Oxford Things to Do

I was in Oxford when someone recommended that I visit Taylor, a small community of artists, about 7 miles from Oxford

When I say small, I mean a community of about 200 or so people, with 3 or 4 buildings in the entire town. But I absolutely fell in love with the place.

Taylor Arts is a gallery filled with the works of local artists--people who have moved to Taylor just to be part of the community, which includes musicians and writers, as well (they get together in the evenings and enjoy making music and the camaraderie of like minds).

When I pulled into the parking area, I saw a young woman, the curator, running toward the gallery. At first she appeared to be a teenager, but after seeing her up close, I could tell she was much older, yet she seemed not to belong to any decade...as if she drank daily from the fountain of youth.

I later found out her secret to looking young: she is in love.

I asked about her accent...although it had a musical, lilting quality, much like a Southern accent, I could tell that it wasn't. So I made the comment, "You aren't from around here." She replied, "No. I'm originally from the Boston area. But I got here as quick as I could."

She then went on to say how she ended up in Taylor. She was in Oxford at Square Books to sign copies of a book she'd written on the story of love. In walked a tall, handsome man, who had been brought there unwillingly by his friend. They met, fell in love, and a week later bought a house together.

I felt as if I'd just stepped into a fairy tale. I'm going back as quick as I can.

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the original lafayette county courthouse was built in 1840. in 1864 the original courthouse was burned by union general a. j. "whiskey" smith. the current courthouse was built in 1873. the new lafayette county courthouse was designed by s. bolling in the italianate-greek revival style. the lafayette county courthouse is listed on the national register of historic places.

the oxford city hall is located on courthouse square across the street from the lafayette county courthouse. at the city hall you can get tourist information about the attractions of oxford. for those interested in architecture this beautiful brick neo-gothic building is worth a look when in downtown oxford.

courthouse square also known as the square is lined with restaurants, bars, and upscale clothing and antique stores. because of the university of mississippi downtown oxford has a vibrant nightlife. the square is a fun place to visit in downtown oxford.

the miss maude faulkner house was built for maud faulkner in 1932. maud faulkner was the mother of the nobel prize winning novelist william faulkner. the miss maud faulkner house is listed on the national register of historic places. not open to the public.

the lyceum is the university of mississippi's adminstration building and the most reconizable building on campus. this beautufil greek revival building was built in 1846 and is the oldest building on campus. during the civil war the lyceum was used as a hospital for both confederate and union soldiers. today you can still see bullet holes on the columns of the lyceum from the 1962 riot. for those interested in architecture and history the campus of the university of mississippi is well worth a visit when in oxford.

located on the east end of the grove is the university of mississippi confederate civil war memorial. the memorial is a standing soldier motif which is common in the south. what makes this memorial unique is that as far as i know it is the only confederate civil war memorial located on a university campus in the united states.

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bryant hall was built in 1911 and is home to the university of mississippi's department of classics. inside of the hall there is a beautiful globe which is a must see when visiting the campus. bryant hall was once home to james meredith. during the 1962 oxford race riot meredith lived in bryant hall with a 24 hour armed guard.

the barnard observatory was built in 1859 by chancellor f. a. p. barnard. the barnard building housed the university of mississippi departments of physics and astronomy from 1859 to 1939. from 1939 to 1971 barnard observatory was home to the chancellors of the university of mississippi. in 1992 the barnard building become home to the department of the study of southern culture. the barnard observatory is listed on the national register of historic places.

vaught-hemingway stadium was originally built in 1915 and is home to the ole miss rebels football team. the stadium has been recently expanded and now accomindates over 62,000 spectators. for SEC football fans a ole miss home game should not be missed. a word of warning for business travelers or those just passing through oxford in the fall. on game day weekends all hotels in the area are booked up months in advance and traffic during game day weekends can be a nightmare.