So What Are You Waiting For?

WE ARE YOUR TYPE What type of destination is Oxford, Mississippi? THIS VIBRANT CITY NESTLED IN THE HILLS OF NORTH MISSISSIPPI IS OVERFLOWING WITH A RICH CULTURE AND PACKS AN ARRAY OF OFFERINGS TO DELIGHT ALL INTERESTS.

Easily accessible from Interstate 55 in north Mississippi, about an hour from Memphis, Tennessee, Oxford welcomes visitors with quintessential southern charm and the convenience of big city amenities.

STORIED SOULS embrace the area’s literary heritage with a visit to Rowan Oak, the estate of Nobel Prize winning author William Faulkner. Walk in the steps of the town’s other literary greats like John Grisham, Willie Morris and Barry Hannah. Channel your inner bookworm at Square Books, voted “Bookstore of the Year” in 2013 by Publisher’s Weekly. ARTS ENTHUSIASTS browse the nest collection of Greek and Roman antiquities in the South at the University of Mississippi Museum. Learn about the Southern Foodways Alliance, a member-supported organization based at the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture, which collects oral histories, produces lms and podcasts, publishes great writing, sponsors scholarship, mentors students and stages events that serve as progressive and inclusive catalysts for the greater South. LEISURE LOVERS and fans Shout “Hotty Toddy” in the Grove as you join University of Mississippi tailgaters to cheer on the Ole Miss Rebels. Get outdoors in the “Bike Friendly Community” where trails are an excellent way to explore the city on two wheels. Peruse unique boutiques and stores galore surrounding the town square, such as Neilson’s, the oldest department store in the South. FOODIES, tempt taste buds at appetite-enticing restaurants, several under the direction of James Beard award-winning Chef John Currence. Plan a visit during events like February’s Oxford Film Festival or April’s Double Decker Arts Festival. At the end of the day, rest easy at one of Oxford’s unique boutique hotels, brand name lodging options or a cozy bed and breakfast. So what are you waiting for?

WHETHER YOU’RE A LEISURE LOVER, ARTS ENTHUSIAST, STORIED SOUL, FOODIE OR A MIXTURE OF IT ALL, YOUR PERFECT TYPE OF GETAWAY AWAITS IN OXFORD.

FAST FACTS AND TRIVIA

• Founded in May of 1837, Oxford, Mississippi’s • One of the largest Blues collections is located on rst center of its kind in the nation, serves as a population of around 20,000 nearly doubles the campus of the University of Mississippi. model for future centers in other regions. Its with the addition of the student body at the • In 1962, James Meredith entered the University of projects include the award-winning Encyclo- University of Mississippi, which was founded Mississippi as the rst African American student. pedia of Southern Culture and publication of a few years later, in 1848. “Living Blues” magazine. • Oxford was built on land that once belonged to the • The Mississippi Legislature voted in 1841 to Chickasaw Indian Nation. • Lyceum is the oldest building on the Ole Miss make Oxford the home of the state’s rst campus, completed in 1848, and is the only sur- University, the University of Mississippi. • Oxford resident, T.D. Isom recommended nam- vivor of the University’s original ve buildings. ing the City after Oxford, England in hopes that The Lyceum also served as a hospital for both • Oxford hosted the rst presidential debate in this would one day become a University town. 2008 between President Obama and Senator Union and Confederate Soldiers during the John McCain. • City Hall was built in 1885. Civil War. • Designed to enhance clinical experiences for • The speed limit on the campus of the University students, the Robert C. Khayat Law building of Mississippi is 18, to honor Archie Manning’s on the University of Mississippi campus is one football jersey number. of the few LEED-certi ed buildings in the • At 8 p.m. the Friday evening before a home foot- state. ball game, a siren sounds to alert tailgaters they • Oxford is home to Nobel Prize winning author can enter the Grove to claim a prime spot for William Faulkner and his estate, Rowan Oak, Saturday’s game. is open for tours. • Oxford is home to the Center for the Study of • Much of Oxford was burned in 1864 during the Southern Culture, housed in the Barnard Observ- Civil War, with the exception of Rooster’s Blue atory on the University of Mississippi campus. House, a restaurant on the town square. The Center promotes regional studies and, as the ANNUAL EVENTS

Thacker Mountain Radio Double Decker Arts Festival OXFORD Thursdays in the Fall and Spring Square Books OXFORD April ThackerMountain.com DoubleDeckerFestival.com Oxford Film Festival Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference OXFORD February OXFORD July OxfordFilmFest.com Outreach.OleMiss.edu/Events/Faulkner Oxford Conference for the Book Southern Foodways symposium OXFORD March OXFORD October OxfordConferenceForTheBook.com SouthernFoodways.org

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