Surprise — Graceland Ticket Prices Are a Pretty Good Deal

Recently, I found the ticket stubs and brochure from the time my wife and I toured Graceland in 1993.

1993 Graceland Brochure

My first thought was to check out how much EPE had jacked up ticket prices in the past twenty years.  To my surprise, the Graceland experience is an equal value today, when the 1993 prices are adjusted for inflation.  But, there are so many more exhibits to see in 2013, that you do shell out some real money to see everything.  Here’s what was available to see twenty years ago.

Graceland Mansion Tour:  $8.00

This included the grounds and Trophy Building.  And everybody on the shuttle bus went as a group and had a guided tour.

Automobile Museum Tour:  $4.50

Elvis Airplanes Tour:  $4.25

Sincerely Elvis Museum:  $2.75

Walk a Mile in My Shoes (Movie):  Free

This totals $19.50, but you could buy a Platinum Tour ticket for $16, which equals roughly $26 adjusted to today’s money.

There is still a Graceland Platinum Tour in 2013, although it has changed a good bit.  The cost is $37, an adjusted-for-inflation increase of $11.  You still get to see the Graceland mansion and grounds, the Automobile Museum, and the two planes, and the Sincerely Elvis exhibit.  The movie has been dropped.  There are no longer cute young tour guides taking you through everything.  Now, it is all audio self-guided.

2013 Brochure

However, now the Platinum Tour includes a lot more – four new exhibits.

Elvis: Live from Vegas  

Elvis’ Tupelo:

Elvis’ Hawaii: Concerts, Movies, and More!

’68 Comeback Special Exhibit

Personally, I’d like to see all four of these exhibits, and I think they are worth the increase in ticket price.

Graceland Ticket Office in the Visitors’ Center

Graceland also offers a top-end option, the Elvis Entourage VIP Tour at $70.  You get everything in the Platinum Tour plus four extras.

Elvis…Through His Daughter’s Eyes

This is Elvis’ upstairs office with a couple of Lisa’s toys in it.  Other photos show articles of her clothing.  I’m not so sure this exhibit would do that much for me.

Special All Day Ticket  I suppose this might be good if you wanted to take a break for lunch across the street at the Visitor’s Center, or go back to the motel for a nap, and then return to finish seeing everything.

Keepsake Backstage Pass:  I can’t find a picture of this, but it probably wouldn’t of much value to me.

Front of the Line Mansion Access:  This must be the big incentive for some folks to shell out the extra $33 to upgrade to the VIP Tour at $70.  Not me, though.  There’s enough stuff to do at the Visitors’ Center that the waiting time is not a total boring waste.

So, the unofficial ElvisBlog recommendation is to take the Platinum Tour at $37.  Seniors and youth ages 12 through 18, and students with college ID are $33.50.  Children 7 through 12 are $18.  Little kids are free, but anyone who takes them on a walking tour lasting three hours or more is asking for trouble.

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

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