101 Free Things to Do in Arkansas
Some of the best things in life are free and they’re
in Arkansas. The Natural State has unique events and locations
that can be enjoyed for nothing but the time it takes to get
there.
Here are a few ideas - 101 in fact -
that don’t cost a dime. For example, the blues are free, as are
fish, wine tastings, flowers, dazzling lights, unique architecture
and history lessons. All of these ideas titillate the senses. Some
make for leisurely drives, and others for nice walking tours where
window shopping doesn’t require breaking into the kitty. Some
provide educational opportunities for children, or a good place to
let them rid themselves of excess energy. All of these ideas cure
a bout of boredom or fulfill the desire to experience something
different from a usual day without touching your purse strings or
money clips.
- At the largest free outdoor blues fest in the nation, the
King Biscuit Blues Festival, Delta blues legends and national
acts perform in the land where the music was born. The event
is held each October in Helena.
- In the Ozarks, the Buffalo National River with its towering
limestone bluffs is America’s first national river. Hiking
trails traverse historic farmsteads, quiet stream valleys,
waterfalls and wooded mountainsides, and offer bluff-top
vistas. (870) 439-2502;
- Free folk musicals and dancing on the Stone County
Courthouse Square in Mountain View have been a local tradition
since 1963. Professionals and amateurs join together in
impromptu band performances every Friday and Saturday night
during warmer months. 1-888-679-2859;
- Scenic drives, walking paths and historic Bathhouse Row make
up the unique Hot Springs National Park set in the city of Hot
Springs amid the Ouachita National Forest. 1-800-SPA-CITY;
- Numerous cities showcase festive spirits with thousands of
holiday lights from Thanksgiving weekend through New Year’s
Day in the Trail of Holiday Lights tour. www.arkansas.com/trail_of_lights/default.asp
- An authentic reproduction of a water-powered grist mill, The
Old Mill in North Little Rock appears in the opening scene of
the classic movie, "Gone with the Wind." Tour guides
available by appointment. (501) 758-1424;
- Norfork National Fish Hatchery, located at the base of
Norfork Dam east of Mountain Home, offers tours of facilities
that produce millions of trout for Ozark streams. Children may
try their luck at landing a trout from the waters of nearby
Dry Run Creek. (870) 499-5255;
- Step into the magic of Terra Studios just outside of
Fayetteville to find creatures from another world and to watch
Bluebirds of Happiness being made. 1-800-255-8995;
- Waterfalls, lakes, mountainsides and meadows at Petit Jean
State Park in Morrilton inspired the creation of the Arkansas
State Parks system. (501) 727-5441;
- The last public ferryboat operating in the state, Peel Ferry
transports vehicles and passengers across a section of Bull
Shoals Lake. (870) 743-2100.
- The new $4.5 million Delta Rivers Nature Center in Pine
Bluff, located on 130 acres of woodland "bottoms,"
features a 20,000-gallon ox-bow lake aquarium; exhibits of
live snakes, turtles and alligators; films; wetlands exhibits;
and a half-mile, paved hiking and wildlife observation trail
accessible to persons with disabilities. (870) 534-0011;
- Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs was named among the top
four buildings of the 20th century by the American Institute
of Architects. The chapel uses 425 large panels of glass to
showcase the natural beauty of the Ozarks. Designed by noted
Arkansas architect E. Fay Jones, the non-denominational chapel
is open from March through December. (479) 253-7401;
- In Fayetteville, the National Cemetery was established in
1867 to lay to rest the remains of Union soldiers killed in
the region. The Confederate Cemetery is located just a few
blocks away. (479) 521-1710;
- The "Lum ‘N’ Abner" radio program is
remembered at the Lum & Abner Jot ‘Em Down Store and
Museum in Pine Ridge, where pieces of Lum ‘N’ Abner
history preserve an important era in American life. The museum
is open March through November. Call in advance for tours.
