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Elvis Presley’s Graceland offers the option to go ‘behind the ropes’ at his Memphis mansion after launching ‘VIP’ virtual tours for the first time as tourists stay away in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
The hit American attraction, which was purchased by the music icon in 1957, typically attracts between 500,000 and 700,000 tourists a year, but has been hit by a massive drop in visitor numbers in the wake of the pandemic.
Now, for $ 100, fans who can’t make it to Tennessee can sign up for the two-hour guided tour of the singer’s former home and meditation garden, where he is buried. Organizers say they will also tell untold stories.
Graceland, Elvis Presley’s former home in Tennessee, is offering live virtual tours for the first time. For $ 100, fans can sign up for personal tours of her home, as well as her private jet, The Lisa Marie (pictured)
Participants can get up close and personal with his personal effects, like his famous pink Cadillac 60 Series, usually behind ropes in the famous attraction
The expert will guide you through some of the music icon’s most beloved fashion moments
Cameras will take you ‘behind the ropes’ of the American attraction to see its possessions up close, like its gold records
An expert will be on hand to answer questions and tell stories that are typically not included on in-person tours
During the live tours, an expert will take participants on Elvis’ private jet – The Lisa Marie – and give a close-up view of artifacts such as his famous jeweled jumpsuits and pink Cadillac. Fans will also have the opportunity to ask questions of the expert.
The VIP tours are scheduled to take place on January 27, February 25, and March 25, with other dates scheduled, marking the year the King of Rock N Roll would have turned 86.
This is not Graceland’s first foray into online entertainment since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Last year, fans were invited to participate in Elvis Week’s events in a closed Facebook group that required a paid ticket to enter.
Other virtual events include “catching” past Elvis Week concerts streamed online, expert panels, new interviews with bandmates and friends, and a preview of previous candlelight vigils.
“ As the COVID pandemic continues to evolve and health officials learn more about high-risk activities, we must evolve with them, ” a spokesperson for Graceland previously said.
“There is no greater priority than the health and safety of our customers and employees.
It reopened to the public in May after the lockdown, with reduced capacity.
Elvis, pictured in Graceland in the late 1950s, bought the property for $ 102,500 when he was 22 in 1957
Graceland, which reopened in May with reduced capacity to accommodate the coronavirus pandemic, is the second most-visited U.S. attraction, after the White House. In the photo, fans are lining up in 2017
Elvis bought the property for $ 102,500 when he was 22.
The singer and actor lived in the house until his death on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42.
It has been operating as a museum since 1982. Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie, is the current owner of the attraction.
Since his death, followers of the late singer and actor have flocked to Graceland, his former home turned museum, to honor Presley on the anniversary of his death.
Last year, in the wake of the pandemic, fans were urged to make reservations in advance and stand six feet apart, as well as follow other guidelines from virus security.
Graceland by Elvis Presley
Elvis bought Graceland in 1957, when he was 22. It has become an “ oasis ” for him
Built in 1939, Graceland was purchased by Elvis Presley in 1957 for $ 102,500. The 17,552-square-foot Colonial Revival style home in Memphis, Tennessee sits on a 13.8-acre estate and has become his celebrity private retreat.
The king of rock’n’roll died at home on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42, but by the early 1980s Graceland had become a burden on his estate, which faced high taxes on estates and estates.
It has been operated as a museum since 1982. Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie, is the current owner of the attraction.
Although no one knew if it would be a commercial success at first, it helped transform the city into a premier destination for music lovers, recording more than 20 million visitors in three decades.
They sold all 3,024 tickets on day one, and Graceland’s success led to a global merchandising and licensing business that keeps the Elvis legend strong while generating $ 32 million in revenue ($ 20.6 million pounds sterling) per year, based on 2012 figures.
It is the second most visited house in the United States after the White House, with an average of 500,000 to 700,000 domestic and international visitors per year.
The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, becoming the first rock and roll-related site to be listed.
Elvis’ former wife, Priscilla, says it’s the singer’s spirit, and not just the history of the music, that keeps the crowds coming to Graceland.
“ Every time I go there I feel like Elvis is going to be going down the stairs any minute, ” she said in a recent interview about the anniversary. of the monument.
“I have no doubt that he is there, somewhere, his mind. I think people feel that way.
Presley fans flock to the Graceland tourist attraction every year for Elvis Week, a celebration of his life and career as a singer and actor marking the August 1977 anniversary of his death. In the photo, a special tribute to street art in August 2019
During the annual vigil, fans walk by Presley’s grave in Graceland with candles. This year, due to the pandemic, fans have been urged to reserve a spot to allow for social distancing
In July, fans mourned the suicide of Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s grandson, Benjamin Storm Keough, aged 27.
Keough was the son of Lisa Marie Presley and her ex-husband, singer-songwriter Danny Keough, and was known for his resemblance to the singer.
Lisa Marie, the only child of Elvis and his wife Priscilla, grew up in Graceland in Memphis and was only nine years old when her father died in 1977.
In October, nearly three months after his tragic death, Benjamin Keough was laid to rest next to his grandfather in Graceland.
Lisa Marie has previously opened up about how similar her son, left, to his father Elvis, right, is, calling their resemblance ‘weird’
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