Arkansas: What to Do and Where to Do It

Arkansas is ranked 27th in size among the states.

Arkansas produces a wide variety of minerals, including petroleum, natural gas, and is ranked first in the world in production of bromine, and produces 80% of the world's production of bauxite, along with diamonds and crystals.

Arkansas has 6 national parks, 13 lakes, and 9,000 miles of streams and rivers.

Hernando De Soto was the first European to visit the land that would become Arkansas. The land was already settled by Native Americans.

Arkansas means "south wind."

Ouachita or Caddo River Float Trip:
For the beginner or a family outing, the float on the Ouachita River is a wonderful experience. The river's long, lazy pools make the river especially inviting for families wishing to pause for a swim and/or picnic along the way. The long float begins on the Caddo River at and joins the Ouachita River 2 miles later. It then continues on for 6 more miles and ends at the Ouachita River bridge park take-out point in Arkadelphia. The long float is an 8 mile float which takes between 4 to 5 hours. What a great way to spend the day!

Crowley's Ridge National Scenic Byway:
Traveling Crowley's Ridge from the Arkansas Delta, one unique ridge rises and runs for miles. Named for the first settler in the area, Crowley's Ridge is a byway that exhibits history and nature. Spring and fall find the most dramatic expression in the foliage. Crowley's Ridge is believed to be a geological formation caused by water, ice, and wind action over a 50-million-year period. The only similar land form is found in Siberia. Now, the Ridge is a forested area with plenty of places to explore. The ridge is home to five state parks, a national forest, world-class waterfowl hunting, and excellent fishing. With all of these recreational opportunities at your fingertips, you are sure to have a good time.

Eureka Springs Historic District:
"America's Victorian Village" was named one of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Nestled in the Ozark Mountains, Eureka Springs first drew visitors because of its natural springs with purported healing powers. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the city became a popular spa resort, and today its entire downtown district is on the National Register of Historic Places. While baths and spa treatments are still available, the city is now nationally renowned for its art and well-preserved Victorian era architecture. Eureka Springs is packed with attractions such as gardens, tour caves, an exotic wildlife ranch and The Great Passion Play, which depicts the last week of Christ's life on earth and is the nation's most attended outdoor drama.

Riddle's Elephant Sanctuary:
Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary, located near Greenbrier, was established by Scott and Heidi Riddle in 1990 on 330 acres in the Ozark Mountain foothills in Arkansas as a non-profit home for elephants needing one for any reason. This is the only internationally recognized sanctuary that accepts any elephant regardless of species, gender, or disposition. This Arkansas elephant sanctuary currently houses Asian elephants and African elephants, and both males and females. Elephant care and elephant management are taught at this elephant haven in the peaceful Arkansas countryside.

Buffalo National River:
The Buffalo River flows roughly 150 miles and includes nearly 95,000 acres of public land along its corridor. It has been the topic of a full-length book, the subject of a National Geographic feature article, and the cornerstone for the state's environmental movement. The stream descends nearly 2,000 feet through layers of sandstone, limestone, and chert. One immediately obvious result is its many bluffs -- the highest in all the Ozark Mountains. While spring and early summer are the prime floating times, the lower section of the Buffalo can be floated year-round.

Old Washington Historic State Park
Washington, Ark. was founded in 1824 on the Southwest Trail just 15 miles from the Red River, which then separated American lands from the Mexican territory known as Texas. Because of its border proximity, Washington played a role in Texas' 1835-36 war for independence. Evidence suggests that Sam Houston and others discussed plans for the revolt while Houston resided in one of the town's taverns in 1834. The town also served as Arkansas's Confederate capital after Union forces captured Little Rock in 1863. Old Washington Historic State Park preserves and showcases the town's architecture, history and pioneer culture. Park visitors can get a sense of 19th-century life in Arkansas by visiting such attractions as the 1836 courthouse that served as the Confederate capitol; the Edwards Weapons Museum, where more than 1,500 items include numerous pioneer-era rifles and pistols; a print museum featuring 19th-century printing equipment; a re-creation of a period blacksmith shop; and the Pioneer Cemetery.

