It was hard to keep track of Prince's whereabouts when he was alive. Nine years after his death, the rock icon's hometown is making it easier to retrace his steps.

With thousands of fans expected to visit this week for the annual Celebration at Paisley Park, Minneapolis has unveiled a series of 20 temporary historical markers dubbed the Purple Path that highlights key locations in Prince's local legacy.

Installed over the past week, the designated sites include music venues he played/slayed, studios where he recorded, murals featuring his likeness and sites of some of his "Purple Rain" movie scenes. (See the full list below.)

"People ask all the time: Where did Prince spend his time, where did he perform this time or that time," said Christy Loy, senior vice president of destination sales for Meet Minneapolis. "This is a really fun and accessible way for them to go where he went."

Each Purple Path location is designated by a sidewalk cling — a slip-resistant decal that sticks to the ground and withstands foot traffic. The round sidewalk markers feature Prince's purple glyph symbol, the name of that particular site and a QR code, which can be scanned with a cellphone to call up information on the location.

Outside the Schmitt Music mural in downtown Minneapolis, for instance, the Purple Path entry that comes up reads:

Carlos Gonzalez, The Minnesota Star Tribune
A Purple Path sign was placed outside the IDS Center because of "Purple Rain" scenes filmed there.

"Prince's first manager Owen Husney hired photographer Robert Whitman to take the now iconic picture of the 18-year-old artist in front of the Schmitt Music Mural for use in promotional material that landed him a major recording contract with Warner Bros. just weeks after his 19th birthday."

Standing outside First Avenue nightclub, Purple Path users can read about how it hosted most of the "Purple Rain" movie performances and "has been the starting point for many bands that have come out of Minneapolis including Prince, the Revolution, the Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, Semisonic, Atmosphere, Brother Ali and the Jayhawks."

Other music venues on the Purple Path include the Dakota, Bunker's Music Bar & Grill, the Orpheum and Capri theaters and the former home of Glam Slam, which Prince owned.

Some of the nonmusical locations on the tour include the site of his first wedding, Park Avenue United Methodist Church, and the schools he attended, including John Hay Elementary on the North Side and Central High School on the South Side (both since demolished).

By design, the Purple Path focuses on sites in or near the downtown corridor where, as Loy said, "more people are walking around and are here from out of town to see a show or a Twins game." So there's no jump-in site at Lake Minnetonka (which wasn't actually used in "Purple Rain" anyway, but whatever).

Funded through the Minneapolis Foundation and co-organized with Paisley Park staff — Prince's studio complex in Chanhassen that now serves as a museum — the Purple Path logos will be on display through the fall but then must be removed in the cold weather. Loy said there's a chance the signs could go put back another year, or they could be turned into more permanent markers.

"We'd love to see this program refreshed," Loy said, emphasizing "the interest in Prince in his hometown doesn't seem to be fading."

Here are the 20 sites on the Purple Path:

Early and personal life

  • Mount Sinai Hospital (Now the Phillips Eye Institute, 2215 Park Av. S.): Birthplace of Prince, June 7, 1958.
  • John Hay Elementary School (1014 Penn Av. N.): Demolished.
  • Bryant Junior High (310 E. 38th St.): Now Sabathani Community Center
  • Minneapolis Central High School (3416 S. 4th Av.): Demolished.
  • Park Avenue United Methodist Church (3400 Park Av. S.): Where he married his first wife, Mayte Garcia, in 1996.

Music sites

  • Sound 80 Studios (2709 E. 25th St.): Now Orfield Labs, where he recorded the demo tapes for his first album.
  • Capri Theater (2027 W. Broadway): Site of his first solo concert in 1979 after signing with Warner Bros.
  • First Avenue & 7th Street Entry (701 1st Av. N.): "Purple Rain" film site and host of several pivotal 1980s-era performances.
  • Glam Slam (110 N. 5th St.) Now Cowboy Jack's, it's where Prince opened his own club in late 1989.
  • Bunker's Music Bar & Grill (761 Washington Av. N.): He frequently watched and jammed with Dr. Mambo's Combo onstage here.
  • The Dakota (1010 Nicollet Mall): He was a regular attendee at the jazz club and played a six-show run here in 2013.
  • Electric Fetus (2000 4th Av. S.): The record store he most frequented.

More movie sites

  • The "Purple Rain" house (3420 Snelling Av. S.): Where his character the Kid lived with his parents.
  • Orpheum Theatre (910 Hennepin Av.): Used for backstage/green room scenes in the 1984 film.
  • IDS Center (80 S. 8th St.): Scenes were filmed in the skyway and Crystal Court.

Murals

  • Schmitt Music Mural (S. 10th St. at Marquette Av.)
  • Downtown Mural (1st Av. N. at 8th St.)
  • North Loop Mural (424 Washington Av.)
  • Prince Photograph (N. 1st at 1st Av. N.)
  • Uptown Mural (26th St. and Hennepin Av.)