A Romantic Tupelo Getaway

After seven years of marriage and one child, my husband and I decided it was time for a weekend getaway. As hard as it was to place our two-year-old into the hands of my parents and set out for three full days, I knew we would reap the benefits as we reconnected with each other. As we dropped the baby off and strapped into the front seats of our car, I wiped the mist from my eyes.

“Remember when it was just the two of us, and we didn’t think twice about taking off for a weekend?” Mark asked softly.

I looked over at him and smiled as my mind filled with memories of romantic and adventurous weekends with the man I loved so much.

It seemed whether I was ready or not, our trip had begun.

“Let’s do this,” I said enthusiastically.

Pop culture and romance

We’d booked two nights in Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of none other than the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley. While I was madly in love with my husband, I had a particular fondness for The King that placed Elvis at a close second. As a lover of classic rock himself, he indulged me and reserved a room at the Candlewood Suites. Located conveniently close to the birthplace of Elvis, we figured a suite with all the comforts of home would make it easy to relax and enjoy each other in between outings.

After checking in to our hotel on Friday night, we decided to start with a bang. I grabbed Mark’s hand and ran out the door like an excited child to the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum. Here we visited the Memorial Chapel, his childhood church, and saw the places where he first learned to play guitar and became passionate about music.

During the Elvis driving tour, we saw his old school, the hardware store where Elvis’ first guitar was purchased, and the fairgrounds where Elvis spent his childhood. During the tour, I learned more about one of the most iconic individuals in rock history than I’d ever expected.

We hit Johnnie’s Drive-In for some good old southern barbecue, and I laughed at Mark as he licked his fingers and gave me his impression of the Elvis sneer.

“You are ALMOST as good looking as Elvis himself when you do that,” I teased and softly tossed my napkin at him.

We finished our tour at the famous Elvis Statue and laughed as we took about a thousand selfies of ourselves performing with the man who changed music forever.

A relaxing, fun-filled day for two

Since this was a getaway for us as a couple, we planned romantic activities for the next day that allowed us to relax and laugh in ways we couldn’t at home.

At home, visiting the spa is a rare luxury, so Mark surprised me with a massage at Creative Touch Spa that morning. We loved it so much that we indulged in a few more services, including facials and pedicures. All the pampering worked up our appetites. Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen caught our attention for lunch, and we stopped for some salads and sandwiches. After a satisfying meal, we decided to visit the Tupelo Buffalo Park & Zoo.

It may not seem romantic to take a Bison Tour, but as a cowgirl at heart, I was fascinated by the up-close view of the buffalo. We jumped in the Monster Bison Bus and saw Texas longhorns, water buffalo, zebra, and other animals up close. We sat back and held hands without the worry of a rambunctious toddler, and we laughed as two bison seemed to nuzzle noses together.

“Look, they’re on their own romantic getaway!” I laughed.

You can never have enough Elvis

After the visit to the zoo, we headed back to the hotel to clean up. We had fried black-eyed peas and seafood at Blue Canoe while we were serenaded with live music from local musicians. I blushed as Mark grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor for an impromptu dance.

After a fabulous dinner with some down-home charm, we had the pleasure of viewing the Elvis Tribute that is part of the Elvis Festival every summer at the Bancorpsouth Arena and Conference Center. What a fabulous tribute to a man who changed the world.

The next morning, we had to check out of our hotel but were lucky to have a few hours before we had to be on the road. Since I am a firm believer that you can never have enough Elvis, we decided to visit the Birthplace Museum again to visit the Story Wall, an in-depth look at his life through the eyes of his childhood friends. We bought t-shirts from the gift shop for practically everyone we could think of before we hit the road again.

Real life versus rock and roll

As we approached the exit for home, I glanced over at my husband and laughed as he sang along to the radio.

“Did you survive your first weekend without our little girl?” he teased.

“Most definitely,” I replied as I grabbed his hand and gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek.

Life would go on, but the romance was alive and kicking.

See how Elvis and the outdoors makes for an exceptional family vacation.