A-List Travel Diaries: Good Ole Southern Hospitality

Happy Friday, A-Listers! Who’s excited for a holiday weekend—we are! Heading into this three day break, we in the design studio, are nostalgic for some southern hospitality. Not going to lie, in this SoCal May Gray, we’re dreaming of some sweet tea, juicy BBQ, and fried chicken. Where are we wishing we could teleport to? None other than the picturesque town of Oxford, Mississippi!

Last month, our team was invited to participate at the installation of the newest chapter of Alpha Phi at the University of Mississippi (Hotty Totty!). For those of you who have never been to this powerhouse, southern university, we highly recommend a visit. Not only do you feel more spirited stepping on campus, it’s beautiful! It’s like stepping back in time into an antebellum paradise.

Since we were there during high spring time, there was never a shortage of student presence on campus; sisters were lounging on the balconies of their massive chapter houses and brothers were playing Frisbee out in the quads and campus greens. Everything was decked out in the college’s colors—Harvard Crimson and Yale Blue—even the water tower!

After a quick visit to sorority row to check out those aforementioned massive chapter houses, we drove the short distance into downtown Oxford. We don’t know about y’all (yes we’re saying that since we’re talking about Ole Miss here) but we were particularly excited for the food. The south does it right in that department!

The hub of all things yummy is located in what’s affectionately referred to as “The Square.” The historic county courthouse sits right in the middle of what’s basically a huge roundabout. There are shops, eateries, book stores, you name it, lining the circumference of the traffic circle. We pulled over and visited the Old Venice Pizza Co. located on Van Buren Street. Let’s just say…YUM! The menu isn’t just limited to pizza, which made us happy campers because we got our carb on!

Moving on from the delicious pizza and pasta heaven, we visited our dessert dreams at Insomnia Cookie. Though a staple in the mid-West and eastward, the chain hasn’t quite made it out west past Colorado, so we were curious to see what all the cookie hype was about. Yeah, we weren’t disappointed! Your own personally chosen cookie with a clump of delicious ice-creaminess on top—what’s not to love?! We’re crossing our fingers that Insomnia spreads to the west coast, but until then, we’re just going to have to come back to this one! We tried the mint chip cookie (which tasted like a warm Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie) and the classic chocolate chip with vanilla ice cream (traditional yumminess).

From food to the sites, we stayed busy busy! We moved on from our Tour De Food and visited one of Oxford’s most interesting historical landmarks—Rowan Oak. The mini, southern estate belonged to great American novelist William Faulkner, who adopted Oxford as his hometown when his family moved there during his childhood. We would suggest going early since the museum closes; we didn’t quite make it there on time (oops, was distracted by food; story of our lives) so we just roamed the grounds. Regardless, it was gorgeous! A family of four was picnicking on the grounds with a gingham blanket and a straw basket; it was like watching a cute family movie! The house is also surrounded by lush forests which surprised us, but we loved it. Coming from the OC, we don’t really have a concept of forests around towns—it was novel (pun definitely intended) and oh so cool!

At this point, we were so beat that we slept for hours on end. Who knew such a quick trip could be packed with some great adventures? We loved every minute and are kind of obsessed now with the south! Hopefully we get to go back soon!

Speaking of going back, any suggestions for round two? We would love to hear from you! If you would you like A-List to host a pop up shop or trunk show at your next chapter meeting or philanthropy, let us know! Your event might be the next featured on our Travel Diaries! Comment below, find us on Instagram or Facebook, or email us at sisters@alistgreek.com! Until next time!