Construction of a luxury resort chock full of amenities for recreational vehicles is moving toward a spring 2025 opening, now that all relevant approvals are in place.
The Roundabout Oxford RV and Water Resort will be built on some 85 acres on Highway 6, adjacent to County Road 105. The resort will occupy about 50 acres on the front half of the property.
The estimated $22 million project is the brainchild of former state legislator Jay Hughes, his wife Cris and Drs. Andrew and Allison Ross. Their motivation as avid campers was to open an RV park in the only Southeastern Conference town without one.
Development of the project has taken a few years to mature, as Hughes initially tried to open an RV resort in 2010. This time around, Hughes and his cohorts left no detail to chance and presented a preliminary site plan that gained unanimous approval from the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors.
“We worked very closely with the planning department staff for the county from the very beginning,” Hughes said. “All department heads were involved in sharing their concerns and comments, from fire safety, security, to storm protections. By the time we submitted to the board of supervisors, all questions or concerns had been addressed and there were no questions remaining.”
Along with the 150 RV sites, including four buddy sites, will be 20 luxury cottages. The water park will encompass 2.5 acres and will also feature a 912-foot lazy river and an adult pool and hot tub.
Some of the features will have names selected by the developers. The lazy river will be called Swayze River, a tribute to Ole Miss sports, specifically baseball. The Molly Barr Bar, named after a prominent Black business woman in Oxford whose name also adorns a road in Oxford, will be the main pool deck concession stand. The Hoka Hut will be a swim-up gathering place where beverages will be served to people in the Swayze River and the adult pool and spa. It’s named after the iconic Oxford theater that closed three decades ago.
Dotting the resort will be be five ponds, with the largest one featuring a sandy beach area with a pier. The beach will be named Yocona Bottom Beach, an ode to the Yocona River and the Yocona River Inn.
To help get around the property, golf carts will be available.
For those looking for outdoor activities, Roundabout Oxford will have a fitness center, a miniature golf course, playgrounds, basketball courts, pickleball courts, a gaga ball court, a zip line and a yoga/zen pad.
Other amenities will be a community pavilion, a community room with a catering kitchen, a dog park, community/group bonfire area, bath and laundry areas, a storm shelter and parking for food trucks.
Nothing has been spared in making the Roundabout Oxford a true luxury destination “bringing together nature, entertainment, family and fellowship,” according to the resort.
But much work has to be done between now and the projected opening early next year.
“We hope to have selected winning bids for the initial infrastructure work by the beginning of April, and move at lightening speed with the production schedule,” Hughes said. “Our goal is to be open for the first SEC baseball game in the spring of 2025.
SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
According to a presentation by Roundabout Oxford, “the design of the resort will work to complement and preserve the natural landscape of its location. We want to prioritize the conservation of existing trees and vegetation and embrace the natural contours of the land. By building with, rather than altering, the area, we minimize our footprint and environmental impact.”
Some of the eco-friendly practices that will be implemented include:
- Prioritizing the use of recycled plastic materials, including the use of several hundred recycled plastic chairs, tables and other poolside amenities.
- Installation of low voltage and LED lighting solutions throughout the premises
- An on-site glass bottle recycler, a system designed to convert discarded glass into sand. This sand will be used on the beach and sand volleyball court
- Energy-efficient appliances for food and beverage services, laundry operations, and throughout the park’s infrastructure, wherever possible.
Pricing for the RV spaces have not yet been determined but will be in line with similar RV and water resorts in the South, and will vary depending on demand.
As for public access, Roundabout Oxford will operate much like a hotel swimming pool: Amenities will first be for guests who have reserved an RV site or a cottage. But when the RV sites and cottages aren’t full local day passes will be available. The design and implementation of that program has not yet been determined.
Roundabout Oxford will no doubt be filled to capacity during gameday weekends in the fall and spring, and promoters hope to capture many of the other nearly 12 million households that own an RV traveling the country during the summer months. Campers spent $52 billion in the communities they visited in 2022, and that number continues to grow.
“There are more than 11.8 million RVs on the road today and Oxford could be a major draw for these families for a variety of reasons,” Hughes said. “We want to give them a quality place to bring their RV.”
