Seven bucket-list travel destinations for music lovers
From the Beatles to Bob Marley, Elvis to Abba and Mozart to Jim Morrison, fans are making pilgrimages to sites of their musical icons
From snapping up tickets for iconic sports events to tracking down locations featured in much-loved films, theme-based bucket lists are all the rage. Foodies devise plans to dine at as many Michelin-starred restaurants as budgets allow; party animals tick off A-list carnivals and festivals; and American retirees set out in massive motorhomes to see all 50 states (finishing with a flight to Hawaii). Music lovers have global checklists, too, and they don’t come much bigger (and in some cases brasher) than these seven.
1 Elvis, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee
Elvis Presley was 22 when he paid just over US$100,000 for Graceland, in 1957. Five years after his death, in 1977, the mansion opened to the public and last year, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll claimed fourth spot in Forbes magazine’s list of highest-paid dead celebrities, earning US$35 million. And revenues continue to rise, thanks in part to a new 200,000 sq ft entertainment complex across the street.
While Graceland is a celebration of family and home life, the Elvis Presley’s Memphis complex focuses on his musical career. Visitors can check into the 450-room Guest House at Graceland, a resort-style hotel described as “refined” and offering “classic elegance”– words one doesn’t immediately associate with the famous property on the opposite side of Elvis Presley Boulevard.
After a good night’s sleep, prepare a few rounds of Elvis’ favourite peanut butter and banana sandwiches, drive 150km to Tupelo, Mississippi, and follow signs to the modest two-room shack where the hip-swivelling singer was born.
2 The Beatles Story, Liverpool
Unesco World Heritage Site on Albert Dock, Liverpool; check. Quirky array of memorabilia including the original Strawberry Fields gates, faux Eleanor Rigby gravestone and a real yellow submarine; check. A museum dedicated to the life and times of the Fab Four, the Beatles Story offers fans the chance to walk through a re-creation of their Abbey Road recording studio, past vintage instruments and artefacts to a mocked up Cavern Club.