Brynn Bates
Residents and visitors of Oxford will soon have a new attraction to help them beat the heat. Roundabout Oxford RV & Water Resort is set to open in spring 2025.
Located in Lafayette County off of Highway 6, three miles west of the Oxford city limits, the park will span 85 acres with 150 spots for recreational vehicles and 20 luxury cottages. The main attractions of the $22 million resort are a 912-foot lazy river, a miniature golf course, a zip line, golf carts, a fitness center, a sandy beach area and more.
“Oxford is a small town, and there is not much to do, so I feel like it would be fun to go with a group of friends to get out and do something different,” Rae Duplechian, a freshman integrated marketing communications major, said.
According to Roundabout’s press kit, the co-founders, Dr. Alison Ross, Dr. Andrew Ross, Cris Hughes and Jay Hughes, are four friends who came up with the idea for this resort due to their love of RVs and the demand for a quality park in North Mississippi. The closest major water park is almost three hours south of Oxford in Philadelphia, Miss.
The construction was approved on Monday, March 4 by the Lafayette Board of Supervisors. When the announcement was made on Roundabout’s Facebook page, Oxford residents were upset that the water park was not going to sell day passes to the public.
The company has made it clear that the water park is primarily for guests staying at the park, similar to a resort or luxury hotel. Some members of the Oxford-University community sympathized with Roundabout’s decision.
“Rules are no different than any other nice resort with pools, except most of those don’t allow day passes when they are underbooked,” Natalie Morgan-Underwood, a UM graduate, said on Roundabout’s Facebook post. “And this allows people the luxury of cottages or their own personal space in their RV they’ve invested in!”
Roundabout stated that when the park has vacant spaces during less busy periods, they will offer day passes for students and locals to come enjoy a day in the sun.
“It’s always fun to try new places in Oxford, so honestly I would love to buy a day pass,” Carson Wadsworth, a freshman engineering major, said.
So, what will this new resort cost for a weekend getaway? While no official numbers have been released, Roundabout explained that RV resorts are often cheaper than normal hotels, and their location will be no different.
“Expect higher rates during popular seasons, just like other RV resorts,” the company said.
Roundabout hopes to officially welcome guests in spring 2025.
“There are more than 11 million RV’s on the road today, and Oxford could be a major draw for these families for a variety of reasons,” Jay Hughes said in the press kit. “We want to give them a quality place to bring their RV.”
