Arkansas Tourism
Arkansas Guide
Arkansas Tourism Places
Arkansas Tourism General Information
The state of Arkansas offers several attractive vacation sites and events. It is a unique state well endowed with varying topography from plains to mountains, with several rivers and valleys to offer attractive tourist opportunities.
The choices are numerous – beautiful underground caves, the Ozark Mountains, and several theme holidays on offer, ranging from historical tours, hiking trails, fishing and boating and so on. Given below are some of the ten most popular tourist attractions of Arkansas.
Blanchard Springs Caverns
They are situated in the Ozark National Forest in the Stone County. It is three miles long. It is close to Mountain View. There are three levels of which two are open to the public. These caves are also called “living caves” as the metamorphosis of the limestone rock is still in process. The main water source of these caves is the Blanchard Springs after which they are named.
Ozark Mountain Ranges
Although called mountains, this region is actually a series of high plateaus. There are several lakes and streams in this region which makes it a haven for tourists. The activities in this area range from hiking to fishing and various types of boating. As it has some of the most spectacular scenic locales in the U.S., the area has been developed and is protected by the U.S. Government.
Saunders Memorial Museum
This museum also known as the C Burton Saunders Memorial Museum is dedicated to the memory of Ansil "Sandy" Saunders, a Pearl Harbor survivor and to the World War II memories. It is really an amazing museum with a superb collection of handguns as the salient feature.Several other rare artifacts can be seen such as Civil War memorabilia and rare furniture among other items.
Museum of Automobiles
Located on Jean Petit Mountain, this museum exhibits a wide range of vintage automobiles. It used to exhibit the personal collection of Winthrop. Today that collection has been sold, but it has been replaced with equally interesting exhibits. An interesting point to note about this museum is that the exhibits are also for sale and many are on loan from private owners.
Hot Springs
This is located in the Ouachita Mountains. It makes an ideal getaway for urban dwellers and the first location to be federally protected in the history of the U.S. The centre of attraction is the Fordyce Bathhouse where natural hot mineral water is available and is considered to have healing powers.
Oaklawn Horse Racing
Also located in the town of Hot Springs is the Oakland Jockey Club. It the racing capital of the south. While vacationing in the area, it makes a nice day visit, and adds to the flavor of a perfect vacation. Other than betting on the horses, various other gambling activities are available.
Almas– the Largest Spinach Can in the World
This city is known as “the spinach capital of the world” It is largely due to the presence of a canning factory called the “Allen Canning Company”. The theme around the city revolves around the cartoon character, Popeye. There are several landmarks all over the city – the most significant being the city water tanks which have been painted green and shaped like spinach cans.
Eureka Springs
It is a Disneyworld-like park built on the theme of the Passion Play of Jesus. Built in the 1960s by Gerald L K Smith, over the years it has evolved into a huge project, very expensive to visit, but worth the money if one is ready to spend the time and the money. The main attraction is the huge statue of “Christ of the Ozarks” in the centre of the park.
| Eureka Springs, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 36°24′11″N 93°44′18″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Carroll |
| Area | |
| - Total | 6.9 sq mi (18 km2) |
| - Land | 6.8 sq mi (17.6 km2) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,260 ft (384 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 2,278 |
| - Density | 330.1/sq mi (126.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 72631-72632 |
| Area code(s) | 479 |
| FIPS code | 05-22240 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0048926 |
Birthplace of Wal-Mart, Bentonville
Located in downtown Bentonville, this is the first store of Wal-Mart. To international tourists, this may not seem to be a very significant destination, but for all Americans where Wal-Mart is a household name, a visit to this location can be very inspiring. It is very well-kept with several interesting exhibits. Everywhere the message of founder Sam Walton is clearly spelt out – “Will Do”, not “Can Do” which was the guiding philosophy of his enterprise which led him to become one of the richest men in the U.S.
Little Rock
The capital city, Little Rock also is an remarkable tourist destination. Some of the places to visit are the Governor’s Mansion, the Capitol Buildings, the Quapaw Quarter, museums, the Old Mill, the River Market District and of course, the namesake of the town, Le Petit Roche (The Little Rock).
| City of Little Rock, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 34°44′10″N 92°19′52″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Pulaski |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Incorporated | 1831 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Council-Strong Mayor |
| - Mayor | Mark Stodola |
| Area | |
| - City | 116.8 sq mi (302.5 km2) |
| - Land | 116.2 sq mi (300.9 km2) |
| - Metro | 4,090.34 sq mi (10,593.94 km2) |
| Elevation | 335 ft (102 m) |
| Population (2009) | |
| - City | 191,930 |
| - Metro | 685,488 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 501 |
| FIPS code | 05-41000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0083350 |
| Website | www.littlerock.org |
To close here, one can only add that the charm which attracts people to this interesting state can only be understood by actually experiencing it. Arkansas emerges as a number one holiday destination in the U.S. today, with some of the best tourist facilities; it should be the first preference while planning a holiday.
