Traelling for Easter to visit family - but want to see the sights as well
Arriving at Little Rock and then going to El dorado for a few days
What should we see - and how much travelling involved - don%26#39;t mind overnight stays!
what not to miss!
It kinda depends on what you like to do. I%26#39;ll have to warn you, though, you are headed to the ugly part of the state. Nice folks, but the scenery south of I-40 is nothing to write home about.
In downtown Little Rock, the Clinton Presidential Library overlooks the Arkansas River. The River Market district runs along the river from there into downtown -- restaurants, shops, etc. -- nice, but still being developed. The Arkansas Art Center is worth a couple of hours, but the Little Rock zoo is pathetic.
If you want to do something that you cannot do anywhere else in the world, go to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro (about 100 miles or 160 km northwest of El Dorado). It is the only diamond mine in the world open to the public. You can actually mine for diamonds (and garnets and amythest) and you get to keep anything you find. And they do get some pretty large diamonds there every year. They say it is the 8th largest diamond mine in the world. It is open every day 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Check it out at www.arkansasstateparks.com or www.craterofdiamonsdstatepark.com.
The other thing unique to Arkansas is the Ivory-Billed woodpecker. It had been considered to be extinct since about 1900, but researchers found breeding pairs in the Big Forrest (about 70 miles east of Little Rock) last year. (As you might imagine, Big Forrest is a very dense, inaccessible area and you have to go in by canoe.)
I work (but do not live) in the Delta, which includes much of southern and eastern Arkansas. El Dorado is on the western edge, but the geography, demographics, etc. are much the same. Going south from Little Rock, its only about an 2 hours (100 miles or 160 km) to El Dorado, which is near the Louisiana border. I don%26#39;t know how to say this charitably: it is a depressed and depressing area. Be prepared to see a LOT of pine trees (logging and paper mills are the principal industry) and the smell can be awful (second leading industry is chemical production, notably bromine). It might not be too bad at Easter, but in the summer it takes some getting used to, as we say.
These are really, really nice people who are working very hard, but many counties in the Delta are in difficult economic circumstances. (The Arkansas Delta includes 3 of the 10 poorest counties in th US, with poverty rates below many third-world countries.) In El Dorado the South Arkansas Arts Center is small, but nice, and there is a small arboretum/park by the high school that might be pretty by April.
Hwy 165 south from Little Rock is not a great road, but it goes straight to El D. If you take I-530 (a good, 4-lane divided interstate highway) you add 30 miles (48 km), but no more time to the trip because the road is much better. If you go I-530 you will pass through Pine Bluff, which is 90 miles (1244 km) from El Dorado. Pine Bluff has some interesting things: The Delta Rivers Nature Center is really nice -- it has an aquarium, walking trails, exhibits, etc. Downtown Pine Bluff has been revitalized and has some great murals on the buildings. There are a lot of historical museums, civil-war-era homes, etc. and an historic homes tour. Check out www.thelandoflegends.com for a lot of details.
Between Pine Bluff and El D in the little town of Rison is Pioneer Village, an interesting 1850%26#39;s era living history park. Most of the buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Unless you are up for some driving, you will miss the beautiful part of Arkansas. The scenery in the northern part of the state is dominated by the Ozark Mountains, the oldest mountain range in the continental US. Geographically, Arkansas is divided almost in half, with a very mountainous region in the northern half and a very flat region in the southern half, which goes down to the Mississippi River Delta. Southern half is rich agricultural land, primarily farmed in rice (lots of duck hunting in the fall/winter) and soybeans.
About 100 miles (160 km, 1.5 hours) north of Little Rock is the little town of Mountain View, home of the Ozarks Folk Center. This is a wonderful village dedicated ot American folk culture and crafts. Craftsmen are working there every day, there are workshops and a big crafts school (not year-round). I have been there twice and it is well worth the visit if you care about things like music, weaving, pottery, etc. Check it out at www.ozarkfolkcenter.com.