(870) 326-4442;
- Stroll through Eureka Springs, an Ozark Mountain town known
for its beautiful Victorian architecture, winding mountainside
streets and block after block of one-of-a-kind shops, fine art
galleries, and restaurants. (479) 253-8737;
- From noon on June 7 through midnight June 9 residents and
nonresidents of Arkansas may fish free without fishing
licenses or trout permits. A complete guide to Arkansas
fishing can be obtained by calling 866-566-5727.
- The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center in
Piggott includes the home and barn studio where Ernest
Hemingway lived and wrote portions of "A Farewell to
Arms." Tours conducted weekdays and Saturdays. (870)
598-3487;
- The beautiful Arkansas River valley is the setting for
Arkansas Wine Country, where four wineries on Ark. 186 S.
offer tours and wine tastings. Mount Bethel, (479) 468-2444;
Post Familie Winery, (479) 468-2741; Wiederkehr Wine Cellars,
(479) 468-WINE; Chateau Aux Arc, (479) 970-3868. And at Cowie
Wine Cellars visit the Arkansas Historic Wine Museum in Paris.
(501) 963-3990;
- Drive the Boston Mountain Scenic Loop, the only scenic loop
in the state. From Fayetteville, take curve-hugging U.S. Hwy.
71 over Mt. Gayler past small gift shops and mountaintop
lodging to Alma. From Alma, take Interstate 540 through the
rolling hills of a pastoral countryside and a tunnel through a
mountain back to Fayetteville.
- The year 2003 will mark the bicentennial of the Louisiana
Purchase, which added the territory that would become Arkansas
to the U.S. The main feature of the Louisiana Purchase
Historic State Park, located near Brinkley, is a 950-foot
boardwalk into a rare headwater swamp, where sits a marker
denoting the initial point for the 1815 survey of purchase
lands west of the Mississippi. 1-888-AT-PARKS;
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Lake
Leatherwood Park in Eureka Springs is a 1,600-acre municipal
park with a 100-acre spring fed lake. Located off Ark. 62 at
the western edge of town, it is a place of natural serenity.
(479) 253-8624;
- Built in 1896, the Pillow-Thompson House in Helena is one of
the finest examples of Queen Anne architecture in the South.
(870) 338-8535;
- At Devil’s Den State Park hiking and backpacking trails
lead to backcountry areas where you can explore caves,
crevices and bluff overlooks. (479) 761-3325;
- Exhibits at the Arkansas State University Museum in
Jonesboro include Native American history, a walk-through
pioneer "town," military items, natural history
displays, a priceless glass collection, geology, mastodon and
other prehistoric fossils, plus traveling exhibits. (870)
972-2074;
- Cradled by the bluffs of the War Eagle River in the heart of
the Ozark Mountains, Withrow Springs State Park near
Huntsville is a peaceful setting for exploring nature. (479)
559-2593;
- At the Delta Cultural Center in Helena a restored depot and
storefront features gospel and blues music heritage, Civil War
history and the settlement of the Delta. 1-800-358-0972;
- Ride the Fayetteville Trolley through the city’s beautiful
square gardens and entertainment district. Stop to shop and
dine, then jump back on the trolley for a ride to your car or
downtown hotel. (479) 521-1710;
- Learn about Arkansas’s oil and brine industries and the
1920s oil boom at the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources in
Smackover. The museum’s Oil Field Park has genuine derricks
and oilfield equipment. (870) 725-2877;
- The Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area extends for 11
miles along the Cossatot River. The wild and scenic river
forms Cossatot Falls, a rugged and rocky canyon that
challenges the most experienced canoeist and kayakers. South
of Mena. (501) 682-7777;
- The Ouachita National Recreation Trail is an east-west
corridor extending from Pinnacle Mountain State Park near
Little Rock to Talimena State Park near Talihina, Okla. This
mountain trail offers hikers a wide range of opportunities
from scenic vistas and upland hardwood and pine forests to
clear streams, high ridges and wide valleys.
