse, 51 Cooper St, Memphis, TN 38104

The Arcade Restaurant

If you want to eat like The King, head over to your new favorite greasy-spoon diner, the Arcade Restaurant. Founded in 1919 after Speros Zepatos immigrated from Greece, the diner is the oldest in Memphis and a long-time locals’ favorite—including for Elvis. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll used to frequent the diner for its fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. He had a booth toward the back of the shop next to an exit in case he needed to flee the crowds. Today, the booth is decorated in his honor and boasts the same blue and tan vinyl benches The King sat on. Enjoy breakfast served all day, Southern-style lunches, and dinner specials on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays—and don’t forget to grab a dessert to go!

arcaderestaurant.com, 540 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103

Coletta’s Italian Restaurant

If you’re looking for a true Memphis delicacy, head over to the restaurant that claims to have created Elvis’s favorite barbecue pizza. The original South Parkway location of Coletta’s Italian Restaurant has been operating for more than 100 years and boasts an “Elvis Room,” where patrons will find a cardboard cutout of Elvis and other photos and memorabilia from the singer’s career. Elvis was known to take over a private dining room at the restaurant, and Priscilla visited nearly every week to take pizzas back to the couple’s Graceland mansion. 

colettas.net, 1063 S Pkwy E, Memphis, TN 38106 

Catherine and Mary’s in the Historic Hotel Chisca Building

Over the years, Memphis has diligently revitalized historic spaces throughout the city. One such space is the historic Hotel Chisca building. Constructed in 1913, the hotel helped introduce the American public to rock ‘n’ roll music. Disc jockey Dewey Phillips broadcast his Red, Hot, & Blue radio show for WHBQ from the building’s mezzanine floor. On July 5, 1954, Elvis recorded “That’s All Right (Mama)” at Sam Phillips’s nearby Sun Studio. Sam played the single for Dewey the next day, who quickly shared it over the airwaves. Soon enough, the radio show was flooded with requests to play it again. Elvis came in for an on-air interview, and the rest is history.

Today, you can visit this slice of Elvis history over one of the best meals in Memphis. Catherine & Mary’s operates on the building’s first floor from Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, both nominated for the James Beard Best Chef Southeast award. Expect the flavors of a Tuscan and Sicilian grandmother’s cooking with elevated classics like carbonara and rigatoni, as well as creative plates like tuna panzanella—raw tuna, focaccia, pear, cherry tomato, chili lime vinaigrette, and tonnato.

catherineandmarys.com, 272 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103

The Beauty Shop Restaurant & Lounge

For a dining experience with serious style, head to the former salon where Priscilla Presley used to get her hair done. Now transformed into one of Memphis’s most eclectic restaurants, The Beauty Shop in the Cooper-Young district blends retro glam with inventive cuisine. Guests can sip craft cocktails and dig into globally inspired dishes while sitting beneath vintage Belvedere hair dryers, just like the ones Priscilla may have used. With its Jetsons-era décor and playful motto, “Look Good, Eat Good,” this midtown gem offers a meal that’s as memorable as its setting.

thebeautyshoprestaurant.com, 966 S Cooper St, Memphis, TN 38104