The Waltman's travel guide to Elvis' s life
Growing up around people in the Flea Market scene, I would hear people say you are either a Elvis or Beatles fan. Not till, I was a teenager did I really know what that meant. Two completely different sounds and feels. While, I do like a song or two from the Beatles. I am a die heart Elvis fan. Elvis just hits right. Being a native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I would hear amazing stories of when celebrities' would visit and one of them happen to be a young Elvis. So, my story begins on the Gulf Coast and ends in Graceland. I had been just itching to do the entire what I call, ELVIS experience. With the hype of the New movie coming out, (ELVIS-2022). I was just needing an excuse to go everywhere that may have been pivotal in his life. Our family likes to work hard and play harder. We usually 99.9% go on all vacations together and never leave our child behind. When our daughter told us that she wanted to go to Disney with a friend's family during Mardi Gras break. I seen my door of opportunity open and boy did I jump on it. Within minutes, I was googling, talking to everyone and asking social media of all the places I needed to go. My conclusion from all of that was to start at the beginning and end at the end. I was having a wee bit of a hard time trying to find a guide of where to go and sites to see.
I did find a few sites that helped a little and I added my own twist and adventure to ours. With out narrating the daily-light out of you, here is our guide:
Biloxi, MS to Tupelo, MS- 4 hours 27 mins and stops to the bathroom. lol!
Our adventure starts in Tupelo, MS
1st stop:
Tupelo Hardware Company, Inc.
"Where Gladys bought her son his first guitar".
114 w. Main St. Tupelo, MS 38804
662-842-4637
Call for dates and hours open
For those who are just learning about Elvis and you happen to stumble upon my blog first. Gladys was Elvis' Mother, whom he loved dearly. Gladys had brought her young son in the hardware shop in January 1946 to purchase a birthday present for him. Elvis has wanted a riffle. Instead he left with a guitar. Boy aren't we all glad that he left with that.
I was a bit shy walking in. I knew I wanted to get a yard stick for our art project and maybe a few other things. Still I was hoping to not be a bother to the workers as I looked in awe of this very cool store. Everyone working at the hardware store was amazing and so welcoming. Stopping to tell us stories and really showing us that Sothern Hospitality. The people of Tupelo Hardware are proud of the heritage and the part they played in the Kings life. I give the store and the people 10 out of 10 Gold Records!!!
Creators note: Last night I was on social media and learned of the devastating news that Lisa Marie Presley has passed away. What a young soul to lose. I am now in high gear to get my blog done.
Next Stop is:
Elvis Presley: Birthplace
306 Elvis Presley Dr, Tupelo, MS 38801
Phone: 662-841-1245
Our adventure lead us to the birthplace of Elvis Presley. I do suggest if going to go on a nice day. A lot of the buildings are outside and you may want to walk to some of the monuments that are around the property. I enjoyed my few hours walking around the property.
The property includes Birthplace (home), Church (that was moved to the property and restored), museum. chapel and park. I would give your self a few hours if you are going to walk and explore the entire property or at least the major areas. The website is very easy to navigate. It shows the hours and ticket information. I enjoyed the property. It was such a beautiful day that we got lunch at a famous dive and brought it back to eat on the property.
Johnnies's Drive-In
908 E Main St. Tupelo, MS 388804
10am to 8am
Closed: Sunday
662-842-6748
We chose this little dive for the reason that, Elvis use to stop and eat here as a school age boy. The prices were very good. I got a Dough Burger and Fries. My burger was small and very dry. But, that was the reason I got it. I did a bit of research before we came and my search told me that, Dough burgers were something that started during World War II. When meat was very scarce. They would add in dough, bread crumps, etc. to meat to help stretch it and make it last.
I give this a 10 out of 10 Gold Records, The people were friendly. No one bothered us. We were free to explore and enjoy the property. The museum is very small and I would suggest paying for the entire experience on a nice day. Most areas are handicap accessible. It was nice to see some children run around. Some of the areas you do have to walk to get to. I would definitely come back and share the experience with someone who has never been.
Side trip(unrelated to elvis)
Queen's Reward Meadery
Address: 1719 McCullough Blvd. Tupelo, MS 38801
Phone: 662-823-6323
call for hours of operation
After a long day of exploring we stumbled across this very cute Meadery. I am more of a fancy beer drinker than wine. But, this is not your average wine. What is mead you ask? It is just yummy wine that is made of Honey. Very simple ingredients. But, the formula and time it takes to make each bottle is where the magic happens. We luckily, had the entire place to ourselves that day. We did the tasting and tour and man did we get a tour. I give this place 10 out of 10 Gold Records! The hospitality and drinks flowing was exactly what we needed to the end of an amazing day. If you go get the blackberry. It was so tasty. We spent a small fortune bringing back bottles, t-shirts and yummy items they had for sale.
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