Ole Miss Football Weekend: Oxford and Memphis Travel Itinerary

With family roots in Mississippi, we visit Oxford, by way of Memphis, on an (almost) annual basis to attend an Ole Miss football game. If you follow SEC football, you know that there is no better tailgate in the South than “the Grove,” the main lawn within the University of Mississippi campus. The Grove attracts thousands of students, alumni, and visitors to party in pop-up tents with catered tables, TVs, and lavish decor. As they say, “we may lose the game, but we never lose the party.”

Beyond the Grove and its crowds, though, Oxford is a destination on its own with mom-and-pop shops and award-winning restaurants. Typically when we visit we fly in through the Memphis airport and spend time in Tennessee before or after the 90-minute drive to Oxford. The itinerary below is based on our most recent trip in October 2023, though also informed by years of travel to one of our favorite places to visit.  

The Practical Takeaways

• Oxford has been touted as “the cultural mecca of the South.” It’s not all football, though that does dominate the Fall season. If you haven’t considered going to Mississippi, Oxford will surprise you.
• Memphis is the soul of American Music. Don’t just visit Graceland, learn about the roots of Rock and Roll too.  

Oxford

Accommodations

If you are going for a football game and plan on staying in Oxford, you need to plan and book accommodations several months out and be prepared to pay a lot more than you would ever expect spending in Mississippi. (If you are not going for a game weekend, you have multiple options at a reasonable price). There are many hotels and home rentals on VRBO and AirBnB. For this most recent trip, there were eight family members staying together in a rented house in Oxford for two nights. We also hosted a backyard family reunion for over twenty people. This airy, one-story home was perfect for these needs and in a great location. 

In previous trips to attend games we have stayed in standard chain hotels within a 30-60 minute drive of Oxford, including Grenada, Batesville, and Tupelo. For a nicer experience, but longer drive, check out the Alluvian in Greenwood where you can also take culinary classes at the Viking Cooking School.

Food
The recommendations below, in and around Oxford, are just scratching the surface of our favorite Mississippi eats. You may want to prepare for a detox diet upon departure. 

• Ajax: For our family, a trip to Oxford is not complete without ordering the “veggie plate” at Ajax, though good luck finding anything green on the plate. Enjoy it with a sweet tea. 

• BTC: This local grocery store in Water Valley, about 30 minutes from Oxford, has great sandwiches and treats. Also, their cookbook is a favorite of mine for comfort and party foods.

• Taylor Grocery: If you’re looking for Mississippi catfish, this is the place.  
• Big Bad Breakfast: Like Ajax, our trips to Oxford always include a visit to BBB. Come hungry and ready to ignore your doctor’s orders. I recommend the grits and all their buttery goodness. 

• City Grocery: You may need a week to try all the John Currence restaurants in Oxford, but City Grocery is the catalyst for Oxford becoming a dining destination.
• Chicken on a Stick: Typically I wouldn’t recommend chicken at a gas station, but if you’re in Oxford, this is a thing you do. 
• Como Steakhouse: Located between Memphis and Oxford in the small town of Como, Mississippi, this has become a must on our drive between the two cities. Begin with the fried pickles, and from there it’s steak, potatoes and Texas toast to get you started on your southern eating before even hitting Oxford. 

Activities

Visits to Oxford revolve around two places: the Grove and the Square. 

The Grove: If you’re there for a football weekend, you’ll plan your day around when the football game is scheduled (which won’t be announced until the week before), and you will need plenty of time to experience the Grove and its scene. An Ole Miss game is more than football. First of all, be sure to dress appropriately – your ticket seat may dictate if you should wear red or blue. You will see students dressed in suits and ties, high heels and short skirts (regardless of the weather). This is a fashionable crowd and cultural experience. Within the first five minutes of the game, you will quickly learn how to respond to the question “Are you ready?” 

I’ve had a difficult time putting into words what an Ole Miss game is like, so I asked my kids and husband – the responses included “amazing,” “the coolest drone show,” and “worshiping at the altar of college football.” That may just sum it up. I will add, if being smushed in crowds, particularly in cold weather, is not your thing, then you may take advantage of how quiet the Square is during game time.

The Square: A variety of clothes stores, art galleries, and the oldest department store in the South, Neilson’s, surround the Square. My favorite clothes in my closet come from shops around the Square and I always need to make sure I have plenty of space in my suitcase for purchases. 

