Music Places: Tupelo, MS- Elvis Presley birthplace

 Here is another music place I stopped on vacation.

I realized we could go through Tupelo, Mississippi when I was looking at routes back from Florida. Of course, I had to go. 

There’s not a ton there, which makes sense, no one would have guessed this kid would become Elvis Presley. Not only the usual "American Idol" hardship stories, but the odds were overly stacked against the Presleys.

Elvis’s childhood home is here. It is as you may know, the “shotgun shack”, like the kind that shows up in old country songs. There are two rooms- a bedroom and a kitchen. You can buy a ticket to go inside (if you are cash strapped, you can still go to Tupelo and see the outside for free).

There is a small museum. Of course, no one was collecting memorabilia from Presley’s childhood, as the family was dirt poor. It is a decent museum, given that- on the small side with a few of his outfits and related items and the story of his youth; but it is also rather inexpensive to tour.  Most are on loan from a family friend.  The real barometer is my wife did enjoy reading about his childhood.

There are conflicting reports of what the Presley family drove, so you have to make todo with a similar car to theirs on display. There is a focus on Elvis and gospel at this landmark, so the church Elvis attended has been moved onsite. There are a couple of Elvis related sculptures. One is a lifesize of Elvis aged 13.

Tupelo is almost an anti-Graceland. The simplicity is the yin to the excessive yang.

We also stopped at the Vietnam memorial in the town park that caught the kids eye, with a F105 Thunderchief bomber jet (one of the most recognizable Vietnam War aircrafts).