From tennis courts, golf courses and swimming pools to hiking, hunting and fishing, there’s no shortage of recreational activities and venues available to residents and visitors in Oxford and Lafayette County.
Oxford is home to two multi-screen cinemas, a new state of the art bowling alley, a skate park, numerous public parks, several batting cages, multiple fitness clubs, tennis courts, public and private swimming pool facilities and baseball, softball and soccer fields. Basketball, baseball and flag football programs are also among the dozens of activities coordinated by the Oxford Park Commission. The University of Mississippi and two local high schools host a variety of athletic programs and spectator events, as well.
The community features state-of-the-art playgrounds sprinkled throughout the area with abundant and exciting options for children of all ages. Oxford also has two inflatable family fun centers and a new splash pad, located at Pirate Adventures.
New to the recreation scene in 2015 is the FNC Tennis Center – John Leslie Courts, located at 400 Price St. FNC Tennis Center houses 20 lighted hard tennis courts and handles all tennis lessons (youth and adults), city and county high school tennis matches, USTA leagues and USTA tournaments. FNC Tennis Center is the largest public hard court tennis facility in the state of Mississippi. Also within the Tennis Center is an ADA accessible restroom facility, water fountain and pavilion.
Oxford is also home to FNC Park, which features over 75 acres of state-of-the-art soccer, baseball and softball fields to handle city, county and tournament play. FNC Park, home of Oxford-Lafayette Fields, hosts a myriad of local, regional and national sporting events. Some of the features at FNC Park include:
- Five regulation size soccer fields (240 x 360 feet). All fields are lit and have sprinkler systems.
- Ten baseball fields ranging in size from 200 to 280 feet and four 315-foot softball fields, all fully equipped with lights, sub-surface drainage, and sprinkler systems.
- Eight baseball fields have synthetic turf infields.
- Four concession buildings conveniently located for easy access.
- Trailhead pavilion providing shade and seating leads to walking trails surrounding the park and adjacent wooded area.
- Oxford Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Group Practice Facility Batting Cages.
- Ample parking for over 950 cars.
FNC Park is located on Old Sardis Road (Highway 314) and handles all Oxford Park Commission field sports such as Dizzy Dean baseball, ASA softball and youth soccer. On selected tournament weekends, MSA Soccer, USSSA softball and USSSA baseball tournaments attracts players, coaches, family and friends to Oxford/Lafayette County, creating considerable economic impact. FNC Park is also home to the Oxford Soccer Club, which is Oxford’s most championed competitive travel soccer club. For more information, visit www.fncpark.com.
Also serving Lafayette County’s sports needs is the Oxford-Lafayette Sportsplex, home to competitive youth athletes from all over North Mississippi. The OL Sportsplex state-of-the-art facilities boast five international soccer fields, synthetic turf baseball fields and the first, eco-friendly LED complex lighting in the region. OLS hosts competitive soccer, baseball, softball and peewee football tournaments. For more information, visit www.oxfordlafayettesportsplex.com.
The City of Oxford also boasts the impressive Community Pathways, which is an interconnected bicycle path for the community. Pathways creates a unified grid of bike lanes, pedestrian sidewalks and multi-use paths around the area. For a map from the city that features local points of interest, road bike routes, mountain bike trails, bike lanes and traffic information, go to the city’s website www.oxfordms.net and click on the bike and pedestrian map. In addition to this new pathway, The League of American Bicyclists has designated Oxford a “Bicycle Friendly Community” at the Bronze level.
Lafayette County affords access to two lakes and various waterways suitable for a myriad of activities, including fishing, swimming, boating, windsurfing and canoeing. Picnic and camping areas are also available, while hunting is allowed on private land.