Small Town Living & Urban Sophistication

Story by Lyda Kay Ferree, The Southern Lifestyles Lady. Photography courtesy of Visit Oxford MS & Main Street Taylor, LLC

On August 21-22 a friend and I traveled to one of my favorite Southern cities—Oxford, Mississippi (pop: 23,000), where I once lived. I have many fond memories of Oxford that include celebrating my birthday there with a very special gentleman on a snowy winter day, meeting and talking to John Grisham at the height of his popularity at Square Books with a line that snaked around the block, and having dinner with author Willie Morris, whom I first met as Public Relations Director of The Peabody in Memphis, where I accused him of getting many of his story ideas while sipping bourbon and branch water in our lobby.

One summer while attending law school at Ole Miss, I had the pleasure of dining at a steakhouse in a remote area near the Oxford Airport with Willie and Mayor John Leslie, who owned the Oxford Drug Store. Willie always called the mayor “Your Majesty” in my presence. After sipping several glasses of vino (It was a BYOB establishment.) and eating a delicious steak dinner Willie shared fascinating stories of his days in Manhattan, weekends on Long Island, and stories of Truman Capote. (If only I could have recorded this conversation, but it would have broken the mood of the moment.) On the way to a coffeehouse in downtown Oxford, Willie asked me if I owned his book “Terrains of the Heart and Other Essays on Home” (copyright 1981). When I responded that I did not own that book, he immediately asked the mayor to open his drug store where Willie’s books were sold, and Willie purchased that book and presented it to me. We then went to a popular coffee house where Willie spent at least an hour, between many interruptions by his beloved fans, writing a personal note in my book which I shall always treasure.

The reason I included the above stories was not in any way to boast but to reveal the special memories I have of Oxford. Now I am making new memories as I continue to travel to this special city, which some call “The Cultural Mecca of the South.”

Oxford Itinerary

The weather was sunny and clear—perfect for toodling around Oxford. A large black electronic sign in the Square greets walkers and drivers reminding them to wear their masks, and somewhat to my surprise everyone I saw in Oxford heeded this warning.

A friend and I explored Oxford by foot and car. We began our tour downtown at Square Books named one of the country’s top independent bookstores (I have spent untold hours in this bookstore over the years. Off Square Books is temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic as several stores and museums are. The End of All Music is a popular independent record store at the top of steep stairs (What fun that vinyl records are coming back!); and Neilson’s (pronounced as if Nelson’s) is the South’s second oldest (Mississippi’s oldest) independent family-owned department store. I love the old department store smell, the beautiful marble floors, the friendly, hospitable employees in Neilson’s, and the Southern and collegiate clothing and gifts. Don’t miss the shops around the Square and elsewhere like Oxford Floral on nearby Jefferson Street, which has lovely flowers, gifts and regional foods.

Walking whetted our appetites, so my friend and I had lunch at Proud Larry’s, a longtime favorite of Ole Miss students and visitors. My friend enjoyed a delicious burger, and I had good cheese quesadillas and we shared THE BEST sweet potato fries! The eatery/bar is known for great pizza and pub food, but mostly for their weekly live music acts. Located across the street from Square Books.

“When asked my favorite attribute of Oxford, I always say its walkability. Our city is designed in a way that encourages you to park and walk from the Square to the University of Mississippi campus to neighborhood parks, world class restaurants, and all the shopping you could ask for!”

— Kinney Ferris, Executive Director, Visit Oxford

After lunch we drove to Rowan Oak, home of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner (1897-1962) at 916 Old Taylor Road near the Square. It is temporarily closed, but I have toured Rowan Oak many times and attended readings there in years past. You may walk the grounds and when you do, you almost see and hear Faulkner amidst the tree-lined driveway. Rowan Oak (1848) was built by an Irish immigrant planter from Tennessee. Rowan Oak was purchased by Faulkner in 1930 for $6,000. He named the property Rowan Oak after the Celtic legend of the Rowan tree, believed to be a symbol of peace and security. The family lived at Rowan Oak until Faulkner’s death in 1962. The property was acquired by the University of Mississippi in 1972.

Since opening as an historic house museum, the home features original furniture and artifacts from the Faulkner era. Also included are interpretative exhibits of his life and literature. In addition to the main house, there are four landscaped acres and four outbuildings available for viewing. My favorite room is his office/writing room turned bedroom where visitors may see an outline on the walls of “A Fable.” For more information call Rowan Oak at 662.234.3284.
Website: www.museum.olemiss.edu

Near Rowan Oak on Old Taylor Road you will see some lovely homes including a Victorian house that apparently was moved to its new location and is being restored. The city now has many condominiums, some of which you may lease. They are especially popular during football season.

Mid-afternoon it was time to check in at our hotel—The Inn at Ole Miss Hotel & Conference Center located at 120 Alumni Drive. The 146-room hotel is conveniently located on the campus of the University of Mississippi and is near downtown and adjacent to the Grove, an 11-acre park noted as the most beautiful and well-known college tailgate area in the county. This inn is Oxford’s only hotel located in the heart of the campus, less than 150 steps from the Grove, perfect for a game day experience, college visit day, orientation, move-in or whatever brings you to Oxford and Ole Miss.

