The small city of Tupelo has a population of only 38,000 but every year some 100,000 visitors make a pilgrimage to visit the birthplace of the King, Elvis Aaron Presley.
The birthplace museum occupies a site of some 15 acres purchased with proceeds from a concert Elvis made in the town in 1957. The grounds are beautifully laid out and contain the actual house where Elvis was born. On the porch is a swing seat that Sylvia took advantage of.
Inside we were treated to tales of the Presley family by a local resident. When asked if she knew Elvis, she said “No one would admit to knowing that family”. They were a very poor family and Elvis’ dad, Vernon, was imprisoned after forging a cheque.
The chapel in which Elvis and his family worshipped is also present in the grounds being moved here from its original location in 2000.
An audio visual presentation took us back to the type of church service which Elvis would have attended and which inspired him to sing his gospel songs. A lovely touch.
Throughout the grounds various statues show Elvis at different stages of his life, including this one of him at 13.
At the top of hill overlooking the museum sits an impressive statue of Elvis “Dreaming the dream” and becoming the King. This features two statues one of him as a boy and the second larger than life one as the entertainer.
Or perhaps seen better without the tourists.
The museum itself contains many artefacts of Elvis’ youth and tells the story of his rise from a poor small town boy to the greatest entertainer that the world has ever seen. In comparison to Graceland it is a much smaller but a much more tasteful experience.
The town of Tupelo itself is a delightful place, very much as you would think of small town America. The hardware shop where Elvis bought his first guitar is still trading and offers a great photo opportunity.
There is also some great wall murals celebrating the town’s famous son, such as…
….and this.
The weather today was glorious with the sun shining and temperatures in the high 80s so we decided to take a ride up the Natchez Trace, a national scenic trail. The trail runs from Natchez in the South West of the State to Nashville but we only drove a few miles to get a taste. It looks very interesting and full of history but we will use a different route to Nashville as we want to visit a civil war site.
Dinner this evening was at the Texan Roadhouse, where I had a Road Kill Steak and Sylvia a plate of shrimp. Not only was the food good and the waitress friendly but we were also treated to some vegetables. They do exist in the USA!!
The people here in Mississippi have been amongst the friendliest we have come across in America. Its been a great place to visit but tomorrow we move on to Nashville.