When looking for fun things to do in Memphis be sure to get over and visit the infamous Graceland Mansion, Elvis's expansive 14-acre estate in Memphis Tennessee. Graceland Mansion sits on 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard but was formerly known as South Bellevue Road. Graceland Mansion sits atop a hill in the suburb of Whitehaven, and is about 8 miles south of Memphis. Graceland Mansion was originally developed as a 500-acre farm during the American Civil War by publisher S.E. Toof. Stories differ slightly regarding the name bestowed upon the estate by Toof but it was either named after his daughter Grace Toof or after an aunt or niece named Grace. The house is considered to be of Classical Revival style.

A Graceland tour is a great way to spend a little time getting to know the mansion. During a Graceland tour visitors can walk through the dining room, music room, the TV room, the billiard room the kitchen and the jungle room and listen to an audio narration Note that the Graceland tour doesn't include viewing the upstairs part of the mansion. When alive the upstairs portion was "the King's inner sanctum".

When it came to Graceland Elvis held the home in high regard and lived with several family members there during his life. At Graceland Elvis loved to decorate and had created several themed rooms. The front room features a white marble fireplace and Louis XIV furniture. After buying Graceland Elvis added many rooms including a trophy room and a racquetball court. At Graceland Elvis also added a pink Alabama fieldstone wall around the property as well as the famous wrought iron guitar gates.

Graceland history is a varied and interesting one. Surely many people wonder what the walls would say if they could talk! In Graceland history Elvis bought the home for just under $102,500. At the time it was used by the Christian Church and had just been sold to the YMCA for $35,000. Graceland history wouldn't have included Elvis at all had he not had the wits about him to try to convince the YMCA to sell the house for a substantial profit. That was the beginning of the Graceland history which included Elvis and though the original house was exceptionally beautiful it would have never gained the popularity it did if Elvis hadn't been able to convince the YMCA to let the property go.

Graceland Memphis is fairly easy to reach from Nashville and Chattanooga and many people head to Memphis for this reason alone. When at Graceland visitors don't have to travel far for convenient shopping and dining as it's all available at Graceland Plaza which is directly on the premises. There are 3 restaurants and several gift shops to choose from. There are also plaza attractions which include the Car Museum, Sincerely Elvis and Airplanes. Graceland Memphis is open year-round. Between December and February Graceland is open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Sunday and closed on Tuesdays. In March to October the hours are extended a little to accommodate larger crowds. It is open an hour earlier and closes an hour later. Graceland is also near the Memphis Zoo and the National Civil Rights Museum.

Many people visit the Meditation Garden when visiting Graceland to view the grave sites of Elvis and his family. Many were huge fans of "The King" and get fairly emotional while visiting. Others are more keen to see what the inside of the Mansion looked like and imagine what life must have been like for Elvis while he lived there. Whatever the reasons for going Graceland Memphis is a fun place to visit for its interesting design, expansive property and for the fact that one of the greatest rock and roll legends of all time lived out his largely successful career there with his family.