4/16/2023: The only way to see Graceland in full is to get good tickets. Get the ULTIMATE VIP package! $216.50/ticket was worth every cent! You enter the museum/exhibit and gift shop area to retrieve your passes. A lady is waiting there to explain how the tour works, get you setup with headphones and introduce you to your tour guide. I hope you get the gentleman we had for our tour. John was the best! He was personable, detailed and fun! John will walk you out with the group toward a separate bus to take you across the street and through the gates of the mansion. Before you get on the bus, you walk through a section that takes pictures of you against different backgrounds of the mansion. These photos area available for purchase after your tour. They are $40 for the package. It’s a fun souvenir. I suggest getting them. When you board the bus with your group, John will tell you a little introduction, ask you where you are from and you’ll be on your way. You might have a short wait to get into the home. They get small batches of people in at a time so you can walk through without feeling cramped. You will enter with your group. On your tour you will not be able to go upstairs. It is closed to the public out of respect since Elvis died there. The home itself seems small in comparison to what we call mansions today, but you have to remember the way older homes were build back then. They didn’t do open floor plans like today. The land itself it pretty big and also well maintained. Priscilla has rescued 3 horses who live on the property. That was touching. You’ll take a tour through the living room, dining room, kitchen, downstairs man cave, the Jungle Room, the billiard room, the garage, Vernon’s office, the trophy room, the racquetball court, the pool and finally the Meditation Garden. It is a feeling I will never forget. Seeing the tragedy before my eyes was very emotional. Lisa Marie is beside her son. Everything was so personal to John. In his narrative tour, any time he spoke of the family, it was “we”. When “we” lost Elvis, when “we” lost Lisa Marie. It was a very personal situation for him. I loved how connected he was to the experience. He gave us all time to pay respect and as he walked away, I actually saw him tear up. John does 2-3 tours a day. For him to be emotional just made my experience even better. After we all gathered back in front of the mansion, John gave us an opportunity to take photos. I was so happy I was able to get a photo with no one else in it. The previous groups and single entries had all left. I say this because if you worry about your photo ops like I did, no need. It is well organized to give people a full experience. After the photos out front, we were lead back into garage area for a special film, grab some water and see more unique framed pictures. John gathered us back together after about 15 minutes and we made our way to a special artifacts room only Ultimate VIP tickets holders get to experience. We were seated and shown items from Elvis’ personal collection. John gave us fabric white gloves to wear while holding items and taking photos. The items were books, boots, belts and more. It was very special. You can keep the gloves or throw them away after, but just remember, you just held items Elvis wore! I kept my gloves. After the special viewing, we were shuttled back to the museum and exhibit side across the street from the mansion. We were still connected with our headsets as we viewed the extensive car collection. After that, you are taken through different areas showing his clothes and much more. You are able to tour again on your own if you need more time. The 2 planes are self guided and a must see. I could write for days about our experience. I only got halfway though and Google said I had too many characters to continue. This is one of those experiences I will be talking about for many years to come! There are 6 gift shops on the property. Lots of fun items for purchase. I hope you enjoy your visit. Lauri “has left the building”!