Oxford is the home of the University of Mississippi, affectionately known as "Ole Miss," and is located in Lafayette County. It also served the as the inspiration for Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner's fictional Jefferson (Lafayette County being Yoknapatawpha), the locale of many of his novels. Oxonions and University members like to describe the town with the motto "We may not win every game, but we ain't never lost a party." Locals also, "partially" jokingly, consider the Square to be the "Center of the Universe." Because many think of it as a small town New Orleans, minus the sleaziness and lax laws, they call it the "Little Easy." It is widely known throughout the South for its Southern charm, Old South feel, party atmosphere, and its beautiful women, which even Hugh Hefner called the finest in the world. Oxford is also considered a literary center with many writers calling it home. Also being home to the Ole Miss School of Law and a federal courthouse, it is often said that everyone in Oxford is a "lawyer, writer, or both." To prove this point, famous author John Grisham still owns a house in Oxford and visits frequently.

The Square is the center of downtown and is the main location for the town's best restaurants, shops, bars, and scenery (of the Old South architecture and gorgeous Southern belles). Chain restaurants, a Wal-Mart Supercenter, and other national retailers are located on the fringes of town. However, most locals are staunchly anti-chain. They actively protested the arrival of Applebee's and the Wal-Mart Supercenter, even voting out the old mayor because she did not do more to stop it. Therefore, to truly enjoy Oxford, you must visit the Square and eat and shop at locally-owned establishments. Otherwise, you are wasting your time visiting and are missing out if you only come for a football game.

Get In

By plane
 • The closest airports with airline service are in Memphis, 70 miles to the North, and Tupelo, 45 miles to the East. While Tupelo has limited airline service, Memphis is the major hub for
Northwest Airlines and is thus the preferred airport.
 • University-Oxford Airports, also known as Clegg Field, offers service to private planes, including jets. The airport has a 4,700 foot runway with a brand new terminal and aviation full-services.

By train
For passenger service, the nearest Amtrak's stops are on the City of New Orleans line in Memphis, TN and Greenwood, MS .

By car
Oxford is within 400 miles of many destinations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Major highways in the area are as follows:
 • North-South State Routes 7, 9, 315 and 331.
 • East-West State Routes 6,30,314,328 and 334.
 • State Route 6 connects with Interstate 55.

From Memphis or Jackson (Miss.) take I-55 to Batesville and exit MS Hwy 6 EAST. Take the Old Taylor Rd. or Coliseum Dr. exits to access the University. Exit at South Lamar Blvd. to get to the Square and downtown. Oxford is approximately 25 miles from Batesville. It takes about an hour and fifteen minutes to travel to Oxford from Memphis.

By bus
Greyhound service was recently suspended.

By boat
Oxford is land-locked, but the huge Sardis Reservoir is 10-15 minutes away. However, only recreational opportunities are offered there.

Get around

While a bus system is proposed, there is no public transportation as of yet. The best way to get around is by foot, as Oxford is a beautiful town to walk and parking is scarce downtown and on campus. The second best way is by car. Once you find a place to park on campus, stay there and walk everywhere you want to go. The same applies to downtown. Once you figure out how to navigate the square (it will take awhile) and the surrounding one-way streets, you can find a place to park by cruising the back alleys. If you park illegally, you will get an expensive ticket. Do not drink and drive as the cops keep a watchful eye on the byways, not to mention you are risking your life and the lives of others. You can avoid this by walking home, hitching a ride (it's easy to find a ride from a friendly stranger on the Square), or calling a cab.

Taxis
 • Oxford City Cab, 36 Highway 334, (662) 234-2250
 • Angel Taxi, (662) 715-9382

Limousine Services
 • Oxford Limo, 206 Hwy. 30 E, (662) 238-7787
 • Southern Comfort Limo's, 12 Dell Street, Batesville, MS, (662) 563-5466,
 • Limousine Connection, 124 S Thomas St, Suite B, Tupelo, MS, (662) 840-9484, (662) 840-5884 (fax),

Cope

Cold beer is not sold in Oxford, except for bars and restaurants. Either purchase your cold beer at the county line on Hwy 6 or Hwy 7 as you are coming into town, or ice it down. It is widely believed that Oxford does not sell beer cold because the mayor once owned the local ice distributing business, but this is false. Open containers are also not allowed in the city limits, but as long as you pour it in a cup, you are fine. If a cop sees a beer can or liquor bottle, he will pour out all of your supply. However, if you have it in a cup, you will not be bothered unless you are extremely unruly. This especially applies to the Ole Miss campus and The Grove. Just keep it in a cup and pour discretely.

