The small town of Oxford, MS is a magical place for seekers of quaint southern towns, SEC football fans, William Faulkner readers, and everyone in between. Here are the top 10 things in the town that you must see if you ever have the chance to visit!
1. The Lyceum
2. The Grove
The Grove is in its prime during SEC football season. It is an expansive 10 acres of grass and large oak trees that is dedicated to tailgating in the fall time on campus. On Fridays of a football weekend, hundreds of red and blue trash cans are put out on the grove. Fans and students refer to it as “trash can Friday”. However, on non-football weekends, the Grove is a quiet grassy area that is very peaceful to walk through!
3. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
The Football stadium that is oh-so sacred to football fans from near and far! Vaught-Hemingway is a beautiful facility that is at its prime on weekends in September through November. On Saturdays in the Vaught, you will find the Rebels winning, LOTS of students “locking the Vaught”, and thousands of fans there to cheer on their Rebs!
4. Square Books
On a quaint corner of what is known as the Oxford Square, stands a cute bookstore! Many people can find themselves spending hours in the store, flipping through pages of all kinds of books (that are sometimes signed by the author!). If you’re lucky, you can go to Square Books to hear an author speak.
5. Rowan Oak
The home of novelist William Faulkner. Rowan Oak is situated right off of the Ole Miss campus, right behind the baseball field. From 1930 to 1962, Faulkner and his family lived in the home. You can take a self guided tour of the inside of the home for only $5, or just have a walk around the 29 acres that make up Rowan Oak!
6. Sardis Lake
Situated just over 20 minutes outside of Oxford is the grand Sardis Lake. This lake is the 4th biggest in Mississippi. Beautiful in the spring and fall time, but also an awesome location to take a boat out on for the day!
7. Ventress Hall
Home to the College of Liberal Arts, Ventress Hall is often referred to as “the Harry Potter building” on campus. With its tall tower, it is definitely a cool building that not every college campus can say they have!
8. Lafayette County Courthouse
If you ever get the chance to go to Oxford’s Square, you will notice a big, white building in the middle of the Square; this is the Courthouse. The current courthouse was built in 1872. There was a previous Courthouse that stood where the current one does, however, it was burned in the Civil War.
9. Historical Homes
You will notice that in and around Oxford, all of the homes are very beautiful and historic! Most of them have been around for decades, if not longer. Anyone who appreciates HGTV would have a good time just driving around Oxford and looking at the houses!
10. Red Telephone Booth
On the street corner right next to the Oxford City Hall is a bright red telephone booth- just like the ones in England! A great photo opportunity! Or, you could actually use it to make a call.
