Main Street Water Valley. And my teeny-tiny parents. :)

Located 20 miles from Oxford, Mississippi, in nearby Yalobusha County, Water Valley (pop. 3325) got its start in the 1800’s as a railroad stop for the Illinois Central Railroad. In 1931, Water Valley hosted its very first Watermelon Carnival, which is still the biggest community event each year. By 1982, the railroad was abandoned and the depot was transformed into the Casey Jones Railroad Museum. In the last decade, Water Valley has been home to one the first craft breweries in the state, Fat Possum Records, Violet Valley Bookstore (to date Mississippi’s only queer feminist bookstore), and Base Camp Coding, a free, non-profit software development academy for Mississippi high-school seniors.

What is it about Water Valley that has attracted such new, creative industry? I wanted to know more, and as luck would have it, I was fortunate enough to meet Beth Mayeaux and Robbie Fisher, relatively new Water Valley residents themselves, via social media. Beth and Robbie invited me to their home (pre-COVID), where I was equally fortunate to meet Dixie Scovel, a retired writer and editor who had moved to the area from New York a few years back. Spending time with all these wonderful women was glorious, and has inspired a new series of paintings about this community.

I wholeheartedly encourage you to spend a little time in this community. Here’s a list to get you started.

Where to Dine

The B.T.C. Grocery – A restaurant whose shorthand stands for Be the Change, has been serving the community since 2010. Killer food, open minds, no pretension. According to their website and awesome cookbook that I happily own (which they say is the only cookbook you can find at both Cracker Barrel and Anthropologie):

“The B.T.C. was the daydream of Alexe van Beuren, a Viriginian transplant to the small town of Water Valley, Mississippi. Inspired by the possibilities of the historic brick building her husband, Kagan Coughlin, had bought and single-handedly rescued, Alexe decided to combine her love of food, story, and place into a store like no other. A place where women in church hats and men off of trucks would mingle and where there’s a playhouse just for children. She’s been happily selling vegetables, honey, every local product she can get her hands on, and imported treats like fresh wild-caught fish, Italian and French cheeses, good coffee, and sourdough bread since May 1st, 2010.”

The Trusty Diner
The Crawdad Hole
Hometown Pizza Cafe of Water Valley
Nallie’s Take-Out Egg Rolls & More
El Charrito
Bounds BBQ

Inside the B.T.C, Water Valley, Mississippi.

Where to Visit

Violet Valley Bookstore is the only queer, feminist, transinclusive bookstore in the state. Its mission is to “make feminist, queer, and multicultural books available to the Water Valley community, the state of Mississippi and the South. The bookstore provides a series of readings and other programs to support diverse voices in Mississippi. It features new and used books so that everyone, no matter their income bracket, can afford to have books.” Breaking tired rural and Southern stereotypes everyday.
The Casey Jones Railroad Museum
The Magnolia Square Farmer’s Market
Sites on the Mississippi Blues Trail
Public murals along Main Street
Turnage Drug Store

The Church of the Nativity, Water Valley, Mississippi.

What to Do

Attend the annual Watermelon Carnival during first weekend in August
Attend the annual Christmas Parade
Hike or ride horses on the Spyglass Hill Trail at nearby Enid Lake
Stroll down Main Steet
Spend the day at the Water Valley Landing Recreation Area
Square Books in nearby Oxford: Mississippi is home to several amazing independent bookstores.
Visit local art galleries in Water valley, Oxford, and tiny Taylor, a hamlet of Oxford