Highway 65 north of Little Rock has spectacular scenery (but it is not a great highway, being 2-lane most of the way). About 200 miles (320 km) north is Eureka Springs, which was established as a health spa in 1830. It has great attractions, but it is quite a distance. Along the way, you would go by Bull Shoals, which is a great reacreation lake with resorts dotted along it at Flippen, Fairfield Bay and Mountain Home.
If you are into outdoor sports, camping, etc. there is nothing better than the Buffalo National River, which is great for canoeing, kayaking, etc. There are several access points, but the National Park is at Harrison (about 130 miles or 200 km) north of Little Rock. There are also a lot of caves, if you like spelunking. Fitton Cave in the Buffalo National Park has 17 miles of mapped trails. The Buffalo River is a spectacular, but aggressive river. Floating it is not for novices, particularly in the Spring, when the water is usually at its highest.
I know this is probably a lot more than you wanted to know, but maybe you will find some of it useful.
what not to miss!
Suet19, My apologies for not responding to your post earlier. It%26#39;s unfortunate that someone with a basically negative attitude toward our state got in the first word. This is especially true in that he/she/ is from Dallas, the land of sprawing suburbs, and has very limited knowledge of Arkansas,
If you enjoy history Little Rock is a great place to see and learn about Arkansas%26#39;s past. The new Clinton Library, the Old State House and the Historic Arkansas Museum are all located within easy walks along Pres. Clinton Ave/Markham Street. There are three hotels along this street as well as several restaurants. Here%26#39;s the City of Little Rock%26#39;s official visitors site: http://www.littlerock.com/
From Little Rock you might enjoy a day or two in Hot Springs. This city is southwest of LR in the foothills of the Quachita Mountains and only an hour or so away. Hot Springs National Park with its old bath-houses, Oaklawn Park Race Track and three lakes are the main attractions in this tourist destination. Here%26#39;s Hot Springs%26#39; visitors web site: http://www.hotsprings.org/
After a day or two in Hot Springs I suggest a drive west to Queen Wilhelmina State Park. High atop Rich Mountain this park has beautiful scenery as well as a lodge for overnight stays.
http://www.mountainstateparks.com/wilhelmina/
From Queen Wilhelmina drive south to the city of Texarkana located on the Arkansas-Texas state line. From Texarkana then drive east to El Dorado.
My suggestion is to use Google maps and plan your trip. That seems better than me trying to give you routing directions.
To correct a few thing in the first response:
The City of El Dorado is NOT located in the Arkansas Delta. It is surounded by many miles of timber and is the center of Arkansas%26#39;s oil production.
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is a large plowed field where you can dig and sift dirt in search of a diamond. Occasionally a large stone is found but most are small, industrial grade. Few of the ';miners'; find anything although hope springs eternal.
Unfortunately a breeding pair of Ivory Billed Woodpeckers has not been found. There have been brief signings of one bird and it%26#39;s now been several months since it has been spotted.
Lastly I hope you have a great time in Arkansas. You%26#39;ll see that Arkansas south of I-40 has a lot to offer. Please let us know if we can be of additional help.
Easter is probably one of the best times to visit Arkansas. The temperature is great at that time. And maybe the redbud and dogwood will still be blooming.
If you go north to Mountain View visit Blanchard Springs Cave. It is an amazing and beautiful cave. I took the tour with my 82 year old mother and her friend. They had no trouble manuevering the walk ways.
Washington, AR, is south of Little Rock and was the state capital during the Civil War. It is small, but interesting. They make claim to the largest Magnolia tree in the country. Having seen it, I believe them.
In Stuttgart, just outside of El Dorado, is the Oil and Brine museum. A very good, strong museum which chronicles the discover of oil in Union and Columbia counties. Oil was the primary reason for growth in southwest AR. As the oil dried up, so did the area.
People are very friendly and helpful. Be prepared for complete strangers to nod, say hello, ask you how you are as you pass them on the street. Just smile and nod back. BTW, El Dorado is not in the Delta.
MinkCove a small correction. The Oil and Brine Museum is located in Smackover not Stuttgart.
Oops. I did know that. Careless of me.
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