Exploring Arkansas

Mt. Magazine ATV Tour/War Eagle Fair/Empress/Take Your Breath AwayOne of the best ways to explore the state's highest peak is on a 4-wheeler. 2,753-foot Mount Magazine offers 176 miles of ATV trails. The south's largest craft fair takes place every autumn in October at War Eagle Mill near Rogers, with an average of more than 100,000 in attendance. It's the best example of ornate Victorian architecture in Arkansas - The Empress of Little Rock -and you can stay there, since it's a bed and breakfast. Take Your Breath Away scenic drive in west Arkansas is comprised of four highways and it definitely lives up to its name.

A dream castle twenty years in the making – Castle Rogue's Manor near Eureka Springs is that remarkable story and the man behind it all. Goode's Grocery-circa 1905 in Holland is back in business thanks to third and fourth generation efforts. Moonshiners Cave began as a pioneer family root cellar, deep in the Ozarks. Legend has it, that later it became used for something quite different than canned vegetables. Cotham's Mercantile in Scott is home of the famous Hubcap Burger and "where the elite meet to eat."

Hybrid bass or "stripers" as they're commonly called, are quite the fish to reel in, especially if they're close to forty pounds. Lake Ouachita is one of the favorite lakes to go catch them. Railyard Bike Park in Rogers is a dirt jump bike park that rivals many of those out on the west coast. Slay Cave in Snowball caused quite the stir back in the 1930's when the 10,000 year old "Arkansas Woman" was excavated measuring more than seven feet tall, according to a 1941 newspaper article - fact or folklore? Hogpen BBQ in Conway is a family tradition that many a folk have sworn by, as having the best barbecue in the state, and then some.

After being a general store, post office and a hotel… a 1901 building in Osage is now a pottery shop where folks can watch the owners at work, creating quality clayworks. At the National Park Aquarium in Hot Springs you can get up close with piranha and a 400-volt catfish - just to name a couple of the oddities there. Pysanky is an ancient Ukrainian egg art form that uses beeswax and dyes. A Hot Springs woman is a master at it and has earned the title - an Arkansas Living Treasure. Palarm Creek Waterfowl Rest Area within the Bell Slough Wildlife Management Area near Mayflower is a haven for birdwatchers during the winter months.

Speleology students from Lyon College in Batesville go to their class at Bat Cave nearby town. Gravity Hill in Helena has been perplexing folks for quite some time, as vehicles roll "uphill" when put in neutral. The Wax Museum in Hot Springs wasn't always that –built in 1893, the building was the Southern Club – the oldest illegal gambling casino in the South. Mt Magazine in west Arkansas is the highest peak in the state, along with its own climate – if you're looking for snow in the winter, you'll most likely find it atop this mountain.

In the Ozark National Forest north of Oark, down in Accord Hollow…is Accord Hollow Falls – a beautiful multi-tiered waterfall worth the hike. The annual Tulip Extravaganza at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs from mid-March to April is a must-see experience. One of the few original phone booths in the nation that’s still in operation and is the only such structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places, happens to be in Prairie Grove. The Hollis Country Store in the Ouachita National Forest, is one of those early 1900’s stores time forgot – where folks go not just to shop, but to chat and enjoy Connie Hawks’ famous baloney sandwiches

It began in the early sixties and is still going strong - the annual Arkansas Folk Festival in the Folk Music Capital of the World - Mountain View. Archery legend Ben Pearson of Pine Bluff in 1966 began a one-of-a-kind Ozark retreat in Prim, which now his son and grandson continue the Longbow legacy and vision. Ravenden Springs was once called "Arkansas' Dream Town" during the 1880's as folks from all over flocked to its five "healing springs". The town's most unique feature is Hall's Creek Canyon.

The term "plein air" is the painting of life in the open air out in nature. Plein air artists from around the country gathered in Eureka Springs for the first annual Plein Air Festival.Bear Creek Lake is a pristine storybook setting located in the St. Francis National Forest north of Helena. The lake offers not only scenic views but an abundance of great fishing for big bluegill, largemouth bass and catfish. It's called The Forgotten Tragedy - the Sultana Mississippi River steamboat disaster of April 27, 1865 near Marion, Arkansas - the greatest maritime disaster in U.S. history - more perished than in the Titanic. When an "addition" was added to Parachute Inn in Walnut Ridge in 2005, the restaurant took on a whole new dining experience - tray tables are down in this Boeing 737 jetliner.

Lake Greeson in southwest Arkansas has long been known for its great crappie fishing. Catching “slab” crappie in the 17-inch category is not out of the norm. Along North Sylamore Creek near Mountain View, near the North Sylamore Creek Trailhead is a secluded swimmin' hole complete with a rope swing that is quite popular with the locals. Jacksonville Museum of Military History sits on the old Arkansas Ordnance Plant site which manufactured bomb parts during WWII. She's known to many as the pie queen of the South-Charlotte Bowls of Keo who creates her 10-inch high meringue pies in a historic pharmacy building.

The historic swinging bridge built in 1914 on Sylamore Creek north of Mountain View continues to be a family gathering place for picnics and reunions..plus serving as a popular swimming and fishing hole. In 1930 when a 820-pound meteorite fell to the earth near Paragould, it put the town into history and science books -at the time it was the largest meteorite ever to be seen in its descent. The town of Beaver in northwest Arkansas has one of the most picturesque landmarks in the state - the Little Golden Gate Bridge, which the locals call-"the bridge to nostalgia." An artistic couple in Eureka Springs have turned their house and property into a real life fantasy land, with unique "fairy tale" architecture. The 1856 historic Smyrna Church west of Searcy, happens to be the oldest documented church building in the state. It's also one of only five antebellum churches still standing in Arkansas.

Arkansas hasn't really been known for alligators, but ever since they were reintroduced in the state, that's steadily been changing. A visit to a swampy lake near Texarkana brings out a few of these pre-historic creatures. One of the best places in the state to experience how life was in a 19th century town, is the Parker Pioneer Homestead located in Whitehall in east Arkansas. One of the state's largest Native American bluff shelters containing petroglyphs happens to be on a golf course in Fairfield Bay. Low Gap Café, south of the Buffalo National River, west of Jasper, is a perfect example that you can't judge a book—or a place by its cover. This five-star restaurant with an acclaimed chef, features a menu filled with lobster, salmon, ahi tuna, shrimp, calamari, steaks, catfish, frog legs and pasta dishes galore!