Location: Oxford
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Things to do in Oxford, Mississippi (MS): The Best Sights & Landmarks
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract.
Restaurants in Oxford
1. Lyceum-The Circle Historic District
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 16 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Lyceum and the Circle Historic District is a historic area on the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford, Mississippi that includes eight buildings and several monuments and was significant for its association with the civil rights movement during the Ole Miss riot of 1962 which resulted in the enrollment of James Meredith as the school's first African-American student. The Circle was designated as a National Historic Landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The centerpiece of the Circle is the Lyceum, the university's administration building which was built in 1848 and is the only surviving original structure on the campus. In 1962, the confrontation between Federal troops and white students and outside segregationists took place in front of the Lyceum. Other buildings are Brevard Hall, Croft Institute for International Studies and Carrier, Shoemaker, Ventress, Bryant and Peabody dormitory halls. The Circle is surrounded by University Circle, a road designed for one-way traffic that is lined by oak and magnolia trees, beds of pansies and expanses of grass. Since the mid-19th century, the Circle has been the focal point and historic core of the Ole Miss campus. Brevard Hall, the old chemistry building, was built in 1923. Two-story Ventress Hall was built in 1889. Bryant Hall, which housed the university's library from 1911 to 1952, now is home to the Fine Arts Center and the departments of Philosophy, Religion and Classics.
2. Confederate Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 39 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Just to the south of old Tad Smith Coliseum on the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford, within the shadows of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, is a modest walled lawn with a single monument at the center. This is the Confederate Cemetery, called "God's Little Acre," a lonely and solemn place where Confederate soldiers who died after the Battle of Shiloh in 1862 are buried. During the Civil War, the 13 buildings of Ole Miss were converted into hospitals for the wounded and the ones who died were buried on the property. But how many? At one time, the cemetery had individual markers but a groundskeeper removed them to mow the lawn and forgot where they belonged. According to records, up to 4,000 Confederate soldiers were treated at Ole Miss and over 700 were buried in the cemetery. To date, about 340 have been verified. Only one is a University Grey, a member of the regiment made up of Ole Miss students and alumni, a unit that was virtually whipped out at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
3. College Hill Presbyterian Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By CyndiG42 - Oxford, United States
I went to College Hill Presbyterian during my college years with my Granny who was a member along with her husband for many, many years. I knew then some of the history and enjoyed when the church ate on the grounds. I recently discovered a family member buried there through ancestry.com. Now my old and recent visits (to see the cemetery) are all the more richer.
4. Rowan Oak
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 309 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
This is the third time my wife and I have visited Rowan Oak, the home of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner from the 1930s until his death in 1962. On two earlier occasions, we toured the Greek Revival house that was built in the 1840s and saw his typewriter and the famous outline of Faulkner's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Fable that is penciled in graphite and red on the plaster wall of his study. One former curator discovered several of Faulkner's original manuscripts hidden within the house. Many of Faulkner's works, along with his Nobel Prize medallion, are on display in the University of Mississippi's J.D. Williams Library. On our most recent visit, however, the house at 916 Old Taylor Road, a mile from the Ole Miss campus and historic Oxford Square, was closed for COVID. So we were limited to walking around the four landscaped acres surrounding the house, the alley of cedars that lines the driveway and the 29 acres of wooded property known as Bailey's Woods. Rowan Oak was designated a National Historic Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1968. The property, with an accompanying barn that Faulkner had converted from a log cabin, appears much as it did when Faulkner lived here.
5. University of Mississippi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 347 reviews
Reviewed By FLYDL - Boston, United States
My daughter chose this university as her number one choice when she was still in grade school. At the time it was based on pictures she saw. When it came time to tour colleges, and we toured several, Ole Miss did not disappoint. The campus is absolutely stunning! Brimming with southern charm. My daughter fell in love with this school, as did we. Although far away from her home in Boston, our daughter could not imagine herself at another school. The city of Oxford is charming as well, yet numerous amenities are still at your fingertips.
6. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 68 reviews
Reviewed By Kelvinator1029 - Brookhaven, United States
Always great fun in the grove, stadium is great, great food, first class folks at ole miss always friendly
7. The Lafayette County Courthouse
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Lafayette County Courthouse is the centerpiece of the historic Oxford Courthouse Square in Oxford, Mississippi. Located in the center of the square, surrounded by restaurants, art galleries, boutiques, department stores, book stores and other shops, it was constructed in 1872 to replace an earlier building that was destroyed during the Civil War. The two-story building was designed in the Greek Revival and Italianate architectural styles with four columns atop the arched entryway. Of most interest is the fact that the courthouse plays a significant role in Oxford native William Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County, which is based on Lafayette County where the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning author spent most of his life. The courthouse appears in many of Faulkner's short stories and novels. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
8. Historic Downtown Square
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 126 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
When you arrive at Historic Downtown Square in Oxford, Mississippi, you instantly understand why Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner was inspired to create Yoknapatawpha County. The Oxford Courthouse Square Historic District, with the Lafayette County Courthouse dating to 1871 dominating the square, is similar to dozens of squares in small towns throughout the South. Oxford Square, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, has been the cultural, political, commercial and economic hub of the city and the epicenter of its nightlife since Oxford was incorporated in 1837. Known locally as "the Square," it is located on South Lamar Boulevard, Jackson and Van Buren Streets only a short walk from the University of Mississippi campus. It features a variety of restaurants, bars, museums, art galleries, churches, clothing boutiques, coffee shops, book stores and specialty shops and is a popular place for locals, students and tourists to congregate, people watch and shop. Architecturally, the square is reflective of the city's existence in the Civil War with two-story brick and stucco walled buildings that include balconies and cast-iron columns. The current standing courthouse was built in 1871 after the original structure was destroyed by Union troops in 1864. A statue of Faulkner, Oxford's most distinguished citizen, stands before Oxford City Hall. Among the most notable attractions on the square are two widely acclaimed restaurants, City Grocery and Ajax Diner; Square Books, a bookstore that opened in 1979 and carries all of Faulkner's books still in print; and Neilson's Department Store, which opened in 1839 and is the South's oldest department store. Other attractions include The Frame Up, Blind Pig Pub, Oxford Grillhouse, Pink & Proper, Square Pizza, The Library sports bar, Bottletree Bakery, Lyric Theatre, Gus' Fried Chicken, Old Venice Pizza and Holli's Sweet Tooth. Oxford Square is unlike any other college town in the country.
9. Oxford University Stadium At Swayze Field
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By DrewL493 - Jacksonville, United States
If you’re a college baseball fan you have to experience Swayze Field. Ribs and craft beer at Stove and Tap on the left field line is a must. The atmosphere is electric even with limited capacity and the home team fan’s hospitality was incredible as expected.
10. Civil Rights Monument
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Civil Rights Monument, a life-like bronze statue of James Meredith, is located on the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford, behind the historic Lyceum administration building and in front of the J.D. Williams Library. The statue, sculpted by Rod Moorehead, who owned the Southside Gallery in Oxford from 1993 to 1997, was unveiled in 2006, fully 44 years after Meredith became the first African-American to become a student at Ole Miss. It symbolizes the integration of the university in 1962 and honors Meredith and those who fought to give all citizens equal educational opportunities in the South. The statue is engraved with the words: Courage, Knowledge, Opportunity and Perseverance.
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