It’s been stated that earlier than Elvis, there was nothing. He’s the King of Rock, a method icon, a heartbreaker, a hip-shaker past examine, a devourer of surprising meals and an unparalleled performer. His impression on music is profound, and so is his impression throughout the USA.
Graceland is, after all, floor zero for Elvis followers, particularly every August when pilgrims collect there for Elvis Week, a celebration of his music and flicks. However when you’ve visited his famously eccentric longtime property and realized in regards to the cornerstones of his profession, head out on a visit to get a full sense of Elvis’s legacy throughout the nation.
Sizzling on the heels of Baz Luhrmann’s new hit movie Elvis, we have gathered the highest locations within the US the place you’ll be able to expertise first-hand Elvis’ historical past first-hand.
9 museums for music lovers throughout the US
Elvis Presley’s Birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi
It’s solely a two-room shotgun shack, however the modest white constructing with a swing on the entrance porch is perhaps a very powerful two-room shotgun shack in American music historical past. The childhood residence of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi, the place he lived till the age of 13 in 1948, stays a pilgrimage-worthy web site. The constructing, which Elvis’s father Vernon Presley constructed by hand, has been restored to the way it regarded when Elvis was a toddler – furnishings, desk settings and all.
The Mississippi city of Tupelo presents a take a look at loads extra that influenced the younger musician. You may as well go to the small Meeting of God Pentecostal Church, the place Elvis was first launched to the gospel music that might form his work; the Birthplace Museum, a tribute to the tales of his youth; and a memento store with about 2000 objects. True diehards go in June through the Tupelo Elvis Festival.
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Honeymoon Hideaway in Palm Springs, California
The sprawling, ethereal mid-century trendy home at 1350 Ladera Circle in Palm Springs, California, was purported to be the location of Elvis and Priscilla’s marriage ceremony. But when a gossip columnist dwelling across the nook outed their plans, this quiet property was besieged with media on the Might 1, 1967 marriage ceremony day. The King and his queen-to-be made quick tracks to Las Vegas on Frank Sinatra’s non-public jet. Afterward, they returned to the Home of Tomorrow, because it was recognized then, for his or her honeymoon.
Immediately the abode is named the Honeymoon Hideaway. Excursions, that are provided day by day, mix Elvis historical past with a crash course in midcentury trendy structure, a vigorous and glossy type outlined by open areas, considerable glass and stone, and pops of coloration, all of which captured the free-wheeling, future-focused spirit of the time.
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Solar Studio in Memphis, Tennessee
The primary time Elvis walked into Solar Studio, in 1953, he was virtually shooed away, however because the story famously goes, a receptionist noticed his expertise, obtained his file throughout the legendary label-owner Sam Phillips’s desk, and, effectively, the remaining. The constructing is actually a music-history museum right this moment, with all kinds of rock memorabilia on show and excursions led by native musicians seven days per week. The tales they share will make sure you perceive why the constructing is named the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll. (Spoiler alert: Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Money and B.B. King additionally recorded right here). Within the rigorously preserved recording studio, you’ll be able to stand within the very spot Elvis stood in 1954 when he recorded “That’s All Proper,” the quick single that launched his lengthy profession.
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Arcade Restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee
True Elvis followers know to ask for the nook sales space at Arcade Restaurant in Memphis. That’s the place the King frequently sat at this downtown diner throughout common visits for his beloved peanut butter and banana sandwich. However Arcade’s historical past extends past Elvis. Opened since 1919, it lays declare because the oldest restaurant in Memphis. From the robin-egg-blue vinyl cubicles to the boomerang patterns on the tabletops to the neon indicators, little has modified, giving it a nostalgic vibe that takes you again to a time the place Elvis songs performed in all places. It’s a great spot to replenish on traditional grub like burgers and milkshakes or a deal with off the all-day breakfast menu earlier than you head to Graceland.
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Las Vegas, Nevada
The factor about Las Vegas is that it’s almost not possible to keep away from Elvis – or his impersonators. Although his native debut in 1956 was panned by the press, Elvis went to Hollywood, began appearing and returned to Sin Metropolis to carry out his first present on the Worldwide in 1969, marking the beginning of a seven-year residency. By the top, that amounted to 837 sold-out performances for two.5 million followers. Elvis’s reputation hasn’t pale, as you’ll be able to inform from the numerous statues that dot the vigorous panorama. You’ll be able to go to the Graceland Wedding ceremony Chapel or catch any variety of tribute exhibits. Stroll the town to take a look at websites that made appearances within the 1963 movie Viva Las Vegas, reminiscent of the Flamingo Lodge, the oldest resort on the Strip and the placement of the film’s well-known swimming pool scene, and the Little Church of the West, the place he and Ann Margaret tied the knot.
