2020-05-01_Lonely_Planet_Traveller

PREVIOUS

PAGE

PHOTOGRAPHS;

CANNON

PHOTOGRAPHY

LLC/ALAMY

,MARK

READ.

THIS

PAGE:

DENISTANGNEYJR/ISTOCK/GETTY

IMAGES,

DANITA

DELIMONT STOCK/AWL

From the Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains to the lowland forests and

prairies that give way to the Mississippi Delta, Arkansas fully embraces its

nickname as the Natural State. Hundreds of miles of hiking and mountain-

biking trails and seemingly endless lakes, rivers and streams make it an

outdoor adventurer’s paradise. Arkansas history is part western frontier forts,

part enterprising Ozark pioneers and part Old South heritage, creating

a complex regional identity before even accounting for Native American

tribes. Visitors can stand at the foundations of the original Fort Smith and

retrace the steps of civil rights pioneers at Little Rock Central High School.

The state is also home to industry giants like Walmart and Tyson Foods.

FOOD & DRINK

CATFISH FRY Whether

you’re at a fish fry in a

park or in the beloved

booths of Little Rock’s

Flying Fish, this is a

classic way to celebrate

the most iconic sport fish

in theNaturalState.

Thefirststateto develop

a commercialcatfish

industryhaslakesand

waterwaysthatabound

with‘riverkitties’.

NATURALESCAPES

)BLANCHARD

SPRINGSCAVERNS

This‘living’cavesystem

of stalactitesand

stalagmiteshasthree

levels,twoof themopen

forguidedtours.The

half-mileDripstoneTrail

travelsthroughtwohuge

rooms,whilethe1.2-mile

DiscoveryTrail’s 700

stairwayexploresthe

cave’smiddlelevel.

A WildCaveTouris

availabletoo.

blanchardsprings.org

)CRATEROF

DIAMONDSSTATE

PARKAnaverageof 600

diamondsarefoundeach

yearat oneof theonly

placesin theworldwhere

visitorscansearchfor

realdiamondsandkeep

whattheyfind.Thispark

in Murfreesboroboasts

severalnotablefinds

includingtheover

40-caratUncleSam,the

largestdiamondever

uncoveredin theUS.

arkansasstateparks.com

)MTMAGAZINESTATE

PARKAt 839metres,

MtMagazineis the

highestpointin Arkansas.

Besidestakingin

sweepingvistas,nature

loverscanhike,ridea

horseor hopin anATV,

bikeandrockclimb.The

parkalsooershang-

glidinglaunchareas.

Whilethere’splentyof

campingspace,visitors

canstayat theLodgeat

MtMagazineanddine

at SkycrestRestaurant.

arkansasstateparks.com

)WHITERIVERREFUGE

Oneof thelargest

bottomlandhardwood

forestsin thelower

MississippiRivervalley

has 300 lakesconnected

bystreams,swampsand

bayousthatarehome

to a myriadof wildlife.

Visitorsto thissitenear

St Charles can hike

hundreds of miles of trails

or paddle a canoe trail.

fws.gov/refuge/

white_river

ARTS, HISTORY

& CULTURE

)CHAFFEE

BARBERSHOP MUSEUM

Elvis got his first GI cut

at Fort Chaee aer

enlisting in in 1958. This

museum in Fort Smith

steps back in time to the

day Elvis lost his locks,

and documents the

base’s history.

fortsmith.org/elvis-

barbershopmuseum

)CRYSTAL BRIDGES

MUSEUM OF

AMERICAN ART

Founded by Walmart

heiress Alice Walton, this

museum in Bentonville

has a collection spanning

five centuries of

American masterworks

from the Colonial to the

contemporary. Iconic

ROADTRIPITINERARY
Day 1 Startin LittleRockwiththeClinton
PresidentialLibraryandMuseumandthe
HeiferInternationalheadquarters’
villageandurbanfarmbeforethe
WilliamE ‘Bill’ClarkPresidentialPark
Wetlands. To getaroundtheRiverMarket
District, theMetroStreetcaroperates
betweenLittleRockandNorthLittleRock.
Day 2 ArkansasMuseum,OldState
HouseMuseuma n dArkansasState
Capitol.
Day 3 TrekanhourwesttoHotSprings
andwalkalongBathhouseRowandthe
HotSpringsBaseballTrail. SeeArlington
Hotela n dv i s i tt h eGangsterMuseumof
America. Eatat theOhioClub, a 20s
speakeasythatattractedAl Capone.
Day 4 Drivenorthto theChaee
BarbershopMuseumat FortChaeethen
headdowntowntoFortSmithf o ra to u ro f
TheUnexpectedProject. Takea breakat
FortSmithNationalHistoricSitea n dFort
SmithMuseumof History.
Day 5 In northwestArkansas,startin
Fayettevillew i t ha v i s i tt o t h eClinton
HouseMuseumanda strollaroundthe
downtownsquareandtheUniversity
of Arkansascampusbeforeheadingto
Bentonvillefora visitto theCrystal
BridgesMuseumof AmericanArt.
Day 6 DriveeastintotheOzark
Mountainsf o ra j a u n tt h r o u g hEureka
Springs. Startat theChristof theOzarks
fora panoramicview,thentakein the
Victorianhomesof thisartysmalltown.
Takea walkdowntownbeforewrapping
upthedaywitha ghosttourat the
famouslyspookyCrescentHotel.

Arkansas

Little Rock, state

capital of Arkansas