Ole Miss beat LSU 32-24 on Saturday, September 19, at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, in a 6:30 p.m. Central kickoff on ABC, according to ESPN. ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast from the Grove from 8 a.m., Fox 8 reported. Oxford is a small college town, so a home game there takes some planning. This is how it works.
Getting to Oxford
Memphis is the nearest major city and airport, and Oxford is roughly 75 miles southeast of it. Flying into Memphis and driving is the usual route, so book a rental car early. The stadium is at 6 All American Drive, Oxford, MS 38655.
Parking and the free shuttle
Parking on campus is limited to permit holders. The university’s stadium site lists three gameday lots: FNC Park (328 Old Sardis Road), the South Oxford Campus lot (2301 S. Lamar Boulevard) and the Jackson Avenue Center (1111 Jackson Avenue). Single-game passes are sold through the official Ole Miss game day website.
The university runs a free shuttle from the Jackson Avenue Center to Paris-Yates Chapel. Service begins at least five hours before the game and ends two hours after it. Space is limited, and the university advises arriving at least two and a half hours before kickoff.
Traffic near the Grove
Ahead of the LSU game, Fox 8 reported that construction had closed parts of Grove Loop to through traffic on game days, that vehicles on University Avenue could not turn right onto Grove Loop, and that University Avenue closes about four hours before kickoff. There is a pickup and drop-off area on the north side of the Grove where waiting is not allowed. Rules like these change from game to game, so check them before you drive in.
Tickets
For the LSU game, Ole Miss said screenshots of tickets would not be accepted, and mobile tickets needed NFC “Tap and Go” technology added to the phone’s digital wallet. If you are sharing a ticket, use the official transfer feature, because simple forwarding will not work, according to Fox 8. Set this up before you leave the hotel.
The Grove
The Grove is the leafy heart of campus and the reason many visitors come. Ole Miss describes it as a hot ticket, and its own advice is to get there early. The tailgating starts before game day: the university says the festivities kick off on Friday night, when students race to claim their spots. If you are visiting for the first time, arrive with time to walk through it before kickoff.
Beyond football
Oxford is also the town of the novelist William Faulkner, and his house, Rowan Oak, is open to visitors. It is a good way to fill a slow morning before a night game. Visiting hours vary by season, so check them with the university before you plan around it.
For other college football trips, our guides to Clemson’s Memorial Stadium and Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor cover the same small-town logistics: airports, parking and how to get out afterwards.
Before you go
Check the Ole Miss athletics game day page for the current lot, shuttle and ticket rules for your game, and book lodging as early as you can, since a small town has limited rooms on a home weekend.
Photos: Matthew Nichols, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Vaught–Hemingway Stadium); Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Rowan Oak).