Because of the preachers and the bootleggers, bars in Oxford close early. Monday-Wednesday they close at midnight. Thursday and Friday they close at 1:00 AM. They close at midnight on Saturdays except on game weekends, when they are open till 1:00 AM. Try as the bible beaters might, most bar goers don't go home and go to bed but instead head to the infamous "late-nights," parties at someone's home or apartment. Despite police efforts to crack down on late-nights, they are still going strong, sometimes numbering into the thousands of partiers. Word spreads about the location of late-nights earlier in the night at the bars. Be sure to secure your beer or liquor for the late-night before you go out, because they will have stopped selling by the time the bars have closed.

The Chevron at University and South Lamar, called "Chicken-on-a-Stick" because of the drunk food it serves by the same name, is a very popular stopping point between the bars and the late-nights and has achieved legendary status. There is another "chicken on a stick" on the corner of Jefferson and North Lamar, this one is less frequented and may be the route to go if you don't want to fight the crowds. Be forewarned: the drunk food there tastes great when you're drunk but frequently makes sober people sick for some reason. If you are too drunk to drive and have no other way home, you can almost always find a ride at Chicken-on-a-Stick (the Chevron) just after the bars close.

Game Day

Oxford is very crowded on football game days. Football is a religion here, and fall Saturdays are the Sabbath. Therefore, expect heavy traffic, hotels that fill months in advance, and no available reservations at restaurants. Officially, the Grove opens for tailgating at 6:00 AM. However, the crowds can overwhelm security as early as 10 PM Friday night, and all the good spots in the Grove will be gone by 6 AM. Most tailgating is concentrated in the Grove, but it takes place everywhere on campus. Many fans prefer to tailgate in the Circle, which is right next to the Grove. Officially, no alcohol is allowed anywhere on campus, but this is overlooked if you have it in a cup (see the "Cope" section above).

 • Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Where the three-time national champion Ole Miss Rebels play football. For online ticket sales and a seating chart, visit the  . The stadium is officially alcohol free, but many fans sneak in a flask, and drinking in the club levels and suites is completely ignored, even condoned. Expect extensive body searches at the visitor and student gates. If you enjoy being molested by a security guard of the same sex, you're in heaven. At the other gates, security generally just looks inside purses and bags.
 • Game Day Info from the University. Including tailgating and stadium rules, traffic info, and parking info.
 • RV information. The university provides free gravel RV lots at the Old Taylor Road and the Coliseum Drive exits off of the Hwy 6 bypass. Overflow RV parking is available at the intramural fields, accessed by the Coliseum Drive exit (turn left at the four-way stop). Paved lots with hookups including cable TV are available, but they must be purchased for the whole season. The University officially does not allow RV parking before Friday afternoon, but in reality, they allow parking in the gravel lots days in advance. People are known to never move their RV's from one Saturday to the next. A private RV park with full amenities is available in town. Many choose to stay at the more spacious and scenic Sardis Lake, which offers a plethora of cheap RV parking with full hookups in a tree-shaded environment. It is located between Oxford and Batesville, 15 to 20 minutes from town.

• Attractions
• Activities
• Dining
• Drink
• Lodging
• Shopping

Education

The University of Mississippi  is a comprehensive research university and is home to a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa. It also is listed in The Student Guide to America's 100 Best College Buys and The Student Guide to America's Best College Scholarships.

UM also ranks 50th on Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine's list of best college buys for in-state tuition and 46th for out-of-state tuition. Also in town is a branch of Northwest Mississippi Community College . The local public school system is excellent and diverse. The two local high schools are Oxford High School and Lafayette High School .

Work

By far the major employer is the University of Mississippi , but other employers include FNC, Inc.  (a credit card services firm) and many local banks. Oxford is also a regional healthcare center with constantly growing healthcare facilities. A variety of jobs are may be found at the Baptist Memorial Hospital - North Mississippi . The free Daily Mississippian and the daily Oxford Eagle have updated help wanted ads.

Get out

 • An excellent side trip, especially late at night after the bars close, is to Graceland Too  . It is located 30 miles north in Holly Springs. Drunk students frequently venture to this oddity at 2 AM. Even if you are not an Elvis fan, as most visitors are not, the real entertainment is the proprietor, who puts on quite a show.

Just get to Holly Springs and any local can direct you to the fun. It is open 24 hours and the cost is only $5. After your third visit, you become a lifetime member and never have to pay again. You also get your picture taken while wearing Elvis' actual leather jacket.
 

 • Memphis (Tennessee)-- The closest major city, known for Graceland, Beale Street, great music, and a revitalized downtown
 • Tunica-- The South's gambling mecca featuring a dozen large casino resorts
 • Tupelo--The birthplace of Elvis Presley
 • Natchez--The historic rivertown with the South's grandest collection of antebellum homes
 • Southeastern Conference Tour--Spend the fall experiencing Southern football in the Southeastern Conference

Events Calendars

• Ole Miss Community Calendar 
• Oxford Community Calendar
• City of Oxford Meetings Calendar 
• Yoknapatawpha Arts Council Calendar 
• Oxford Conference Center Events Calendar