- Set in the oldest surviving state capitol west of the
Mississippi River, the Old State House Museum in Little Rock
has been designated a National Historic Landmark, though it is
probably best known throughout the country as the scene of
President Clinton’s 1992 and 1996 election-night
celebrations.
- A scaled-down replica of the nation’s Capitol, the
Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock took a dozen years to
build and was completed in 1911. Located on the grounds are
several monuments. Self-guided and guided tours available.
(501) 682-5080;
- For grand vistas, travel to the highest point in Arkansas
(2,753 feet) at Mount Magazine State Park, complete with a new
visitors center. South of Paris. (479) 963-8502;
- Pose with one foot in Texas and the other in Arkansas on
State Line Avenue in Texarkana.
- On the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, The
Tommy Boyer Hall of Champions Museum in Bud Walton Arena and
the Jerry Jones/Jim Lindsey Hall of Champions Museum in the
Frank Broyles Center display a century of Arkansas sports
memories. (479) 575-2000.
- The 50-mile Wolf Pen Gap ATV trail near Mena is the first
formal trail system in the Ouachita National Forest
specifically for four-wheelers and dirt bikes. (501) 394-2382;
- See and feel the history of this important civil rights
landmark, Little Rock Central High School National Historic
Site, and learn about the "Little Rock Nine." (501)
374-1957;
- Go for a hike atop Arkansas’s second-highest peak at Queen
Wilhelmina State Park, a cloud-capped hideaway reigning above
the Ouachita Mountains. (501) 394-2863;
- Little Rock Campaign Driving Tour outlines the 1863 advance
by Union forces who seized the state capital and includes
detailed exhibit panels at roadside pullouts that are
accessible from Interstate 40 between Little Rock and Lonoke.
For a brochure, call (501) 370-3290.
- Miss Laura’s Visitor Center is a restored
turn-of-the-century brothel that is now Fort Smith’s
visitors center. 800-637-1477;
- Enjoy a self-guided driving tour or walk the one-mile
Battlefield Trail at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in
Prairie Grove. (479) 846-2990;
- Established in 1878 as a Benedictine Monastery, Subiaco
Abbey now serves as a college preparatory school for boys.
Pick up a brochure on-site for a self-guided walking tour to
view the dramatic stone architecture and manicured grounds.
Scenic Ark. 22; (479) 934-1000;
- A rare example of a suspension bridge in Arkansas, Beaver
Bridge was built in 1943 and is still in use today. Ark. 187,
east of Beaver.
- Take a driving or walking tour of the Quapaw Quarter
Historic District, a historic downtown area with restored
antebellum and Victorian structures including a park named for
General Douglas MacArthur, who was born in Little Rock, and
the Villa Mare, featured in the opening of "Designing
Women." (501) 371-0075;
- The twin towers of Old Main, completed in 1875, preside over
the scenic campus of the University of Arkansas at
Fayetteville. Former President Bill Clinton once taught law on
this campus. (479) 575-2000;
- The entire downtown of Calico Rock Historic District is on
the National Historic register and has served as a movie set.
See several antique shops and restaurants. (870) 297-4129;
- Overlooking the Arkansas River Valley, 14 miles of trails
encircle Mount Nebo, the state park seven miles west of
Dardanelle on Ark. 155. (479) 229-3655;
- Watch the working water-powered grist mill at War Eagle
Mill. An 18-foot waterwheel splashes and mill stones grind
cornmeal daily from organically grown grain in a pastoral
setting that includes the War Eagle River and bridge. (479)
789-5343;
- Boutiques, shops, the historic square and the restored art
deco Rialto Theatre are part of the El Dorado Downtown
Historic District. The area contains a significant collection
of 1920s and 1930s architecture. 888-921-BOOM;
- Talimena Scenic Drive, a National Forest Scenic Byway
winding 54 miles from Mena to Talihina, Okla., offers
breathtaking panoramas of the surrounding countryside from
peaks of nearly 3,000 feet.
