Natchez Trace - Mississippi Universities

Gabrielle:

Day 3 on the Trace – Oxford, Miss.
My husband woke me this morning with a kiss and informed me of our very special Valentine’s Day plans – not one but two Civil War battlefields.

We only got to one of our destinations, the Tupelo National Battlefield which consists of one acre, on the opposite corner of the car wash and a Papa Johns at a busy intersection in the town where the King (Elvis Presley) was born. Of course, we stopped at his humble cabin, but we didn’t shell out the bucks for the tour or the museum. We snapped our photos and got back on the Trace. We wanted to be in Oxford, Mississippi by nightfall.

Oxford, Mississippi: site of Ole Miss, showcase of the South, home to Archie Manning, rumored watering hole and favorite karaoke spot to son Peyton. We didn’t want to believe the hype, but this place is great. The weather was unseasonably warm today. Not only was the entire city out and about, but they were excited and energized by the sunshine.

A co-ed behind the Tourist Information Desk pointed us towards the Ajax Diner for lunch. “Everybody likes it there,” she smiled. After making a round of the town square, we decided to follow her advice.

After a long stroll through campus to walk off our weighty lunch, we found two seats on a second floor balcony overlooking a corner of the town square and waited for the Valentines’ promenade to begin. What a treat. We have to say that the women of Oxford, Miss are probably some of the most beautiful we have seen. Most of the girls looked stunning, but resigned; their dates bored in borrowed sports coats. The couples sauntered in and out of the square’s restaurants and cafes all evening. Perfect people watching.

We had time for one last treat before calling it a day. Calls home revealed that Michael has a new sibling - a white-haired poodle puppy. Welcome, Sophie! We can't wait to see you.

Day 4 on the Trace – Jackson, Miss.
A quick stop at Brice’s Crossroads Battlefield and then we were back on the Trace. We were debating whether or not to get off and have lunch in Starksville, home of Mississippi State University when I came across this statement on page 155 of the Mississippi Welcome Guide:

“Penn State University just thinks they have the best college dairy.”

What?!? Mississippi has a beef with PSU? When was the last time you were in Happy Valley and even thought about Mississippi, let alone had issue with MSU? Our jaws dropped. We were stunned.

That’s it. The gauntlet had been thrown. Starksville it is and this dairy better be good.

Once on campus, this “dairy” was no where to be found. Not on any map. Not near any obvious locations like the stadium or student union. We saw no one with ice cream cones. The closest we came to finding it was locating the “historical” dairy, which is nothing more than a burnt set of ruins. Historical indeed. We left campus and grabbed some bagels on the way out of town. No one on staff at this busy bagel joint knew anything about a creamery. Hmph. We were satisfied.

The Nittany Lions are still #1 – at least in the dairy department.