An upscale RV resort and water park is in the works for Oxford, and it promises to be a fun, family-friendly destination for RV enthusiasts, community members and visitors alike.

The dream of Oxford residents and entrepreneurs Cris and Jay Hughes and Drs. Alison and Andrew Ross, Roundabout Oxford RV Resort and Water Park will be built on approximately 45 acres of land on Highway 6 right at County Road 105. It will have 150 paved spots for RVs with full connections, and be filled with amenities and activities for all ages, including the following:

• Shaded playgrounds
• Pools and waterslides
• Lazy river
• Hot tub
• Fitness center
• Walking trail
• Yoga/Zen pad
• Shuffleboard and pickleball courts
• Picnic areas
• Walking trail
• Bonfire areas
• Business center
• Dog park
• Golf cart rentals
• Bathrooms and laundry facilities

“Cris and I, as well as Alison and Andrew, have been RVing with our families for years,” said Jay. “These trips are about setting aside devices and distractions, spending quality time with your loved ones and just raw fun for the kids. We want Roundabout Oxford to be a place where people can come together to enjoy nature, entertainment and fellowship. It’s something we are all passionate about.”

Roundabout Oxford will be the first of its kind for North Mississippi and will help to fill a significant gap when it comes to RV facilities in the area.

“There are more than 11 million RVs on the road today, and Oxford could be a major draw for these families for a variety of reasons, whether it’s to visit the Square, for home football games, baseball games, graduation, Double Decker Festival, the Conference of the Book, travel sports at mTrade Park, or so much more. We want to give them a quality place to bring their RV,” said Jay.

But even for those without an RV, Roundabout Oxford will be a big draw. The resort is planned to include 20 tiny home cottages for rent that will allow them to enjoy all the resort amenities usually limited to RV guests.

“It is not about how many RV units we can put in. At the heart of it, we want to bring something for families and kids to do in Oxford,” said Andrew.

Currently, Lafayette County regulations allow for 20 RV spots per acre or 100 per five acres. Roundabout Oxford is planning a ratio of only five RV spots per acre because they want to prioritize quiet space and fellowship.

The resort is also working to be environmentally-friendly and low impact. For example, the design of the resort will aim to work with the natural topography of the land. In addition, the resort will have a glass recycling machine that will allow them to crush glass bottles into grains of sand. That sand will be used for resort features such as a beach and volleyball court.

“We want Roundabout Oxford to contribute to the community wherever possible,” said Jay. “This glass recycling machine helps to solve one of the biggest recycling problems in the community.”

Roundabout Oxford is still in the early phases of design, but according to Jay they plan to open by early 2025 at the latest.

As the project progresses, Jay and his fellow founders will provide opportunities for community members to provide input and ask questions about the project. On Tuesday evening, for example, they hosted a listening session with a group of community leaders and stakeholders as a way to introduce the project and gather input.

“We want to know what matters to y’all,” Jay told meeting attendees. “We want to hear what matters to your family, to your friends.”

The audience included both RV owners and nonowners, and most expressed excitement for what Roundabout Oxford will bring to the community.

“I think it’s a great idea from an economic development perspective,” Allen Kerr, vice president of the Oxford-Lafayette Economic Development Foundation, said during the event on Tuesday. “It brings jobs, it brings opportunities, it brings tourists, which we are always open to. It’s also an amenity, and I think it’s really going to fit this state, fit Oxford, fit Lafayette County. And I’m just so excited and waiting for them to get to work.”

“There is so much opportunity for what this resort could bring to the area,” added Andrew. “But ultimately, our goal is that when you leave Roundabout Oxford, you are thinking about when you can come back.”

If you are interested in learning more about Roundabout Oxford or following the project’s progress, visit RoundaboutOxford.com or follow Roundabout Oxford on Facebook.