- Pick up a brochure at the Chamber of Commerce office in the
Old Frisco Depot for a self-guided Van Buren Walking Tour
featuring 52 interesting stops. The Van Buren Downtown
Historic District has six blocks of art galleries, antique
shops, historical attractions and restaurants located along a
beautifully restored Victorian Main Street. 800-332-5889;
- Pick a lane for a spring drive on a scenic wildflower route:
in north Arkansas U.S. Highways 62, 412 and 63 from Eureka
Springs east through Powhatan; in eastern Arkansas from
Jonesboro south along U.S. 49 to Brinkley; south of Little
Rock along U.S. 167 to El Dorado; southwest Arkansas on U.S.
70 from Hot Springs southwest to the junction of U.S. 71, and
on U.S. 270 from Hot Springs to Mena; in western Arkansas on
U.S. 71 from Interstate 40 north to Fayetteville, along Scenic
Byway 7 from Hot Springs to Harrison, and U.S. 70 from
Carlisle east to Hazen.
- White Rock Mountain Recreation Area near Mulberry offers
some of the most scenic views in the state from its bluffs,
and it has hiking trails and a lake. (479) 667-2191;
- Visit the sites related to former President Bill Clinton,
such as his boyhood homes, high school, favorite hamburger
hangout and more. Call the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors
Bureau for self-guided brochures. 800-SPA-CITY;
- In the Ozark Mountains, the 165-mile Ozark Highlands Trail
has been rated one of the most scenic trails in the U.S. It’s
great for day hiking, weekend adventures or extended
backpacking. (479) 968-2354;
- A scenic 200-mile route atop the Delta’s only
"highlands," Crowley’s Ridge Parkway passes by or
near five state parks, a national forest, Civil War sites and
more. (870) 910-8080;
- The first permanent European settlement on the lower
Mississippi River (1686) and Arkansas’s first territorial
capital are commemorated by the Arkansas Post National
Memorial and Arkansas Post Museum. The Memorial is located on
Ark. 169 and the museum is on U.S. 165 in Gillett. (870)
548-2634;
- Pick up a brochure at the Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce
for the Arkadelphia Historic Homes Tour, a driving tour of
several homes listed on the National Register, some of which
date from the 1840s. 800-874-4289;
- The Hillcrest Historic District in Little Rock includes a
National Register-listed collection of some of the city’s
early residential areas. 800-844-4781.
- Tour one of the world’s largest fish hatcheries, Joe Hogan
Fish Hatchery, on U.S. 70 near Lonoke. (501) 676-6963;
- A herd of about 450 elk range in the northwest portion of
the state along the Buffalo National River. Catch a view of
the magnificent beasts and other watchable wildlife in the
pastoral setting of Boxley Valley on Ark. 21.
- In Bentonville, the Wal-Mart Visitors Center contains
exhibits tracing the formation and growth of Wal-Mart stores
and includes founder Sam Walton’s desk. (479) 273-2754;
- Find flamboyant fall foliage on Ark. 309 from Paris across
Mount Magazine to Havana; on the "Pig Trail" from
Ark. 23 north of Ozark to its junction with Ark. 16; on Ark.
21 north from Clarksville to the Buffalo River; and on Ark. 5
and 14 from Calico Rock and Allison to Blanchard Springs
Caverns.
- Join all of Little Rock in the biggest block party around in
the months of May and September for Big Downtown Thursdays at
the River Market. Enjoy exciting live music, great food and
plenty of fun. 800-844-4781;
- Located 10 miles east of Rogers on Ark. 12, Beaver Lake
State Park is within Hobbs State Management Area, covering
11,750 acres along the southern shore of Beaver Lake. In its
initial development, the state park currently offers nature
study and undeveloped access to the 28,000-acre lake. (479)
789-2380;
- View fine art and traveling exhibits at the Arkansas Arts
Center in Little Rock. (501) 372-4000;
- Enjoy ice skating, swimming, the gymnasium and numerous
other activities at the Jones Center for Families in
Springdale. (479) 756-8090;
- Climb and hike at Pinnacle Mountain State Park in Little
Rock and enjoy the Arkansas Arboretum, a 71-acre site
exhibiting examples of native flora that represents Arkansas’s
six natural divisions. (501) 868-5806;
- Two of Arkansas’s natural divisions come together at Cane
Creek State Park in Star City – the Mississippi Delta and
the hills of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. (870) 628-4714;
- The Aerospace Education Center in Little Rock has displays
such as a Wright Flyer and Sopwith Camel airplane and a
full-size replica of Apollo command module. (501) 371-0331;
- At Walnut Hill, an 11-acre historic site makes up Conway
Cemetery State Park, which preserves the final resting place
of Arkansas’s first Governor, James Sevier Conway.
