Deep into Elvis at the Birthplace.

Every year, more than 50,000 people visit the Birthplace, and every year there are 50,000 different impressions of this strikingly humble structure. The Birthplace speaks to people, in a universal language that strikes a chord with visitors from all over the world. For some, the spare simplicity offers a moment of poignancy, for others it makes for sheer disbelief.

After you step out of the Birthplace, prepare to wade deep into the early life and influences that helped shape a budding genius. At the nearby Elvis Museum, also part of the 15-acre Birthplace center, the scene is vividly set for young Elvis to take his bow. The true source of any genius is a mystery, but the Elvis Museum lets you see the sights, hear the sounds and explore the beliefs that animated Elvis’ world. 

Learn about the gospel at Gladys’ Assembly of God church where Elvis sang, the blues that simmered into his soul as he wandered through Shakerag, the now legendary African American community. And to these, tap your foot to the blue grass Elvis heard on the Singin’ and Pickin’ Hillbilly, the radio show of Tupelo DJ Mississippi Slim. Elvis idolized Mississippi Slim, and the DJ would in turn encourage the young boy to make his first appearance on the Black and White Jamboree, a kind of amateur hour broadcast every Saturday from Tupelo’s Courthouse lawn.

Finish your Birthplace journey with a stroll past the statuary—a life-size bronze of Elvis at 13, the year his family struck out for Memphis—then go down the commemorative walkway and through the “story wall.” There’s also a gift shop and a chapel, built from funds donated by Elvis fans.

From the Birthplace, it’s time to start your self-guided Elvis driving tour, to cruise through town to other important Elvis sites. One special highlight is the Tupelo Hardware Store, where the tall ceilings and the wide planks floors welcome you much the way they greeted Elvis and Gladys when they came in to pick out Elvis’ 12th birthday gift. Elvis looked longingly at the shotguns, but eventually Gladys convinced him to choose a guitar instead, from a glass case just like the one in the store today.

You may be tempted to hang around in this old-fashioned emporium, where nails are yours by the pound and friendliness by the bushel, but you’ve got lots more to see, and more people to meet—including more royalty.