October 5, 2004 -- Oxford, Mississippi might not have the educational cachet, hallowed halls, prestigious countryside or conversational heavy pub life of its namesake in England, but it's no second-class citizen when it comes to taking in travelers. Mississippi's academic and cultural capital is full of old school Southern charm and hospitality. Home to Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner and top-selling legal thriller novelist John Grisholm, the quaint town has more literary pride and published writers per capita than most big-time American cities. With its romantic inns, fair climate, and reasonably-priced Southern eateries, Oxford is an inexpensive travel alternative where your hard earned dollars go a long way.
Getting to Oxford is no hassle, either. Even a pleasure if you're a big Elvis fan. Fifty-eight miles south of Memphis, Oxford is a short drive to Blues capital Clarksdale, MS where Robert Johnson strummed a few chords and allegedly met the devil at the "Crossroads." You can stop over in Tupelo, MS, now a swath of strip malls but the one and only birthplace of the King. That's not to mention a visit to Graceland, where you can pick up a Velvet Elvis poster to adorn your basement or bathroom walls.
Flights to Memphis are well-priced for fall travel. From New York, roundtrip travel on Air Tran (www.airtran.com) comes to $212.40; from Chicago, $239; from Dallas, $187; and from San Francisco, $253.90. Once in Memphis, after hitting the original B.B. King's for some down home Memphis blues and some pork shoulder at Corky's (www.corkysbbq.com), rent a car for the drive through Southern Tennessee and Northern Mississippi.
Renting a compact car with Hertz (www.hertz.com) costs $36.99 per day and since you don't need more than three days in the Oxford-Memphis area, rental car rental fees won't jack up your getaway price. Take the entire family if you want. Dollar (www.dollar.com) is offering a special rate of $33.99 per day on intermediate-sized cars through October 31, 2004. Alamo (www.alamo.com) has a weekend deal that comes to $69 bucks total for a three-day compact car rental. You need to rent before November 22, 2004. Taxes are not included on the above flights or car rentals.
Once in Oxford, the easy Southern pace should take no getting used to. Just remember to add a little time to everything you have to do as things take a tad longer down there. But that's a good thing, so leave the stress at home. Walk the grounds at Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi. Have a picnic on the Grove, the University's tailgate area where RVs line up for every home football game to cheer the heirs to Archie Manning's quarterback throne. Eat at Doe's Eat Place (1536 University Avenue; tel. 662/236-9003) for the best steak in town. Visit the Center for the Study of Southern Culture (www.olemiss.edu/depts/south) for oral and literary histories of the Civil Rights Movement and the history of Blues. Best of all, tour Rowan Oak (www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/rowanoak.html), the home of Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner.
While in Oxford, forego the big chain hotels for the quainter bed and breakfasts. The Tree House Bed and Breakfast (877/849-8738; www.thetreehousebandb.com) offers specials throughout the year. The rooms are log cabin-esque and the friendly staff can direct you anywhere in the vicinity and beyond. Rates start at $130 per night on weekends. Another option is the Oliver-Britt House Inn (662/234-8043; e-mail oliv6448@bellsouth.net). Built around 1905, the old inn is more centrally located to downtown Oxford and has more Southern Gothic charm than the rustic Tree House. The third night gets you 50% off of the normally $55 to $95 rooms.
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