- Pedestal Rocks (2.2 miles) and Kings Bluff (1.7 miles)
trails offer up-close looks at Ozark Mountain geology. Both
trails in the unique area feature easy hiking, but border high
cliffs with steep drop-offs. There are picnic areas and
parking available. Take Ark. 7 to Pelsor, turn right (east) on
Ark. 16 and go 6 miles.
- Take Altus exit 41 off I-40 to Ark. 186 for a drive over St.
Mary’s Mountain and past vineyards, wineries and St. Mary’s
historic church.
- Lake Catherine State Park is nestled on the shores of
1,940-acre Lake Catherine, one of the five popular diamond
lakes in the Hot Springs area. (501) 844-4176;
- A restored 1901 historically-furnished home, the Dr. A.G.
Anderson House in Eudora serves as the town’s visitors
center and museum. (870) 355-8443.
- Anglers and nature lovers enjoy Lake Charles State Park’s
645 acres of spring-fed waters in the Ozark foothills near
Powhatan. (870) 878-6595;
- Visit Phillips County Museum in Helena for which Mark Twain
helped raise funds. (870) 338-7790.
- Enjoy the great outdoors at North Little Rock’s Burns
Park. At 1,575 acres, it is one of the largest city parks in
the nation and even has a covered bridge.
- At Lake Chicot State Park, the Mississippi Delta’s
captivating beauty and recreational opportunities come
together at Arkansas’s largest natural lake. The
20-mile-long oxbow lake was formed centuries ago when the
Mississippi River changed its course. (870) 265-5480;
- Three state historic sites commemorate the battles of Poison
Spring, Marks’ Mills and Jenkins’ Ferry, all part of the
Union Army’s "Red River Campaign."
- Lake Frierson State Park 10 miles north of Jonesboro on Ark.
141 is known for its springtime blaze of dogwoods, picnic
sites, playground and self-guided trail. (870) 932-2615;
- In El Dorado, take a walk through the South Arkansas
Arboretum, a 13-acre site that exhibits plants indigenous to
Arkansas’s West Gulf Coastal plain region. (870) 862-8131,
ext. 170.
- View Arkansas’s largest spring, with an hourly flow of
nine million gallons of water, at Mammoth Spring State Park on
U.S. 63 in Mammoth Spring. (870) 625-7364;
- On a clear day, you can see three states (Arkansas, Texas
and Oklahoma) from the 85-foot-high Rich Mountain Fire Tower,
located 12 miles west of Mena and open Memorial Day until the
second week of November. (479) 394-2912.
- A variety of year-round feathered inhabitants and eagles in
the winter makes bird watching popular at Millwood State Park
in Ashdown. (870) 898-2800;
- The Wolf House Museum is believed to be the oldest standing
structure in Arkansas. Overlooking the White River in Norfork
on Ark. 5, the Jacob Wolf home was built in the early 1800s.
- Scenic Ark. 23, a National Scenic Byway connecting from U.S.
71 south of Booneville, northward from Ozark to its junction
with Ark. 16, is known as "The Pig Trail" to
Razorback football enthusiasts.
- Enjoy the hiking trails and recreation areas that are part
of the hallmarks of the 7,000-acre Village Creek State Park.
(870) 238-9406;
- Virtually unchanged since the 1920s, the downtown district
of Hardy has been transformed into a shopping destination for
antiques and crafts. Old Hardy Town boasts 43 buildings on the
National Register of Historic Places. (870) 625-7364 or (870)
856-3571.
