At first glance, there seems to be little reason for people to vacation in Arkansas. It has no theme parks, no big cities, little impact on history and, until recently, almost no famous sons or daughters to point to. Look again! Arkansas has great beauty, and its peaceful mountain scenery forms a backdrop for some uniquely American experiences among friendly and hospitable hosts.  As to Mother Nature's gifts, the mountains are a draw for hikers and full of caves for the cautious cave viewer and the adventurous sort, as well. Acres and acres of lakes, some formed when, long ago, the Mississippi River changed course, offer the full range of water sports choices.

As to famous sons and daughters, Bill and Hillary Clinton brought the state into sharper view for most Americans. Today, the former president is honored with a presidential library, and his birthplace is the Clinton Center.  Who goes there? Arkansas is a bit of a secret — most visitors come from other states in its own geographical region.

When do they go? With temperate winters and warm summers, Arkansas is easily a year-round destination.

For action on the water, you have many options: jet skiing, parasailing, scuba diving, waterskiing, power-boating and sailing.

Hunt big game (whitetail deer and elk) with a bow and arrow or a crossbow. (You can hunt with modern guns, too.)

Prospect for quartz crystal in one of several open-to-the-public mines in the Ouachita Mountains. Better yet, compete in the World Championship Quartz Crystal Dig in Mount Ida, in October. If you don't want to dig for your own, or want something better, buy specimens in the rock shops found in the Ouachitas.

Take a backpacking/camping trip. The state has more than 200 publicly owned campgrounds offering 9,800 campsites.

Go whitewater rafting on the state's rushing rivers, or choose canoeing on quieter waters.

Take a guided wild cave tour, offered for the physically fit. To enter some wild caves in the Ozark Mountains, permits or guides are a requirement. There also are less-difficult tours, with guides, to a broad selection of colorful show caves.

Try your hand at geocaching, which involves using a global positioning satellite device to find treasure (of a sort) and testing your skills at using GPS data to locate places and objects.

Go mountain biking in the Ozark National Forest on the 50-mile Syllamo Mountain Bike Trail, located in Mountain View. This trail has been designated by the International Mountain Biking Association as an Epic Ride, which puts it on many mountain bikers' must-ride lists.

Ride on a vintage steam train at Eureka Springs; have lunch or dinner on the train.

Go trout fly-fishing on the Spring River. Indeed, if fishing is your favorite, Arkansas boasts more than 600,000 acres of lakes and almost 10,000 miles of streams. Licenses are required.

Hunt game birds and waterfowl in the marshes near Stuttgart.

Search for real diamonds (in the rough) at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. Since the first diamonds were found in 1906, more than 75,000 have been unearthed. Anything you find, you keep.

Attend unique events, such as the BeanFest and Championship Outhouse Races in Mountain View; Cardboard Boat Race World Championship (which ambitiously incorporates the World Championship Watermelon Eating Contest), Heber Springs, or the Annual World's Championship Duck Calling Contest in Stuttgart. It's your call.

Enter a bass fishing tournament. Visitors can fish for bass in lakes and rivers in every Arkansas county.

Hike any of the state's numerous trails. Examples: the Ouachita National Recreation Trail, which extends from Pinnacle Mountain State Park to Talimena State Park, and the 165-mile Ozark Highlands Trail, in the Ozark Mountains. Or, you don't have to go far from Little Rock to climb and hike at Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

See the races at the Oaklawn Thoroughbred race track in Hot Springs or, for a variation on that theme, go to the Southland Greyhound race track in West Memphis.

Make yours a houseboat holiday on one of Arkansas' lakes. Or, just float about on the flat-bottomed johnboat, party barges or rafts.

Visit Toltec Mounds Archaeological State Park to see earthworks of early Indian civilization, and learn how the scientists work.

Visit the Clinton Presidential Library and Park in Little Rock. You also can visit his birthplace home, now the Clinton Center, in a place called Hope (also the scene of an annual watermelon festival, in August) and look for other Clinton-connected sites in Fayetteville and Hot Springs.

Try the waters, believed by some to relieve some physical ailments, at one of the numerous springs found in Arkansas. Hot Springs is the best-known of the spa resort towns, but there are others, too.

Visit Sunset at Pea Ridge National Military Park, site of one of the largest Civil War battles west of the Mississippi River. For Civil War buffs, there are other sites in the state, as well.

Visit the national or state parks in the fall, and convert that trip into a fall foliage tour.

Listen to the music of your choice: blues, country, jazz or a symphony. Attend the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival, held in October in Helena. It is America's largest free outdoor blues celebration.

Go to White Oak Lake State Park near Bluff City where sightings of egrets, great blue herons, green herons, ospreys and wintering eagles have been reported. Other bird-watching sites include Lake Charles State Park and Millwood State Park.

Shop for antiques and crafts in downtown Hardy. Unchanged from the 1920s, the town center has 43 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information, consult Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism at www.arkansas.com

back to top