Westgate Las Vegas’ efforts to bring Elvis Presley back into the building where he became a Vegas icon have yielded no small harvest. The historic aspect of Graceland Presents Elvis: The Exhibition is a sprawling journey through Presley’s history, largely conveyed via a treasure trove of memorabilia direct from the extensive collection at Graceland, Presley’s mansion estate that is now a museum and national historic landmark. Cars, clothes, rare documents, records and short films convey Presley’s life from his first breaths through final performances at the Westgate property’s second incarnation, the Las Vegas Hilton.

The journey begins in a small room with mounted images of Presley that segue from his Vegas era to the mid-’50s. “It’s a backwards timeline,” says Angie Marchese, the director of archives for Graceland. “So by the time our guests get to the end of this room, they’re back in Tupelo in 1935 when Elvis was born.” The room, which has large screens showing three-minute Presley videos, also serves as a sort of decompression chamber that helps guests leave the real world behind and enter an Elvis universe that starts with the birth of future rock ’n’ roll royalty.

The Tupelo room is dominated by a wall-sized birth certificate (specifying Presley was born a twin), but also contains numerous artifacts under glass—the family Bible, paycheck stubs for both Elvis and his father, and a 1954 telegram to Vernon and Gladys Presley from their newly successful son informing them not to worry about paying bills because money was on the way. The high school years of the future King are well represented, from prom photos to his student ID, before the hallway leads to the Sun Studios era and Presley’s legendary first recordings.

By the time guests reach the exhibition’s display of five Sun singles, starting off with “That’s All Right,” they’re completely immersed in all things Elvis. The items displayed are sometimes so personal or era-evocative that they achieve an unmistakable poignancy. The exhibition reflects Presley’s accelerating career with, among other things, his four-page 1955 contract with RCA, early Elvis merchandise, a receipt for Graceland’s famous driveway gates and correspondence from his manager Col. Tom Parker, whose foresight in archiving every Elvis-related item he could made the exhibition possible.

An Elvis film room contains posters, movie outfits and a screening area for trailers with back seats from a ’57 Chevy. Jewelry and jumpsuits fill one room and spill over to the next, where two classic cars and a gleaming 1957 Harley-Davidson are parked behind velvet ropes. The journey ends in a darkened screening room in which a 14-minute film depicts performance highlights, from Presley’s first television appearances to his mid-’70s live engagements. With thousands of items at Graceland to rotate into the Vegas collection, Elvis: The Exhibition is already an evolving attraction. There’s still so much insight to offer into the life of the legendary performer. who left the building for the last time in December 1976. Little did he know he’d have one more Vegas comeback.

Westgate Las Vegas 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, $22 plus tax and fee. 800.222.5361