You cannot go to the Square without visiting Square Books, arguably, one of the best bookstores in the country. Even if you don’t get a chance to visit Mississippi, I encourage you to follow Square Books for their reading recommendations and author talks. To really understand this epicenter of southern literature, I encourage you to read about the store in this 2022 New Yorker article. 

Also, if you are interested in southern literature, you can visit William Faulkner’s home, Rowan Oak. I have not been in many years, so I can’t give a review. However, for many reasons, Faulker’s words, “the past is not dead, it’s not even past” echo in my head when we visit Mississippi. 

Memphis

Accommodations

We have visited Memphis many times. Our accommodations have never been more memorable than our most recent adventure of staying at the Big Cypress Lodge, inside the Bass Pro Shop, in the iconic Memphis Pyramid (previously home to the NBA Grizzlies). This was a stay that I would recommend…but can only recommend doing once as it’s a weird and strange experience that doesn’t need to be repeated. 

The hotel is built within the store and our room had a balcony overlooking the great outdoors…and when I say the “great outdoors” I mean a swamp, stocked with fish, surrounded by fake cypress trees that are INSIDE a Bass Pro Shop. You wake up in the morning, open your blinds, step on out, and look into the rows of outdoor apparel, ATV’s, fishing gear, and cashier stands. The whole situation was so strange that we even ordered room service and ate breakfast on the balcony, because…why not?

For dinner, we took the tallest-free standing elevator in the country, located in the center of the store, to the Lookout restaurant. There really is not anything I can recommend about this restaurant (which closes at the odd time of 7pm), except that it’s part of the bizarre experience of staying at the Big Cypress Lodge – as is going to bed under a mounted deer head.

The Lodge/Pyramid/Bass Pro Shop is a five minute drive from downtown Memphis, though it feels a world away. Alternatively, try the Hilton Garden Inn near Beale Street, or go all out and stay at the famous Peabody Hotel, both of which are walking distance of attractions and nightlife.

Food

Sadly, for this most recent trip we only ate at the Big Cypress Lodge so I don’t have up to date recommendations. In years past, we have eaten at the famous Rendezvous (go for the ribs!), Huey’s, Beauty Shop, and  B.B. King’s. Also, the Arcade Restaurant is worth a visit for some classic southern dishes and convenient if you are going to the Civil Rights Museum.

Activities

As Paul Simon sang, “We’re all going to Graceland.” But after Graceland, there are some other places we would recommend, starting with the other music destinations:

• Sun Studios: This is where Elvis first recorded, as did B.B. King, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The 40-minute guided tour feels much more intimate than a trip to Graceland. Be there early to ensure a spot.
• Stax Museum: Outside of downtown, in South Memphis, the Stax Museum is the story of Soulsville – Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, Sam and Dave, and the Staple Sisters (to name a few). The Stax Museum celebrates the culture and history at the site where the Stax recording studio once stood.
• National Civil Rights Museum: Located at the former Lorraine Motel, where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, the National Civil Rights Museum explores the struggles, inspirational moments, and lessons in the movement to shape equality.    
• Memphis Botanic Garden: During our most recent trip to Memphis we visited the Botanic Garden for the first time and were thoroughly delighted by it. Our seven and ten year old had a tea party in Alice’s Wonderland Garden and chased each other through a lifesize playhouse. We also spent time in the Japanese Garden and found a lawn to toss around an (Ole Miss) football. I highly recommend a stop here, with or without kids in tow.

• The Peabody Ducks: Every day at 11am and 5pm the famous Peabody Ducks march between the hotel’s fountain and the elevator. Even if you don’t get there early enough to grab a coveted red carpet spot, you can enjoy a cocktail in the lobby and listen to the spectacle of the Duck March. 

A few extra tips

• If you are going to an Ole Miss football game, have a plan for getting to the Grove and stadium. The parking lots are simply too far and complicated to consider. Instead, take an Uber, walk, or a shuttle bus.
• Beyond Memphis, if you’re interested in continuing a cultural and musicial journey, consider visiting Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo and the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. (Or for a different music oriented road trip, check out my post on Highway 81 in Virginia with ideas on where to find Bluegrass).
• Don’t bother being on a diet while you’re here – it can wait.
• If you didn’t find all the Ole Miss gear you were hoping for at the Square, head to Rebel Rags. They literally have anything you can imagine Ole Miss.