Riley Keough opens up about the real experience of staying in Elvis’ $500m Graceland home — and bringing her daughter Tupelo along.Linh

The Daisy Jones & the Six actress is the sole owner of the famed Tennessee estate

 

Graceland may be one of the United States’ most popular tourist attractions, but to Riley Keough, it truly is her family home.

Following her mother Lisa Marie Presley’s death in January 2023, and after a brief legal battle with her grandmother Priscilla Presley, the Daisy Jones & the Six actress became the sole owner of the legendary Tennessee estate that her grandfather Elvis Presley purchased in 1957, as well as sole trustee of her mother’s trust.

And though the legendary residence has been open to the public since 1982, both Elvis and his daughter’s bedrooms are still kept private, and the Presley heir not only grew up spending weekends at the home, but now, she enjoys stays there with her own family as well.

Riley, who is currently promoting her late mom’s posthumous memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown, which she helped finish, opened up on Late Night with Seth Meyers about what it’s really like to spend time in Graceland.

Recalling times spent at the house growing up, she explained: “There were some nights that [Lisa Marie] wanted to stay there, and she would bring us with her. The tours start in the morning and they end at 4pm, so if we were to stay in the house — Elvis’ room and my mother’s room are not part of the tour — we would stay upstairs and have to wait, we’d get stuck until the tours were over.

Though once she grew up, Riley noted that she would only visit once or twice a year, she did share that since her mother’s passing, she has visited a lot more frequently, including for a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey and a book tour stop.

Since 2015, Riley has been married to stuntman Ben Smith-Petersen, and the pair welcomed daughter Tupelo Storm — named after her great-grandfather’s birthplace and late uncle’s middle name — in 2023, and she noted she has already brought her daughter to the special place.

MORE: Lisa Marie Presley’s 5 biggest bombshells in memoir revealed

MORE: Riley Keough’s blonde-haired daughter Tupelo makes surprising appearance in new video

Last month, speaking with People about the responsibility she holds as sole owner of Graceland, Riley shared insight into what her “hope” is as owner.

“My hope is to continue what my grandmother did, and then my mother did, which is simply to preserve our family home,” she said.

MORE: Lisa Marie Presley’s twin daughters celebrate milestone 16th birthday

Elvis bought Graceland for $100,000 in 1957 when he was 22 years old, and Priscilla moved into the iconic property in 1963 at age 18. She married Elvis four years later, after meeting when she was 14 and he was 24.

MORE: Riley Keough poses with incredibly private husband in photo from special getaway

At the time of his death 20 years after the purchase, Graceland was reportedly worth $5 million, however the homes’ worth has since skyrocketed, in large part thanks to Priscilla’s decision to open it to the public.

Today it reportedly generates over $10 million annually, plus a Presley executive told Rolling Stone in 2020 that the estate is worth upwards of $500 million.