Elvis
I was headed south for a quick visit with my brother and his family when I noticed that Waze had routed me through Tupelo, Mississippi. Even though I'd grown up in the state, way down at the bottom on the Gulf, I'd never been to Tupelo, home to Elvis Presley.
Now, I'm not much of an Elvis fan, even though his was the first concert I ever attended (I was a kid and went with my parents). But this is a genuine slice of Americana ('Merica!) and it was only a couple miles out of my way, so I had to stop. Besides, I needed gas.
I expected a seriously tacky tourist attraction since, let's face it, Elvis wasn't known for his subtly stylish decorating choices, but what I actually found was a very nicely done small park, tucked away on a quiet street in a residential area. Elvis's very small boyhood home is there — basically, just a shotgun shack — along with the small church he attended as a kid, a modern chapel (to worship Elvis? Not sure.) and the gift shop/museum. All in all, I was impressed. Well done, Tupelo!
