Oxford Trip Recap + Hotel Review

Monday, February 26, 2018



Outfit Details:
Maxi Skirt (only $20)
(^^sold out in blue, but still have every other color for half off!^^)







Outfit Details:
Graphic Tee (only $15!)
Earrings c/o
Similar shoes here and here

Last weekend, my mom and I went on a fun girls trip to Oxford, MS! We have been wanting to do kind of a "Southern Cities Tour" where we visit cute towns of the South to write about on the blog. So our first stop was the adorable town of Oxford (home of the Ole Miss Rebs!)

In this blog post, Chelle and I are covering where we ate, what we did, and which hotel we stayed at! If you follow me on Instagram, you can watch my Instagram Story Highlight named "Oxford" to see snaps and videos from our trip :)


First up... where we stayed!






Our Hotel: Graduate Oxford

Graduate Oxford was hands down one of the cutest hotels I have ever stayed at in my life! I am such a sucker for good branding and design, so this hotel was seriously floating my boat. Everything from the library style check-in desk, to the glam lobby furniture, to the vintage collegiate decor in our room; I was so obsessed! I did a little video tour of our Double Queen room on my Instagram stories - click on the one that says "Oxford" to check it out. (You have to be on your phone to view, doesn't work on computers yet!)

So aside from being in aesthetics heaven at Graduate Oxford, I was also loving the fabulous service. When we checked in, the front desk gave us maps and pamphlets on all there is to do in Oxford, which was so helpful! And when we got to our room, they had a vintage lunch box filled with goodies for us - SO sweet! Customer service is a huge deal to Chelle and I, so this is something we always pay attention to.

They also have two awesome dining options in the hotel, but I'll talk more about that in the "Where We Ate" section below!

Some other cool things to note about our hotel:

  • SUPER pet friendly (You get a complimentary BarkBox when you check in with your furry friend. Seriously regret not bringing Hazel after learning that!)
  • Complimentary bike rentals (Chelle looooved this)
  • Complimentary shuttle rides
  • Located right on the edge of The Square (the hub of the town!)
  • FREE parking (It's surprising how rare this is when Chelle and I travel)
  • 24 hour fitness center (for all you fitness junkies)
  • Comfy as heck beds (This is definitely a personal opinion, but one worth sharing!)


If you have any questions about Graduate Oxford, feel free to ask me! I don't want to write a novel about the hotel so I'm trying to keep this short, but I'm more than happy to answer any questions you may have about stay here :)


Next, let's talk about the good stuff: FOOD!







Outfit Details:
Earrings c/o
Purse is an older Rebecca Minkoff

Where To Eat in Oxford, MS

Big Bad Breakfast: Holy MOLY you guys. This was seriously the best brunch I've ever had. Everyone recommended we go to Big Bad Breakfast (it's a local fave) and I'm so glad we did. We're talking classic, fill-your-belly Southern breakfast here. I got the Breakfast Crumble (it's a special, so it's not served everyday) which is cheese grits with bacon bits and biscuit crumbles, topped with tomato gravy and two poached eggs. It gave me LIFE, I am not even kidding. For my side, I got a biscuit because they looked huge and delicious (and it tasted as good as it looked!). Chelle got the Pel-"egg"-can Brief, which is two poached eggs, country ham, and hollandaise on an English muffin (which she swapped out for a biscuit). She got potatoes and cheese grits as her sides. We probably looked like we had never eaten before because we inhaled our food. We give this place a 10/10 for sure.

Bouré: This was another place highly recommended by the locals! It's located in The Square and has a nice upscale atmosphere, so it stays busy. Definitely be prepared for a wait because they don't take reservations. To kill some time before we got a table, Chelle and I went to the upstairs bar to order some rosé. This restaurant has a fabulous New Orleans-style balcony that overlooks The Square, so we got to sip our drinks and watch the hustle and bustle of a Friday night in Oxford! After about 45 minutes we were able to get a table and chow down on some dinner. Chelle and I order two entrees so we could split both: jumbo lump crabcakes and the 8oz filet. I loved the crabcakes, but definitely glad we split it because I could only eat one. As far as the filet, I liked it, but it wasn't the best I've ever had (I'm a genuine Ruth's Chris snob, haha). For dessert we split the triple chocolate brownie with ice cream... yum!

