(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed) It’s an easy, almost 4 hour flight on Southwest nonstop from
LAX to Nashville. Baggage is waiting at the carousel and we actually got the
minivan we reserved from Dollar Rent a Car. Tim says it’s one of the easiest
travel days we’ve ever had.
He’s right.
It’s a pleasant, 3 hour or so drive from there to Memphis,
the first leg of this trip. Downtown is easy to find, as is our hotel…the
Springhill Suites…located in the heart of this city.
By the time we unpack, it’s a bit late for dinner as a
Justin Timberlake concert has overwhelmed most of the restaurants in the area.
We get some serviceable food at the snack bar of the Courtyard hotel next door.
Watch the Video!
In the morning, it’s time for our first adventure. Among
other things we want to accomplish during this trip, we want to take the Elvis
Trail. Into the van and 100 miles later, we’re in the very pretty town of
Tupelo, Mississippi.
First things first…we want to eat.
In downtown, we smell some good smoke and spy a handicapped
parking spot in front of an open restaurant.
This building used to be Kermit’s Bakery and in its day, the
Presley family would buy birthday cakes here for their not-yet-famous son.
Today, it’s Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen.
We grab a table in the middle of the room and the cook comes
over to tell us about his braised pork, persimmon burrito and explains that
everything they serve comes from local farmers.
Looking at the menu, nothing inspires us as much as the
special, so we order two burritos to split between the three of us.
It is very good, with the sweetness of the persimmon setting
off the smoky flavor of the pork just so. The owner chats with us, asking us
where we’re from. We see the bottles of Sriracha on the shelf and tell him that
we live about a mile from that factory.
(Come along on our tour of the Sriracha factory here)
(Come along on our tour of the Sriracha factory here)
This leads to a chat about the factory’s recent problems
with local residents complaining about the smell. Others in the restaurant come
up and introduce themselves and start talking. Pretty soon, we’ve met just
about everybody in the place.
Tupelo is a very friendly town.
Asked why we’re there, we tell them about the Elvis Trail
theme. We’re told to check out the adjacent hardware store, where Gladys
Presley bought her son his first guitar, and the Lyric theater around the
corner where he played his first show.
Visiting the hardware store and taking a little tour around
downtown gets us ready for our next stop, Elvis’ birthplace located in a park
on the other side of town.
The chapel, visitor’s center, a church, and a large visitor’s
center surround the tiny little house…maybe 500 square feet…that launched Elvis
into our world.
We visit the trail markers…Elvis is on both the Country and
Blues trails…and even see the outhouse where the future king had his throne.
It’s a neat stop to see where this history took place but I’ll
also remember the friendly locals and good food in the pretty town of Elvis’
birth. We’ll also remember the cold that one of those locals passed onto us
that would haunt us for the rest of this trip.
Our day trip to Tupelo over, we head back to Memphis to see
what we can find there.
Darryl
Copyright 2013 – Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
If we can ever travel again and you love Blues, consider Clarksdale MS. The have several festivals and unique sights. Billy Howell at Delta Bohemian gives a great tour of the area including Friars Point where Coway Twitty was raised. Excellent narrative on Tennessee Williams including who the character of Blanche was modeled after. The sight of a early performance of Johnny Cash and Elvis theater, old shot gun houses and grain bins turned into lodging. And the Delta Blues Museum.
ReplyDeleteMy Mom was raised in this area so alot of this I knew, but as far as the music side and Confederate Ware history was educational.