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Elvis in Hawaii
While you consider Hawaii, you most likely consider seashores, luaus and hula dancers. And Elvis. Few pop stars are as related to fiftieth state as Elvis. He filmed three motion pictures there, raised cash for a Pearl Harbor memorial and recorded “Aloha from Hawaii,” a 1973 live performance in Honolulu that was broadcast by way of satellite tv for pc to 1.5 billion folks in 40 nations. The occasion is commemorated by a bronze statue of the singer exterior the Blaisdell Middle, the live performance venue. On any given day, followers cease by to hold leis across the figurine. Different must-sees for rock’n’roll pilgrims embody the long-lasting however now-shuttered Coco Palms Resort and Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Wayside Park, each of that are featured in Blue Hawaii.
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Chaffee Barber Store Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Chaffee, a historic World Battle II military base in Arkansas, is situated about 2.5 hours west of Little Rock. On March 25, 1958, when Elvis enlisted within the military, crowds flocked right here to witness the beginner soldier gave up his well-known sideburns. The modest constructing fell into disrepair within the Nineties, however it was restored in 2008 and opened because the Chaffee Barber Shop Museum in 2009. It homes the unique barbershop pole, pictures taken on the day of the landmark buzzcut and the digicam utilized by the native photographer. Every year on March 25, crowds arrive to commemorate Elvis Haircut Day. Contributors can get their hair lower by Jimmy Don Peterson, son of the late James Peterson, who gave Elvis his buzz, as followers have a good time with performances and lookalike contests.
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Mini Graceland in Roanoke, Virginia
There are Elvis Presley followers, Elvis Presley super-fans after which there’s Don Epperly. The Roanoke, Virginia native handed away in 2012, however his Elvis-loving legacy lives on at this small-scale shrine to the King. Epperly constructed all the buildings, every standing about 3 toes tall, by hand. Not solely is there a scaled-down model of the well-known Memphis property, however there are additionally different buildings that had been significant in his life, like his childhood residence in Tupelo, efficiency halls the place he shook his hips and even the Elvis Presley Automotive Museum – an attraction at Graceland, full with Barbie Doll guests.
Mini Graceland drew crowds by the busloads – actually! – as Epperly and his spouse added to it all through the Eighties, however it fell into disrepair when he obtained sick within the Nineties. It’s been restored due to neighborhood assist, and you may go away a donation to assist its repairs within the white donation field. You’ll be able to’t miss it – it’s proper subsequent to the bronze Elvis statue.
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Visitor Home at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee
When Elvis and Priscilla’s buddies would go to them at Graceland, they might usually keep at a close-by Howard Johnson, a utilitarian motor lodge. For a few years since Graceland opened to the general public in 1982, Elvis pilgrims dedicated to staying close by may make reservations on the kitschy Heartbreak Lodge, which embodied the identical no-frills vibe because the Howard Johnson. However all the pieces modified in 2016 when the Visitor Home at Graceland was unveiled. Priscilla helped design the 450-room resort, which consists of the Heartbreak Lodge’s constructing and an adjoining constructing. The trendy property options 20 suites that pay tribute to the King in a low-key type. Elvis is honored in every room with intelligent design touches that he personally most popular, together with televisions mounted within the ceiling and daring coloration schemes.
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All the pieces Elvis Museum in Cornelia, Georgia
Like Don Epperly, Joni Mabe (aka Queen of the King) is a super-fan who’s dedicated to sharing her Elvis love with the world. Her All the pieces Elvis Museum in Cornelia, Georgia (about 90 minutes north of Atlanta) is a vigorous shrine to the icon. With a set that clocks in at round 30,000 objects, it’s little shock that it’s listed within the Guinness E book of World Data. Not solely is it the biggest assortment of stuff, it’s additionally simply essentially the most distinctive, with issues like Elvis’s wart and his alleged toenail. Squeamish? To not fear. There are many pictures, newspaper clippings, fan artwork, statuettes and Elvis-themed family items reminiscent of lamps, towels and curtains. The museum is situated within the Loudermilk Boarding Home, a nationwide historic landmark.
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