My suite, which was spacious and inviting with a living room and two bathrooms, was ideal for my stay and perfect for inviting guests. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. McCormick’s restaurant hopes to open by Ole Miss’ first football game on Sept. 26. Interestingly, the hosts of “Home Town” on HGTV, Ben and Erin Napier of Laurel, MS and alumni of Ole Miss, created a lovely stained glass panel above the door of the restaurant, and Ben is crafting the bar top. (1-888-486-7666 or 662-234-2331; TheInnAtOleMiss.com)

After a short rest, it was off to The Coop at Graduate Oxford’s rooftop restaurant and bar. The hotel overlooks the Oxford square. Notice the special artwork and clever nods to Ole Miss in the hotel. FYI: The Coop is named for Cooper Manning, who played football at Ole Miss. (400 N. Lamar Blvd.; 662. 234-3031)

The evening ended with a special dinner at Snack Bar at 721 N. Lamar Blvd. Chef Vishwesh Bhat, a recent and past year James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef South, uses his Indian roots to inspire many dishes found on this seasonal menu. At this John Currence restaurant, raw oysters and cocktails will thrill your taste buds at the cozy bar which makes you feel as if you are at an English Hunt Club. I ordered one of my favorite beverages—a French 75, perfectly prepared. Then my dinner partner and I sampled several dishes on the varied menu: a small plate of Oysters on the Half Shell; a Tomato and Gruyere Fondue with French bread; a BLT with “Big Bad Bacon,” which is house-cured Tabasco brown sugar bacon and Duke’s Mayonnaise on housemade Rosemary-Garlic Focaccia; Fried Chicken Marchand du Vin; and for dessert we shared a Gorgonzola Dolce Panna Cotta, a vanilla fig compote with honey-sesame tuile. Our server was friendly and very professional, and the food is quite good. Address: 721 N. Lamar Blvd. Phone: (662) 236-6363

The owner of this restaurant also owns another popular Oxford restaurant—Big Bad Breakfast at 719 N. Lamar Blvd. Phone: 662.236.2666

Oxford is fortunate to have many exceptional restaurants too numerous to mention. A few standouts, though, are Volta Taverna known for great patio sitting and margaritas, Saint Leo offering Oxford’s finest wood-fired Italian cooking and Saint Leo Lounge, a complementary space to Saint Leo where guests may have an appetizer and drink while waiting on a table at Saint Leo or enjoy an after-dinner drink. City Grocery on the Town Square has a fabulous grits and shrimp dish! On a past trip I had an excellent dinner at the Chancellor’s Grill tucked away within the Chancellor’s House, a luxury boutique hotel located at 425 S. Lamar Blvd.

There is much to see and do in Oxford, so bring your walking shoes! These notable attractions were not open during my visit due to COVID-19, but I have toured them on previous visits: University Museum, Blues Archives Tours, Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, L.Q.C. Lamar House, Tree House Gallery, and Burns Belfry Museum. Be sure to drive by the lovely Gertrude Ford Center for the Performing Arts with its beautiful sculpture on the grounds and take time to visit St. Peter’s Cemetery a few blocks northeast of the Square where William Faulkner is buried.

When you tire of touring, hop in your car and drive down Lamar to see the lovely homes of various architectural styles.

After a good night’s rest, I awakened to a lovely sunny day and drove to nearby Taylor, Mississippi (pop: 490), a short 15-minute drive from the campus of Ole Miss. In 2009 my sister and I enjoyed the Southern Living Idea House in Taylor. It was the first time “Southern Living” had held an Idea House in Mississippi.
What a treat this side trip to Taylor was! “Oxford and Taylor complement each other,” said Kinney Ferris, Executive Director, Visit Oxford Mississippi.

A friend and I enjoyed coffee (with frozen coffee ice cubes) and nutritious yogurt parfaits while chatting with local residents on the porch of Lost Dog Coffee. You may dine inside, on the front porch or on a patio. We spent time with the charming Leighton Wilkie McCool, owner of Lost Dog Coffee and enjoyed driving around Plein Air viewing the charming homes.

The town has a high-end restaurant—GRIT and Taylor’s Grocery, a former grocery now a popular catfish restaurant open Thursday-Sunday nights, an optometrist clinic, a psychology clinic, a chapel, a wedding venue (The Mill at Plein Air) and several artist cottages. Nearby in Taylor is a gin distillery (www.wonderbirdpirits.com).

Plein Air developer Campbell McCool anticipates adding a grocery, a wellness center, a small hotel and several more office buildings in the next 2-3 years. If all goes to plan, the Conference on the Porch, sponsored by Garden&Gun Magazine and originally scheduled for this September (cancelled due to the pandemic), will be held in Plein Air next September. (662.234-3151; www.pleinairtaylor.com)