It’s a good time to write about things to do on a Mississippi college football road trip.  Mississippi was rocking last Saturday with ESPN’s College GameDay broadcasting live from The Grove at Ole Miss and SEC Nation broadcasting live from The Junction at Mississippi State.

After Mississippi State upset Texas A&M, ESPN’s College GameDay will be broadcasting live from The Junction for the MSU/Auburn game.  ESPN stays in Mississippi for 2 weeks!

My previous post talked about visiting Natchez.  Our road trip continued on the Natchez Trace traveling through peaceful countryside until we veered north towards Oxford, Mississippi.  Or travel north on Highway 61 through Vicksburg to Greenville, MS.  This is Mississippi Delta territory (not the Mississippi River Delta which includes New Orleans and Baton Rouge).

The Mississippi Delta is a region in the northwest quadrant of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi River and the Yazoo River, stretching from just south of Memphis to Vicksburg.  It is an alluvial plain which means that flooding has occurred for thousands of years creating very fertile soil.

It is home to The Mississippi Blues Trail and is known for some great southern cuisine.

Watch the video below from Good Morning Mississippi to hear about Greenville’s Delta Hot Tamale Festival.  Hank Burdine is my “Mississippi Tailgating in The Grove buddy”.  Hank really is a hoot!

Watch to the end for a full appreciation of Hank and especially his singing talents!  Would love to taste that Alligator Hot Tamale.

Lucy got her hat!

For all you Tennessee fans you’ll have to visit the festival on Friday, as the Ole Miss/Tennessee game in Oxford is that Saturday, Oct 18.

Traveling to Oxford for a ballgame is an experience all college football fans should experience.  To see my previous post click here.

Spend Friday morning touring the Ole Miss campus.

 The Lyceum

The Chapel and Peddle Bell Tower

Spend Friday afternoon on the Square.  Shop Square Books for a fabulous selection of Mississippi writers and history.  Have coffee on their upstairs balcony,

overlooking the Courthouse,

 Oxford City Hall,

 the red phone booth similar to British ones in London and Oxford, England.

Stop by Oxford Floral to pick up Lillian Carson’s Wonderful Cheese Straws! These are great for your tailgate in The Grove.

Lillian makes her cheese straws the old fashioned way; by hand using her great grandmother’s recipe and her mama’s old press.  What makes her cheese straws “Wonderful”?  The key is in their thinness made possible by using her mama’s old disc in the press.

 Thank you Lillian for sharing your recipe.  Visit Lillian’s Wonderful Cheese Straws facebook page.

Friday night dining is next on the agenda.

If you are up for a fun catfish dining experience drive the 8 miles to Taylor,  MS to experience Taylor Grocery.

Taylor Gro. & Restaurant, That Catfish Place

Come early (opens at 5) and be prepared to wait.  No reservations are excepted.  People tailgate in the parking lot while waiting.

Not up for driving 8 miles?  Stay on the Square and dine at City Grocery, with owner and chef, John Currence.  I am a big shrimp and grits lover and had the most wonderful presentation at City Grocery.  When I complimented the server on the shrimp and grits she said,  “Oh, I’ll give you the recipe!”  She promptly brought out the recipe all nicely printed with “Thank you for your interest, John” at the bottom.

John Currence’s book, “Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey Recipes From My Three Favorite Food Groups (And Then Some)” has quickly become one of my favorite cookbooks.  John’s humor comes through along with his fantastic cooking style. With a title like this it has to be a best seller.

When Saturday comes around, get ready for some of the best tailgating in the country.  What makes this tailgating scene so special?  Lets hear what John Currence has to say in  “Spread Formation:  Tailgating And Home Recipes From College Football Greats!” by Loran Smith.

John opens the Mississippi chapter with “The People Make The Grove”.

I love John’s appreciation for his adopted city.  He moved to Oxford from New Orleans in 1992.  When talking about the Grove experience on a game day Saturday he describes it as; “The scene is a 14-acre seething mass of red, white and blue nylon popup tents, seersucker, chino, bourbon and coke, pimento cheese, charcoal lighter fluid and smoke, Chanel No. 5 and Axe Body Wash.”

My description from my Tailgating In The Grove experience;

We walked the Grove for hours.  I took pictures of the sea of red and blue tents, and the aisles meandering through the sea.

Several times I thought we were lost.  The tables ladened with tailgating foods were works of art.  This was no “let’s just put a red or blue plastic tablecloth on the table” decor.  I saw tablecloths with polka dots, stripes, checks and  pattern on pattern.

The centerpieces were variations on school colors and orange pumpkins.

 I saw many arrangements with cotton.

And pumpkins with Hotty Toddy and Roll Tide.

I had read in Southern Living about crystal chandeliers in trees.

I was on a mission and I found not one, but two.  A chandelier is in my “Tailgating In The Grove” painting.

I appreciate John Currence’s “I have tried to find my entry point (to The Grove) on those Saturdays for years, but I am not an alum and fear I will forever be relegated to carpetbagger status.  I can find a glass of bourbon or a cold beer from time to time, but I will never lay claim to Saturday real estate because it is not my birthright or scholastic right.  It is welcoming and it is warm.  It is convivial and it is civilized.  It is a place for those who love Ole Miss and Oxford.”

To see more of John’s comments on Ole Miss and The Grove, read “SPREAD FORMATION:  TAILGATING AND HOME RECIPES FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL GREATS!” by Loran Smith.

In celebration of the Florida/Georgia game, Loran will be signing copies of his book on the porch at The Plantation Shops on Amelia Island, Friday, October 31 from 11-2.

I will also be signing prints of my “Tailgating Through The South” series at The Plantation Shops, that same day, October 31, from 10-4.

Watch for upcoming stories from my tailgating travels.  I welcome your comments, recipes and any inside information on your favorite tailgating spots.

Come celebrate with me.  I’ll save you a seat at the table.