Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Exhibits About Ali, Nature, Motorcycles Opening at Graceland
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
May 23, 2019

Share

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A massive new exhibition and entertainment hall is set to open at Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Tennessee with three museum-style exhibits, including one focused on the life and career of late boxing great Muhammad Ali.

Graceland officials say the 80,000-square-foot Graceland Exhibition Center opens Saturday to guests visiting the Presley-themed tourist attraction in Memphis. The singer, actor and pop icon lived in Memphis until his death on Aug. 16, 1977.

Presley and Ali were known to be friends. Presley once gave Ali a custom-made robe in Las Vegas in the early 1970s. A replica of that robe is part of the Ali exhibit, along with photos of the heavyweight boxing and civil rights champion and other artifacts.

Visitors will be able to hit a punching bag and learn the Ali shuffle from a video tutorial by the boxer, who died in June 2016.

Photo of motorcycles
Motorcycles sit in an exhibition hall at the Graceland tourist attraction in Memphis, Tenn. The collection is one of three new exhibits set to open at Elvis Presley’s home. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)

Bringing the Lives of Ali and Presley Together at Graceland Is Fitting

Also scheduled to open Saturday is an exhibit featuring a collection of motorcycles, ranging from basic to flashy, spanning decades of design. A third exhibit, called “National Geographic Presents: Earth Explorers,” allows visitors to learn about polar regions, oceans, rain forests, mountains, caves, and the African savanna.

“They were pop culture revolutionaries. They were both born very poor. They weren’t emulating anyone, they weren’t copying anyone. They were just getting out what was inside of them.” Joel Weinshanker, Graceland Holdings

The exhibition hall is part of a yearslong expansion at Graceland, which already features Presley’s home-turned museum, a 450-room hotel and an entertainment complex that holds a concert venue, Presley-related exhibits and restaurants. The new exhibition hall also includes a food hall and a full-service bar designed to resemble the famous “Jungle Room” in Presley’s former home.

Bringing the lives of Ali and Presley together at Graceland is fitting because of their impact on their professions, and on American and global culture, said Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Graceland Holdings.

“They were pop culture revolutionaries. They were both born very poor,” Weinshanker said. “They weren’t emulating anyone, they weren’t copying anyone. They were just getting out what was inside of them.”

He said he hopes the new, $20 million hall will attract more conventions to Graceland while bringing more large traveling exhibits to the city — including those that have nothing to do with Presley.

“Space: An Out-Of-Gravity Experience,” which features interactive exhibits about living and working in space, is scheduled to open Oct. 11 at the new hall.

DON'T MISS

Get a 3D First Look at Merced’s High-Speed Rail Station Design

DON'T MISS

California Court to Decide on Transgender Ballot Measure Wording

DON'T MISS

Rare House Vote Sees Ukraine, Israel Aid Advance as Democrats Join Republicans

DON'T MISS

Full Jury and 6 Alternates Seated in Trump’s Hush Money Trial

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: How High Will the Price of Gold & Silver Go?

DON'T MISS

How 4/20 Grew From Humble Roots to Marijuana’s High Holiday

DON'T MISS

Taylor Swift Drops 15 New Songs on Double Album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology’

DON'T MISS

Lamborghini’s Race Evolution: From Tractors to the Track

DON'T MISS

Biden Administration Restricts Oil and Gas Leasing in 13 Million Acres of Alaska’s Petroleum Reserve

DON'T MISS

Logan Webb’s Seven Dominant Innings Help Giants Blank Diamondbacks

UP NEXT

Taylor Swift Drops 15 New Songs on Double Album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology’

UP NEXT

Savannah Bananas Dominate Social Media, Sell Out Stadiums Nationwide Including Fresno

UP NEXT

Big Names in Rap, Christian Music, and Comedy Headline Must-See Weekend Entertainment

UP NEXT

What Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse Can Tell Us About the Public Domain and Remix Culture

UP NEXT

‘Civil War’ Declares Victory at the Box Office, Toppling ‘Godzilla X Kong’

UP NEXT

Are Americans Feeling Like They Get Enough Sleep? Dream On, a New Gallup Poll Says

UP NEXT

Teacher Appreciation Week Surprises That Educators Will Love

UP NEXT

Reacher Star Alan Ritchson Calls Donald Trump a ‘Rapist’

UP NEXT

Fresno Monopoly is Coming. You Have a Chance to Make It Your Own.

UP NEXT

New Version of Scrabble Aims to Make the Word-Building Game ‘Inclusive’

Full Jury and 6 Alternates Seated in Trump’s Hush Money Trial

3 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: How High Will the Price of Gold & Silver Go?

Video /

4 hours ago

How 4/20 Grew From Humble Roots to Marijuana’s High Holiday

4 hours ago

Taylor Swift Drops 15 New Songs on Double Album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology’

5 hours ago

Lamborghini’s Race Evolution: From Tractors to the Track

5 hours ago

Biden Administration Restricts Oil and Gas Leasing in 13 Million Acres of Alaska’s Petroleum Reserve

5 hours ago

Logan Webb’s Seven Dominant Innings Help Giants Blank Diamondbacks

5 hours ago

San Francisco Mayor Announces the City Will Receive Pandas from China

5 hours ago

49ers to Pick 1st Round for First Time Since 2021

5 hours ago

Jury Selection Could Be Nearing a Close in Donald Trump’s Hush Money Trial in New York

5 hours ago

Get a 3D First Look at Merced’s High-Speed Rail Station Design

Merced residents can get a sneak peek and offer input on early design concepts of the California High Speed Rail station coming to downtown ...

56 mins ago

56 mins ago

Get a 3D First Look at Merced’s High-Speed Rail Station Design

1 hour ago

California Court to Decide on Transgender Ballot Measure Wording

3 hours ago

Rare House Vote Sees Ukraine, Israel Aid Advance as Democrats Join Republicans

3 hours ago

Full Jury and 6 Alternates Seated in Trump’s Hush Money Trial

Video /
4 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: How High Will the Price of Gold & Silver Go?

4 hours ago

How 4/20 Grew From Humble Roots to Marijuana’s High Holiday

5 hours ago

Taylor Swift Drops 15 New Songs on Double Album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology’

Central Octane: Lamborghini Super Trofeo EVO
5 hours ago

Lamborghini’s Race Evolution: From Tractors to the Track

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend