9 Ways To Celebrate Elvis' 91st Birthday

1. Go to the Graceland Official Birthday Proclamation Ceremony or Watch Live

Graceland throws down for The King with a week of events and parties including the Elvis Birthday Proclamation Ceremony where everyone gathers on the grounds for a proclamation reading for Elvis Presley Day and a huge cake on display. Complimentary cake and coffee are served at Vernon's Smokehouse afterwards. Check out all of the birthday celebration details here. The annual birthday ceremony at Graceland will also be broadcast online via their Vimeo page if you can't make it to Memphis in person this year.

2. Say Happy Birthday "In Person" during free walk-up times

Free walk-up visits to the Meditation Garden at Graceland are daily 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. You may enter the gates and visit the grave sites of Elvis and his family members during this time. This is offered yearly by the way.

3. Listen to Elvis and Elvis-inspired Music

Find your favorite Elvis song (mine is "Suspicious Minds") on the Elvis Spotify playlist. Click here to listen.

4. Take Your Picture With Elvis

If you're downtown, stop by the statue on Beale between 2nd and Main for a photo op with Elvis. There are also murals around the city to check out including a new one at the Tennessee Welcome Center. Inside, you'll find another statue of the King. Looking for murals? Grind City Brewing has a large one on their property. You can also find one along Broad Avenue or see if you can find the Day of the Dead Elvis skull near the intersection of Willett and Lamar. There's another great one along E Carolina Ave.

5. Check out Lansky Bros. Inside The Peabody Hotel

Lansky Bros., the famed family business that dressed Elvis, still has their location inside the Peabody Hotel. There is plenty of rock 'n' roll-inspired attire and even some blue suede shoes. You can also shop online.

6. Plan to Visit Sun Studio 

If you haven't visited Sun Studio yet, make a plan to get there in the future. The tour guides are some of the absolutely best around and though the building is small, it's full of life, history, and intrigue. I highly recommend.

7. Plan To Visit Other Memphis Music Attractions

So much of Memphis music influenced or was influenced by Elvis' work. Plan ahead to pay homage to his inspirations and legacy at these other museums in the future.

• The Rock 'n' Soul Museum is a Smithsonian-associated museum that tells the story of Memphis music across genres and time periods. I love how it looks at the city's musical history as a whole, and uses first-person accounts (mostly audio recordings) to really dig deep. 
• Memphis Music Hall of Fame (Elvis was inducted in 2012) has a physical location at 126 Beale Street.
• Take the Backstage Experience Tour at the Overton Park Shell where Elvis had his first live concert in 1954.

8. Eat some Elvis-inspired treats, like Elvis' favorite sandwich

The Arcade restaurant in downtown Memphis was one of Elvis' favorite spots, and they still serve up a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. Or head to Coletta's Italian Restaurant where Elvis fell in love with their BBQ pizza.

9. Swing on over to Hernando's Hideaway

This old school honky tonk was saved and renovated making it one of the best spots in town for some live music and fun. Hernando's Hideaway is up the street from Graceland and was once where Elvis performed. For Elvis' birthday, they'll have a bunch of fun themed shows like Dale Watson as Dalevis. Be sure to snap a picture with the "Elvis was here" sign.

Happy Birthday, Elvis! How are you celebrating?