Tupelo, Cars & Elvis

After getting back to Red Bay, we had to wait to get back into the service center. Thus, we had a few days were we didn't have to break camp. :) When the weekend came we decided it was time for a field trip to Tupelo, MS. Tupelo is about a 45 minute drive from Red Bay. We wanted to see the movie "The Accountant" and also wanted to tour the car museum there.

The Tupelo Car Museum is the dream of a man named Frank Spain. He acquired his first antique car in 1974. He and his friend Max Berryhill desired to have a place to permanently house his collection of cars. There are over 100 classic, collectible cars displayed in the museum.

1915 Studebaker $985

1916 Auburn Chummy $1,550

1938 MG

1941 Ford Woodie Wagon $1,015

1955 Pontiac Chieftain

It wouldn't be in Tupelo if they didn't have one of Elvis' cars

As you can see, this is quite a collection! All have been restored beautifully. They also had a lot of Corvette's and some of Richard Petty's race cars. 

We still had time to kill before the movie and happened upon Elvis's birthplace and museum. The birthplace is to Tupelo as what Graceland is to Memphis. The museum helps you to understand what is was like for Elvis to grow up in Tupelo (rural MS) in the 1930's and 1940's. For his 111th birthday Elvis wanted a gun. But his mother Gladys didn't want him to have one and got him to accept a guitar instead of the gun. How different his life would have been had he not received that guitar! Elvis's love of music stemmed from listening to people perform at his church. That church has been restored and now stands on the birthplace grounds. 

This is a two room house that Elvis was born in

Replica of what an outhouse would have looked like during that time 

It was a great day ending with dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse before heading back to Red Bay.