Exploring Arkansas

The Ozark Folklife Festival at Tyler Bend along the Buffalo National River is a heritage event which portrays how life was back when the region was first settled. A backyard garden steam railroad built by one model train buff is quite the sight to behold along the shores of Greers Ferry Lake. The Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway north of Clarksville offers the Ozark Highlands National Recreation Trail, camping, remnants of an old Civilian Conservation Corps camp and one of the best burgers in the state. A mule team wagon train excursion near Cozahome along Big Creek, showcases some of the most spectacular scenery in north Arkansas.

The annual Cast Iron Cook Off at the Dogwood Hills Guest Farm near Harriet, showcases this centuries old cooking method, utilizing both Dutch Ovens and iron skillets. The Pig Trail Scenic Byway - Highway 23 north of Ozark, is said to be quite possibly the most scenic stretch of road in the entire state. The Black Fork Mountain Trail which traverses the Black Fork Mountain Wilderness northwest of Mena in the Ouachita National Forest, offers incredible views along one of the tallest peaks in the state. The award-winning Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie in Stuttgart, depicts the history of agriculture and the pioneers who farmed the Grand Prairie of eastern Arkansas from the late 1800's.

Founded in 1850, Berryville has a lot to offer – a mural restoration project puts the focus back on the town's history and art – also, museums – one containing a historic gun collection second to none. Shiloh Museum of Ozark History takes its name from the pioneer community of Shiloh, which later became Springdale. Six historic buildings and special programs portray what life was like at that time. White Cliffs Natural Area at Millwood Lake is said to contain the highest grade of chalk in the country. World renowned Daisy Airgun Museum in Rogers contains the BB guns of boyhood in early America-- from the 1600's to the present. Including the famous Red Ryder made popular in a 1983 movie - "A Christmas Story."

It's an almost 100 percent guarantee of seeing bald eagles when you take the eagle excursion at Lake Dardanelle State Park in Russellville. –And that's because eagles nest there year round. The multi use trails at Pension Mountain south of Berryville will take you to historic Johnson Spring which was once the source of the city's water supply. The Rice-Upshaw house near Dalton in the NE corner of Arkansas happens to be the state's oldest known structure, built in 1828. Rhoda's Famous Hot Tamales in Lake Village are exactly that, as folks from all over flock to this modest restaurant for not just the tamales, but also the great tasting 'soul' food.

Cadron Settlement was the first permanent white settlement in central Arkansas. Located on the banks of the Arkansas River west of Conway, it was a French trading post and part of the Cherokee Trail of Tears. Northeast of Mount Ida --the Quartz Crystal Capital of the World, is the Sweet Surrender Crystal Mine – one of several mines in the area, where digging for quartz is a rock hound's paradise. The remnants of the lost resort town of Monte Ne beneath the waters of Beaver Lake near Rogers can be explored when water levels are low. The 3.3 mile water trail throughout Grassy Lake in Bell Slough WMA near Mayflower offers a cypress-tupelo adventure with plenty of wildlife.

Camden's Daffodil Festival includes tours of several daffodil gardens and farms, including the popular event-- "Dining With The Daffodils." The oldest barbershop in the country happens to be the 1894 Sanitary Barbershop in Pocahontas. At the 4-H Center in Ferndale, school students can enjoy a day in a "Arkansas Outdoor Classroom." The Pickens Store & Restaurant in the Delta is popular with folks from miles around, who go there to enjoy the daily "down home country cooking" lunch specials.

It's the only remaining airworthy Marine B-25 bomber in the world - (Doolittle Raiders fame) and it made a stop at the Arkansas Air & Military Museum in Fayetteville to give onlookers an up close experience out of the history books. Rattlesnake Falls is in the deep wilderness of the Ozark National Forest northeast of Mountainburg. -Rattlesnakes aren't the concern though - it's the black bears! One of Arkansas' best kept secrets happens to be the town of Leslie, which still maintains its 1920's- era charm. Steak lovers and cooks gather every May in Magnolia for the World Championship Steak Cook-Off, which is held in conjunction with the Magnolia Blossom Festival. The Pigeon Creek National Recreation Trail north of Mountain Home along Norfork Lake, is a wonderful twenty-mile trail system that's open to mountain bikers and hikers.

The Marinoni Scenic Area north of Ozark in the Ozark National Forest near the Mulberry River, is an enchanting and exhilarating place with waterfalls, majestic bluffs, giant ferns and boulders. Branson may have the Dixie Stampede, but Fort Smith has its own Old Fort Days Dandies - a special group of young ladies who are known for their superior horsemanship across the country. The Arkansas Fiddlers Convention is a four-day jam session extravaganza held every May in Harrison. The small Arkansas Delta town of Elaine - population 636 -- is known as the "Birdhouse Capital Of America" - 800 and counting

A unique cave near Batesville contains not only a spring, but also one of the largest numbers of cave salamanders in the state. The Scott Plantation Settlement is a relocation of 25 structures, relevant to working plantations that were prevalent from the beginning of Arkansas Statehood until mechanization. Fishing for gar is usually not something that is associated with the average Arkansas angler. - An outing to a "gar hole" on the South Fork Ouachita River near Mount Ida, proves why sport fishing for gar doesn't exactly tickle everyone's fancy. Every summer, the Arkansas Audubon Society conducts a unique hands-on youth ecology camp at a location that's unique in of itself - Camp Clearfork of CCC fame, west of Hot Springs.

It's not only a great place to camp, but also to swim - the Ozark Campground and swimming hole along the Buffalo National River north of Jasper. A beekeeper near Greenbrier shows the perks and benefits of having your own beehives - the taste of raw honey that can't be beat. The Ozark Hellbender Salamander, which is on the endangered species list, survives in only a few streams in Missouri and Arkansas - one of them is the Eleven Point River in Randolph County. Known simply as the "silver bridge" - this historic 1912 landmark north of Mulberry, along the Mulberry River has been a popular swimming hole with many generations.

Founded in 1964 by the late Governor Wintrhop Rockefeller, The Museum of Automobiles atop Petit Jean Mountain near Morrilton, has a collection of more than fifty vehicles that rival any other car museum in the mid-south -including cars owned by celebrities and Presidents. A former world champion chainsaw carver, Kay Jackson now wows passers-by through the town of Alpena with her roadside chainsaw carving shop. The Spadra Creek Nature Trail is a gem of a scenic trail, smack dab in the middle of Clarksville. The Fort Smith Visitor Center happens to be the only former bordello, known as "Miss Laura's Social Club" that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And, Futrell Pharmacy in Pocahontas happens to be the oldest drugstore in the state, complete with a soda fountain.

The Beebe Flea Market, held every Saturday morning is one of the largest such events in Arkansas where you can find just about everything - including ethnic foods and animals. At the front gate of the Little Rock Air Force Base is not just any C-130 that's on display. This one happens to be the last one that flew out of Vietnam just before the end of the war. There's a place near Marshall that lives up to the song lyrics, "Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam…" and where folks can experience a farm stay with bison. The Lovers' Leap Trail at Queen Wilhelmina State Park atop Rich Mountain, offers one of the most stunning views in the state, along with a legendary story.