<p>I went down to ole miss in march for the junior preview day and got to know the campus, which was enough to make me want to apply. But I had to get back home before I had a chance to walk around Oxford and see what it was like. What kind of shops, resturants, entertainment..ect is there?
Any info will help! Thanks :)</p>
<p>In one direction you have the Square, the quaint downtown area. That’s where the college-oriented shops, restaurants, bars, and bookstores are, plus a lot of condos that students live in, some of them really nice. It’s a pretty, old-fashioned town square, the kind of place where you’d actually hang out or just walk around. You can spend a weekend afternoon just reading, having coffee or ice cream, a sandwich, picking up a souvenir or decorations or clothes or whatever. This is the part of Oxford with “character”.</p>
<p>In the other direction you have what might be called “the strip,” which is more like the typical shopping and eating area that any town has. It actually has lots of good stuff, mostly stuff you’d find anywhere, but also a few things unique to Oxford. Restaurants include good Chinese-and-sushi buffet, Japanese, Chili’s, an Asian stir-fry place, a little Indian place, Thai, Mexican, plus all the usual fast food and numerous others. For shopping there’s Wal-Mart, a couple of department stores, blah blah blah. There’s also a smattering of local places with frozen custard, barbecue, Ole Miss knick-knacks, a multi-screen cinema, and so on.</p>
<p>I would say that Oxford is a nice college town, not a great college town. It’s pleasant and has everything you need, but does not provide four years of endless entertainment like the great college towns like Ann Arbor, Madison, or Berkeley, and of course it’s not even comparable to a big city. For a big-time night out, you would probably go the 80 miles to Memphis. My son grew up in Chicago and finds Oxford tolerably pleasant but not at all exciting; someone who grew up in a small city or town would probably feel at home.</p>
<p>The campus has good entertainment. There are several good free concerts in the Grove every year; I remember The Goo Goo Dolls and Blues Traveler recently, but there were others. There’s a classical, jazz, or choir performance somewhere on campus at least two or three days a week, and there are a dozen or so plays and musicals at the new Ford Center each year.</p>
<p>I hope this helps. Hopefully someone will chime in with stuff I haven’t thought of.</p>
<p>I think mantori covered it pretty well. DDs have been impressed with the music scene in Oxford. They love the beautiful square and Jackson Street (the strip area) fulfills all other needs.</p>
<p>DDs have taken a few trips to Memphis and New Orleans for those big nights out…but fewer than I would have bet on.</p>
<p>OP, if I would try to describe Oxford from a St. Louis point of view, I would say the square is downtown Kirkwood/St. Charles on steriods. Older and prettier though. Jackson Avenue is similar to Manchester Rd. Lots of state parks/parks close by too.</p>
<p>No mall in Oxford. Kids seem to rely on the expensive boutiques, on line purchases or a trip to Memphis in a pinch. Mine try to stock up on mall things during breaks if they can.</p>
<p>I have yet to hear the “I’m bored” comment.</p>