Visit Oxford’s Top Ten Reasons to Visit Oxford

Visit Oxford has played a significant role in making the city of Oxford such a wonderful place. With a mission to promote Oxford for the economic benefit of the community, Visit Oxford serves as the marketing arm for the city of Oxford, and they work tirelessly to put Oxford on the map.

Many people know Visit Oxford primarily because of their Double Decker Arts Festival held every April. When asked about Double Decker, Visit Oxford’s Director Mary Allyn Hedges said, “Double Decker is a vital and important event for our community but is only a small part of what Visit Oxford does. Tourism is vital to our community and businesses, and Visit Oxford wants to ensure that we have visitors coming to Oxford year-round.”

The main goal of Visit Oxford is to increase tourism. In the busy fall and spring seasons, they help with music festivals, film festivals, and other fun events around the town. They also host Double Decker bus tours regularly and Oxford Art Crawls on the fourth Tuesday of every month. These events draw massive crowds and provide them with something to do outside of sporting events.

During the slow seasons, they collaborate with hotels and other partner organizations in town to put on special events such as Pop Up Oxford, a week in January that is full of events to celebrate Oxford’s rich cultural scene. It’s a great way to bring visitors to Oxford and get locals out of the house in an otherwise slow time of year.

Why should people visit Oxford? Here are Visit Oxford’s top ten reasons:

10. Art: Whether it’s at church, on the Square or the Ole Miss campus, Oxford has a huge variety of art selections for visitors to see. Take part in the monthly art crawl around Oxford on the Double Decker bus every fourth Tuesday.

9. Shopping on the Square: Walk around the Square and wander into some neat stores such as Hinton & Hinton, Neilson’s, Village Tailor and Miss Behavin. These shops will help you find outfits and accessories for church, work, formals or football games.

8. Thacker Mountain Radio: Don’t miss your chance to be a part of the audience during Thacker Mountain Radio’s live recording from Off Square Books.

7. SEC Sports: With Ole Miss being part of the competitive Southeastern Conference, game days in Oxford are always crazy. There is nothing like experiencing a ballgame in person, no matter what sport you are watching. It truly doesn’t get better than the SEC.

6. Square Books: Sip coffee while immersing yourself in a book on the balcony of one of the most famous places in Oxford. Square Books is a bookworm’s paradise, and it has seen notable authors walk through its doors for book signings.

5. Double Decker Arts Festival: Attend Double Decker Arts Festival in April for a diverse selection of regional art and music. The festival, held on the Square, showcases Oxford as a town that supports the arts and has grown to be one of the champion events in the region.

4. Tailgate in the Grove: You have not lived if you have never witnessed the Grove before an Ole Miss home football game. Known nationally as one of the best tailgating experiences ever, people travel from all over the country to witness fancy tents full of chandeliers, centerpieces, nice TVs and chocolate fountains. It is seriously a bucket list item.

3. Food: Experience Oxford’s unique culinary scene full of local restaurants that are wonderful. Before you leave Oxford, make sure you eat at one of the six restaurants run by renowned chef John Currence, an avid supporter of Oxford and former contestant on Top Chef Masters.

2. Rowan Oak: Explore the nooks and crannies of Rowan Oak, home of Nobel Prize- winning author, William Faulkner. It is a perfect place for relaxation. Visitation is free, but admission to tour the home is $5.

1. Historic Oxford Tour: Take a riding tour of historic Oxford on a Double Decker bus. The tour is an excellent way to experience the great atmosphere while learning interesting information about Oxford’s past. This is also a great way to see the many historical landmarks that the city offers.

For more information about what Visit Oxford has planned, click here. For more information about Pop Up Oxford, click here.

By Davis Roberts, an intern for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at jdrober1@go.olemiss.edu.