Arkansas has never been on my radar. To my knowledge, I’ve never even met another Canadian who has visited the 25th state. Aside from the fact that it’s nicknamed the Natural State, due to its beautiful lakes, rivers, and mountains, I have no idea what to expect on my visit to this southern state.
My first surprise is in Little Rock, the state capital, at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. The museum recently underwent a large-scale redesign, and the revamped galleries are bright and airy.
Arsaga’s Mill District.
Photo: Kate Roberston
The permanent international collection has more than 14,000 pieces spanning eight centuries, with a good showing of my favourite, the Impressionist period (like Monet and Degas), and pieces from American favourites like Georgia O’Keefe and Andrew Wyeth. All of this in a city with a population just over 200,000 (that’s smaller than Richmond BC).
Fort Smith is where I get a history lesson. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 linked the eastern United States with the West, in 1817 Fort Smith, a regional centre for fur trading, was established as a frontier military post to keep peace. The location was strategic, because just across the Arkansas River, in what is now Oklahoma, was “Indian Territory” a known hideout for outlaws.
Today Fort Smith has won several awards as one of America’s Top 10 True Western Towns for its many sites preserving frontier heritage, including the newly opened U.S. Marshals Museum.
As a Canadian, you might assume this museum wouldn’t hold your interest, but the interactive exhibits enlightened me about American history and the fusion of the Old West, featuring familiar figures like Billy the Kid and Wyatt Earp, as well as recent events like the Oklahoma City bombings and 9/11.
My Arkansas outdoor adventures begin at Lake Leatherwood Park, an expanse of upland hardwood forest covering steep hills in the Ozark Mountains.
I stretch my legs on a portion of the 40 kilometres of hiking/biking trails along the lake to one of the largest hand-cut limestone dams in the nation, built in the 1940s.
Birders take delight here with over 120 different bird species frequenting the park, and I spot several great blue herons along the shores.
Peaceful Eureka Springs is the only town I’ve ever been where the entire downtown area is on the National Registry of Historic Places, with Victorian houses and buildings lining the winding mountainside streets.
As home to more than 600 resident artists, Eureka is known as “quirky” (for example, I see a local resident walking their potbelly pig).
I find more quirkiness at the Crescent Hotel, a railroad hotel built in 1886 for its stunning views of the Ozark Mountains and easy access to the region’s more than 60 springs, touted as being “healing”. After changing ownership and purpose several times, a charlatan who called himself a doctor purchased the building in 1937 to use as a “cancer curing” hospital.
Many people died here and today the Crescent Hotel is known for paranormal activities, so a nightly ghost tour is a logical offering.
As a group of us nervously shuffle through the morgue in the basement we view grisly artifacts, like bone saws, and bottles of gruesome cancerous tumours left over from Dr. Baker’s time.
Most staff have a ghostly story, and a show filmed for the Biography Channel actually captured a paranormal event on tape. (I was glad I wasn’t staying in one of the “haunted” rooms, I barely slept as it was.)
Snow in Arkansas is rare, and the winter climate is temperate, so outdoor hiking/cycling happen year round.
Bentonville has taken advantage of this to become a “mountain biking capital of the world” and now boasts more than 225 kilometres of biking trails. There are over 400 kilometres of trails in northwestern Arkansas.
Another plus is that the “mountains” of the Ozarks are more like hills compared to the high peaks of British Columbia, so biking is accessible even to those who like the gentlest of trails.
I fall in love with Coler Mountain, a free mountain bike preserve just outside of Bentonville, situated on 300 acres of lush forest terrain, not only because there are as many “green or blue” easy flow trails as expert ones, but also because it has some very civilized infrastructure like a cafe (with great smoothies) and a meditation/yoga platform, making it an outdoor space with something for everyone.
Biking isn’t Bentonville’s original claim to fame though, as it was first known as the place where Sam Walton opened his Ben Franklin Variety Store in 1950, before establishing Walmart stores in 1962. Although Bentonville only has a population of 52,000, with the benevolence of the Walton family, it’s turned into a unique destination.
I probably shouldn’t be surprised to find more world-class art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (founded by Alice Walton). In the summer there are forest concerts every week, and general admission to the Museum’s permanent collection, always free, spans five centuries of American art, with masterworks from artists like Andy Warhol and James Turrell.
Amazingly, you can tour a Frank Lloyd Wright home which was moved here, and on my visit, one of the temporary collections is Diego Rivera.
My final stop in northwest Arkansas is the university town of Fayetteville.
To take advantage of the Razorback Greenway, an 80-kilometre network of paved trails which go all the way to Bentonville, I take a guided e-bike tour along the peaceful, green scenic trails that wind through Fayetteville and into the surrounding forest.
Like most U.S. university towns, this small city of only about 100,000 (second largest in Arkansas) has tons of great eateries and fine arts venues.
As we pass through the over 150 year-old University of Arkansas campus, I learn the passion the locals have for their beloved university athletics teams and the Razorbacks football team, references and memorabilia which are found everywhere.
Who would have known that Arkansas is such a great destination for the outdoors, history and art?
When You Go:
Where to stay: Little Rock- Comfort Inn & Suites Presidential, spacious rooms with microwaves, mini-fridge and a great location near the River Market; Fort Smith- Wyndham Fort Smith City Center, close to the city’s best restaurants and music venues; Eureka Springs- Crescent Hotel and Spa, excellent on-site dining room, La Cena, serving Italian classics; Bentonville- 21C Museum Hotel, extensive rotating art exhibitions integrated into the property; Fayetteville- Graduate Fayetteville, a colourful hotel in the heart of downtown, with decor inspired by the local university and their famous football team, the Razorbacks.
Where to eat: If you’ve never experienced what they call “southern hospitality”, you’ll be pleased with the outstanding friendly service in Arkansas!
Little Rock- Lost 40 Brewing, their on-tap list includes “wild beers”, with unique yeast bacterias. If you’re lucky like I was, the food special will be a catfish fry, a local favourite. They also serve regional delights like Arkansas cheese dip, gumbo and black-eyed pea dip.
Fort Smith- Doe’s Eat Place, known for its fresh-cut, aged beef. Start with the Delta hot tamales. The three-story cobble-stone structure was built in 1848 as a brewery and has loads of ambiance.
Bentonville- Taco & Tamale Co., Ark-Mex is a thing–like sweet potato delta tamales or fried shrimp po’boy tacos.
Fayetteville- Arsaga’s Mill District, a small family-owned cafe which serves breakfast to 3 pm and southern faves like shrimp and grits (best I’ve ever tasted), red beans and rice and cheesy cornbread.
For more trip-planning info go to: Arkansas Tourism; NW Arkansas mountain biking trails go to Ozark Trails