Mammoth Spring State Park:
One of the great natural wonders of mid-America, Mammoth Spring flows at an average hourly rate of some nine million gallons of 58-degree water. The flow creates a 10-acre lake and then becomes Spring River, a popular year-round canoe and fishing stream. The park, located at the big spring, includes a restored 1886 Frisco Depot with engaging exhibits and a "crew" of workmen and waiting passengers from the early 1900s.

Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View:
This small town is the home of the only park in America devoted to the preservation of Southern mountain folkways and music. The Ozark Folk Center State Park is a "living museum" of traditional pioneer skills, such as furniture making, quilting, blacksmithing, tintype photography, woodcarving and 15 other craft demonstrations. The town of Mountain View has a variety of music shows, shopping, restaurants, plus impromptu folk music gatherings on the downtown square and yearly festivals. Mountain life comes alive in the demonstrations of pioneer crafts, skills and live folk music.

Parkin Archeological State Park
Parkin Archeological State Park in eastern Arkansas at Parkin preserves and interprets the Parkin site on the St. Francis River where a 17-acre Mississippi Period Native America village was located from A.D. 1000 to 1550. A large platform mound on the river bank remains. The site is important for understanding the history and prehistory of northeast Arkansas. Along with including an archeological research laboratory, the park visitor center includes an interpretive exhibit area, auditorium and gift shop. When archeological excavations are underway, visitors on guided tours can observe them.

Pea Ridge National Military Museum:
Site of the biggest Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi. Museum, trails, bookstore and driving tour.

Delta Rivers Nature Center in Pine Bluff:
Designed to resemble an old-fashioned Delta hunting lodge, the center's exhibits reveal the history and importance of Arkansas's delta streams and wetlands. Live and preserved wildlife displays include a 20,000-gallon aquarium. The center also offers trails for wildlife observation and a gift shop.

Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources:
Near El Dorado on Jan. 10, 1921, a geyser of "black gold" spewed far over the 112-foot derrick of Arkansas's first productive oil well. The town's population quickly skyrocketed, creating the need for a new courthouse, more business space and larger churches. The prosperity would subsequently spread through 10 south Arkansas counties as more oil and natural gas was discovered. At the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources at Smackover, the history of the state's "oil boom" is told through films, historic photographs, geological and other exhibits, oil-era memorabilia and an Oil Field Park, which displays derricks and pumping equipment.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History:
Dedicated to the study, interpretation and preservation of the rich history of the Arkansas Ozark Mountains, the museum offers lectures, films, classes, tours and frequently changing exhibits. It contains a significant research library and a collection that includes tens of thousands of artifacts and 150,000 photographs illustrating Ozark life.

Arkansas and Missouri Railroad:
Travel over the Boston Mountains aboard beautifully restored turn-of-the-century cars, passing over three high trestles and through the 1882 Winslow tunnel. Enjoy a 134-mile round trip with a layover in historic Van Buren for shopping and lunch or a 70-mile excursion from Van Buren to Winslow.

Aerospace Education Center/Imax in Little Rock:
Since opening in June of 1995, The Aerospace Education Center has been dedicated to becoming an invaluable resource for Arkansas' teachers and students. Through Its changing exhibits, educational workshops and summer programs, it has continued to expose students to a diverse field of scientific inquiry related to aviation and the space sciences. The Aerospace Education Center is home to the IMAX Theatre, a digital state of the art EpiSphere Dome, and host to the aviation and aerospace exhibits, including an original Sopwith Camel and a replica of the Wright Flyer. The IMAX Theater offers a wide variety of science related films.

Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum on the Ark River:
The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum is home to the USS Razorback, the longest-serving submarine in the world. Launched in 1944 from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, the USS Razorback entered Tokyo Harbor in 1945 with 11 other submarines to take part in the formal surrender of Japan. After being awarded five battle stars in the Pacific Theater during World War II and four stars during the Vietnam War, the USS Razorback was sold to the Turkish Navy in 1970 and recommissioned as the TCG Muratreis, conducting missions in the Black Sea and along the Marmara Sea coast until 2001. The submarine was sold to the City of North Little Rock in 2004 and then transferred across the Atlantic Ocean to its final home in Arkansas.

More than just a military museum, it also offers a research library, a theater, and a large museum area. With several guided tours, AIMM focus is to commemorate America's rich naval and maritime heritage through the preservation and exhibition of historic naval vessels with an emphasis on the era of World War II through the present.

Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in Alltel Arena:
Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame is a Museum of recollections of more

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