Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Aaron Presley, also known simply as Elvis, was an American singer, musician and actor. He is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century and is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King". More on Elvis. Not only Elvis' birthplace, Tupelo is also known as the Cradle of Rock and Roll.
So with all that going for it we decided to scooter around Tupelo and see how many Elvis sightings we could achieve. It was a beautiful day with temps in the mid-70's and a light breeze. Perfect for poking around town. I just got my new Sidi Canyon Gore-Tex boots and was keen to try them out. I paired the boots with Oxford Kevlar Leggings and Olympia Mesh Jacket. I was delighted with the ensemble as it worked well for the many stops, keeping me cool and protected.
After only a couple of miles we found our first Elvis at Romies Grocery on Jackson Street. It's not a grocery, it's a restaurant/bar. It was a grocery an eon ago and they've never bothered to change the name, lol. We scored two Elvis here. One on the guitar and another on the building mural.
Then it was off to the bustling center of Tupelo on Main Street and various alley ways in town. Tupelo has MANY metal guitars placed at various locations. Some have Elvis on them and others don't. We managed to grab a few guitars featuring Elvis. We saw several more but it wasn't particularly convenient to grab the photo. So here is what we got!
And here is the granddaddy of the guitars - a giant Elvis guitar!
In addition to guitars, Tupelo has a number of murals dedicated to Elvis. Hey we have other murals too. That might be another good poke around town ride - murals - but we'll save that for another day.
This is the most recent mural and is a 3-D depiction of Elvis hidden in an alley between Reed's Department Stores.
This mural is on Main Street in front of Reed's Department Stores.
The Silver Moon Club is a private venue and they often host Elvis imitators. They have several great murals on their walls.
At the Tupelo Veterans Memorial Park the tornado bunker is the canvas for a fun Elvis mural.
Back on Main Street in yet another alley we found Elvis flaunting the Jail House Rock vibe!
Our last mural was found in Beldon, a neighboring community to Tupelo. This was found at King Chicken in Beldon. Yummy....the Smoking, Frying and Grilling was going strong here. Check it out!
King Chicken.
A well documented story is how Elvis started in music. The ACE Hardware store on Main Street is where!
Located at the Fairpark on Main Street is this fabulous statue of Elvis.
While growing up in Tupelo, Elvis would often hang out at Johnnie's Drive In. There is a special "Elvis" booth inside which was his favorite place to hang. We've had lunch here a few times. Food - hmmmm - not so special. Dairy Kream is better! But it is worth a stop and a look!
Johnnie's.
The tour wouldn't be complete without a stop at Elvis' birthplace. We've actually been here several times but it's fun every time! We first stopped at the recent sculpture installation featuring Elvis as a young boy and then as a performer.
Then to the main exhibits.
Elvis at 13. This statue is beside the house where he was born. Not shown are the plaques in the ground that surround the statue and gives a year by year history. So worth the time to stop here and take a look.
While poking about at Elvis' birthplace, Eric decided to be a hooligan and took a side trip up a questionable trail to find a water tower!
Our tour of Elvis' birthplace concluded with this sign. Behind the sign is a walking trail that leads to a couple of ponds with wooden bridges and a fountain. A lovely place for reflections
Boy, that was FUN! I bet we can find more Elvis stuff as we learn more about Tupelo and surrounds. After our Elvis hunt we just tootled some back country roads enjoying the scenery. Today's ride was only about 35 miles but each and every mile was full of smiles! Tupelo is a nice town - come visit and see how many Elvis' you can find!
Thanks for following along. Not sure what our next adventure will be. We need to re-visit the Brice's Crossroads Battlefield. But there are so many other things to see and do as well. Whatever adventure is next I invite you to come along!
Cheers,
Cletha
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