- Rich in wildlife, White Oak Lake State Park near Bluff City
offers regular sightings of great blue herons, egrets, ospreys
and green herons and wintering eagles. (870) 685-2748;
- View the original soda fountain at Poor Richard’s Gift and
Confectionery Shop in Rogers. This 1907 restored drugstore is
listed on the National Register of Historical Places. (479)
631-7687.
- Tour authentic and re-created structures from Arkansas’s
Grand Prairie region at the Stuttgart Agricultural Museum.
Learn about the German settlers who gave the town its name and
how rice farming came to the state. Exhibits include farm
equipment, pioneer life and duck hunting. (870) 673-7001;
- Enjoy environmental education and interpretation at the
visitors center of the 65,000-acre Felsenthal National
Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is the world’s largest
green-tree reservoir consisting of the 15,000-acre Felsenthal
Pool that increases in size to 36,000 acres during winter
flooding. It is located five miles west of Crossett on Ark.
82. (870) 364-3167.
- Housed in a vintage downtown Pine Bluff building, The Band
Museum is the only museum in the country devoted to band
instruments and the history of the band movement in America.
The collection includes hundreds of vintage and antique band
instruments, dating back to the early 1700s. (870) 534- 4676;
- Interpretive exhibits tell the story of the development of
the River Valley at the Arkansas River Visitors Center. It
also offers wildlife exhibits, a slide tape presentation, some
hands-on exhibits and a great location for watching barges
pass through the locks. Off of Ark. 7 on Lock & Dam Road
at Russellville. (501) 968-5008.
- Visit Rapps Barren Settlement, a historic building in a
village setting that illustrates Mountain Home’s early days.
800-822-3536.
- Surrounding the monument to Private Herman Davis, an
Arkansas farm boy and WWI hero, is Herman Davis State Park on
Ark. 18 in the community of Manila.
- Tracing the progression of Dallas County’s early
plantation life, which was dominated by the timber industry,
the Dallas County Historical Museum in Fordyce also tells the
stories of the people who worked the land. 800-352-7202
- The predominately wooded footpath of Bell Slough Nature
Trail covers 2.25 miles in the Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission’s Bell Slough Wildlife Management Area south of
Conway. The nature trail is great for birding. 877-470-3650.
- Natural history, archaeology and human history are all
represented in fascinating exhibits that include fossils,
zoological specimens, prehistoric Native American artifacts,
dinosaurs and meteorites at the University Museum at the
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. (479) 575-3466;
- Take a moderate hike to Eden Falls. From Ark. 43 between Boxley
and Ponca, turn onto the road to Lost Valley, which is part of the
Buffalo National River. Follow the marked trail to the bluff
shelter. Eden Falls is located at the far end of the massive
overhang.
For a free vacation kit, with dozens of other vacation ideas,
call 1-800-NATURAL or visit the state’s official tourism
website: www.Arkansas.com.
For more information on family
attractions in Arkansas go to Arkansas Family
Attractions
For more information on Hotels
and Resorts in Arkansas go to Arkansas Hotels and
Resorts
Article courtesy of "Arkansas Department of
Parks & Tourism"
By Jill M. Rohrbach, travel writer
Department of Parks and Tourism
|
More Travel News about Arkansas
Arkansas has action for Youth Filled Outings
To view Hotel/Resort Destinations in
Arkansas Click Below:
To view
Family Attractions in Arkansas Click Below:
To view Travel News about
Arkansas Click Below:
To return to Travel News on
Destinations Below:
Also Visit these other sections of Travel
News:
To view Travel News about Hotels and
Resorts Click Below:
To view Travel News about Family
Attractions Click Below:
To view Travel News about Ski Resorts
Click Below:
To view Travel News about Kid Friendly
Airlines Click Below:
To view Travel News about Safety Click
Below:
Travel
News - Safety
Click Below to Return to
|