2020-05-01_Lonely_Planet_Traveller

US ROAD TRIPS

images by Norman
Rockwell, Andy Warhol,
Georgia O’Keee and
others reveal the
evolution of the American
aesthetic. Who says the
coasts have the culture?
crystalbridges.org
)JOHNNY CASH’S
BOYHOOD HOME
Johnny Cash grew up
in the Dyess Colony,
a federally funded town

created by the WPA to

give hundreds of poor

families a fresh start.

Arkansas State University

has been restoring

significant buildings

in Dyess, starting with

the Cash family home.

dyesscash.astate.edu

)LITTLE ROCK

CENTRAL HIGH

SCHOOL In 1957 nine

black students joined the

Al Capone’smobsters

duringProhibition.

It’snicknamedSpaCity

becauseof its thermal

springs,manyof them

in HotSpringsNational

Parkto thenorth,thatled

to theconstructionof

thebathhouseson

BathhouseRow.

hotsprings.org

)THEUNEXPECTED

PROJECT

Since2015,The

UnexpectedProjecthas

broughtinternationally

renownedstreetartists

to createa walkable

gallery,breathingnew

lifeintodowntownFort

Smith.Therearedozens

of murals,pluscafés,

restaurantsandboutiques.

unexpectedfs.com

)EUREKASPRINGS

In theOzarkMountains,

justbelowthe

outstretchedarmsof

theChristof theOzarks

statue,EurekaSpringsis

a mazeof steep,winding

streetslinedwith

colourfulVictorian

homes.Packedintothis

tinytownarethe

architecturallymarvelous

ThorncrownChapel,the

hauntedCrescentHotel,

LakeLeatherwoodCity

Parkanda bustling

communityof artists.

eurekasprings.org

)RIVERMARKET

DISTRICTDowntown

LittleRockis anchoredby

thenaturalbeautyof the

ArkansasRiver.History

bus canvisittheClinton

PresidentialLibrary

andMuseumas well

as theOldStateHouse

Museum.Forfoodies

there’sOttenheimer

MarketHall,withan

arrayof international

cuisines.Artloverscan

enjoya walkingtourof

morethan 100 sculptures

in thearea.TheMetro

Streetcarprovideslocal

transport.

rivermarket.info

AMERICA’S FIRSTNATIONALRIVER

At 153 free-flowingmiles,theBualoNational

River (pictured belowle) is oneof thefew

undammed riversin thecontiguousUnitedStates.

Its national river statuswasestablishedby

Congress in 1972thanksto theeortsof Arkansas

conservationistsdeterminedto protectit froma

plan for the US ArmyCorpsof Engineersto damit.

The Bualo is popularwithhikers,kayakersand

canoers due to itsdramatictopographyof caves,

springs, massiveblus andotherrockformations.

The 64-metre-tallHemmed-In-HollowFalls,

Hawksbill Crag,GrannyHenderson’sCabin,

the abandoned townof RushandtheBigBlu

Goat Trail are allin thesurroundingwilderness.

The river is hometo Arkansas’onlyelkherd,

which roams BoxleyValleyat dawnanddusk.

front line of the battle for

civil rights as Little Rock

Central High School was

desegregated. Today

the school is a National

Historic Site that still

educates students;

it oers guided tours,

but book in advance.

nps.gov/chsc

)OZARK FOLK CENTER

STATE PARK

This state park in

Mountain View is

dedicated to preserving

the music, cras and

culture of Ozark

pioneers. The Cra

Village is home to more

than 20 artisans, and

mountain music fills the

air during live concerts.

arkansasstateparks.com

)SPA CITY In the hills

of the Ouachitas,

Hot Springs has been

everything from a Major

League Baseball training

ground used by Babe

Ruth to a gambling

haunt frequented by

GETTINGTHERE& AROUND

LittleRock,HotSprings,FortSmithandnorthwest

Arkansashavecityandregionalbussystems,butmost

destinationsarebestreachedbycar.BillandHillary

ClintonNationalAirportin LittleRock,Northwest

ArkansasRegionalAirportin BentonvilleandFort

SmithRegionalAirportarethestate’smainairports.