ELIVIS LIVES

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Elvis is still king.

Almost 20 years after the death of the "King," Elvis Presley still has fans all across the world. Many of those fans are expected to visit Memphis during "Elvis Week" activities, which conclude Saturday.

Friday is the 19th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. He died Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42.

Graceland, the Elvis Presley home, and a candlelight vigil tonight will draw most of the visitors for Elvis Week. About 700,000 people visit the home each year. Most come during Elvis Week or in January for his birthday.

It is the country's second most popular home tour -- after the White House in Washington, D.C.

Even if you aren't an Elvis freak, Graceland is worth the visit. How often do you get to step back in time to the perfectly-preserved 1977 home of America's favorite rock star?

The mansion tour includes seven rooms of the house and the highlights of Elvis' career. Tour groups leave the visitor's center equipped with a headphone and cassette narrated by Elvis's ex-wife, Priscilla.

A shuttle bus transports them across Elvis Presley Boulevard to the mansion door. The whole visit lasts 60 to 90 minutes.

In between narratives about the rooms, Elvis songs play on the cassette so that people can sing along or mouth the words.

The late 1960s decor -- complete with mirrored walls and shag carpet -- grabs your attention when you first enter the mansion foyer.

The tour and its narrated cassette wind you through the house, stopping in each room to provide details about Elvis' fondness for pool or fascination for television.

The tour ends in the trophy building, which houses glassed cases of Elvis' collections, awards and stage outfits. At least one case holds memorabilia and gifts sent in by fans.

As visitors move along the aisles to see the gold records or orange coveralls from the movie "Viva Las Vegas," some sing along with the cassette or say to a friend, "I remember that outfit" or "I was at that concert."

Once outside, visitors can stop in the Meditation Gardens to see Elvis' grave. He is buried next to his mother, Gladys; father, Vernon, and grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley. A marker for his stillborn twin brother, Jessie Garon Presley, is also in the garden.

One woman, who barely looked old enough to remember Elvis when he was alive, cried as she read his tombstone marker and circled the grave. Other people stopped to take pictures of the flowers and wreaths surrounding it.

A couple from Surrey, England, stopped to see the Elvis mansion during their vacation to the South.

"I'm about his age and was in the English Army at the same time, so I followed his career," Brian Foley said. He and his wife, Judith, stopped in Memphis as part of their tour in the U.S.

The fascination with Elvis and his life continually brings people to Memphis. The city has seen an added $150 million annually in economic benefits since the mansion opened to the public in 1982.

It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.