City: Pigeon Forge, TN

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (865) 428-2001, (866) 683-5847

Address: 2638 Parkway

Description: Elvis may have left the building, but he sure left a lot of stuff behind! Get an up-close peek at the first Elvis museum outside the walls of Graceland and the world’s largest privately owned collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia—everything from clothes to cars, guns to guitars. The museum has been around since 1979, but it got a major overhaul in 2005.The sounds of Elvis’s music fill the air as you approach the front doors. Inside, you’ll see plenty of authentic personal effects that belonged to the King, including stage costumes, backstage notes, sports gear, gifts from fans, jewelry, and sunglasses. There are several larger items in the collection as well, like the last limousine owned by Presley as well as the fire-engine red 1967 Cadillac Coupe de Ville that Elvis and Priscilla drove on their honeymoon. You can also take a gander at the living-room furniture from his Hollywood home, as well as his karate uniform, the original TCB ring, and the first dollar he ever earned in 1951 (complete with his autograph). For those interested in adding to their own collection of Elvis trinkets, four separate souvenir shops carry a healthy selection of music, videos, books, and other assorted knickknacks. If you work up an appetite, Houndawg’s Snack Shop will oblige. The museum complex also includes the TCB Theater (located directly above the museum), where you can watch a two-hour live Elvis tribute show anywhere from one to three nights a week, often starring Tennessee native and award-winning professional Elvis impersonator Matt Cordell. True-blue Elvis fans may want to check out the overnight accommodations in the TCB Suite, a luxury suite with pictures of the King on the walls. Admission to the museum is $17 for adults; $15 for children ages 12 to 18; and $12 for children ages 6 to 11. Seniors (ages 65 and up) are $15, and children younger than 6 are free. A family pass for parents and their children is $45. Tickets to the TCB Theater are $25 for adults, or $22.50 for children ages 12 to 18 and for seniors (children under 12 are free). Combo tickets for the museum and theater are also available.