Insomnia Cookies: Ok this isn't a "restaurant" and we definitely already have one in Baton Rouge, but we ate here while in Oxford and I just love this place! Haha. If you don't know what it is, it's a magical little business that makes warm gooey cookies (and ice cream!) and delivers until super late at night, hence the name 'Insomnia Cookies.' Theirs is located in The Square, so Chelle and I grabbed some to munch on while we shopped.

Cabin 82: This restaurant was conveniently located in our hotel lobby! It's so Southern and homey with the coolest decor.  (According to their website, the decor is inspired by the Neshoba County Fair, aka lots of color and vintage vibes.) We ate here for breakfast, but they also serve lunch. We got avocado toast AND French toast.. what can I say, I'm a toast junkie ;) Both were super good and something I would order again! A little disclaimer though: Cabin 82 also seems to be a popular study spot for Ole Miss sorority girls, so be wary that if you're there during exam time (like we were) they'll be taking up lots of tables!

The Coop: This was the rooftop bar at our hotel and we liked it so much, we went twice! The first time we went, we grabbed some drinks with my best friend Steph (she visits Oxford frequently because she is an Ole Miss alum and her boyfriend still attends Ole Miss!). We got the frosé (aka frozen rosé) and it was oh so yummy! The second time, Chelle and I went up for some afternoon wine and a meat/cheese board before our drive home. It put the perfect little ending to our Oxford stay!



Now, let's chat about some of the things we did while in Oxford!






What To Do In Oxford, MS

So, although we only had one full day in Oxford, we tried to fit in as much as possible! Here's what we were able to cram into our short but sweet trip (besides eating a lot!)

Tour Rowan Oak: Rowan Oak was William Faulkner's home for over 40 years. It's a classic, Southern home that I knew I wanted to visit while I was in Oxford... mainly for pretty pics, but ya know, also for a little history lesson, haha. It's free just to go see the property, but it's $5 to enter the home and go on the self-guided tour. It was so cool to see where he wrote some of his most famous work!

Shop & Walk around The Square: The Square is basically the main hub of Oxford. Lots of cute boutiques, home decor stores, book stores, restaurants, etc.! We picked up a few pieces of decor from Something Southern and SummerHouse. I didn't buy any clothes on this trip (besides a cute Ole Miss sweatshirt) but I loved this boutique called Cicada - definitely check that one out! For a full list of shops in The Square, click here.

Visit the Oldest Department Store in the South: Neilson's could technically be lumped into "shopping in The Square" because it's located smack in the middle of it; but we thought it should have it's own bullet point!  This store has been around since 1839, so we were just expecting a cute old store that you visit to say "Yeah, I went to the oldest store in the South!" But y'all... It actually has a fabulous selection of clothes! If I hadn't had a giant food baby while we were shopping, I would have bought half the women's section.

Visit the Ole Miss Campus: Ole Miss is obviously the anchor of Oxford, Mississippi! Although I spent 4 years at a rival SEC college, I never visited Ole Miss for a football game. So it was cool to finally see the campus in person... like The Grove (where all the tailgating takes place), the gorgeous sorority houses, and the stadium.

Drinks at The Coop: I know we already talked about The Coop in the "Where We Ate" section but grabbing drinks here is still a fun activity! The rooftop terrace has a great view of Oxford and it definitely feels like a mini hot spot. Like I mentioned earlier, get the frosé ;)

We wish we could have done so much more, but with only a day to tackle the town, we were limited with our time! Here's a link to all the fun stuff to do in Oxford if you're interested: (click here)

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Now that we can cross Oxford, MS off our list of Southern cities, we are on the lookout for our next stop! If you have any suggestions, leave us a comment below or email at KarliAWillis@gmail.com :)

Xoxo,
Karli (and Chelle!)


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