Recreation & Entertainment

Industry Snapshot | Economy/Cost of Living
Education | Transportation | Geography & Climate
History | Suggested Reading List

Arkansas boasts a variety of recreation opportunities, whether cultural or outdoor.

Arkansas offers numerous cultural attractions that reflect its unique heritage. Art lovers will appreciate the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock, which showcases fine art galleries, crafts, a children’s theatre, a museum school, and many impressive exhibits. Performing arts aficionados will appreciate the Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Little Rock, the state’s largest non-profit professional theatre company, performs for nearly 100,000 patrons annually. The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in Little Rock has entered its 41st year, and performs over thirty concerts per year in Robinson Center Music Hall.

At the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, visitors can learn about Arkansas’ frontier days and tour five pre-Civil War houses, fully restored to their antebellum appearance. The museum also features Arkansas-made decorative, mechanical, and fine arts objects in its galleries. Arkansas’ Ozark heritage is celebrated at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, which is dedicated to providing a living history by preserving, documenting, displaying, and interpreting the cultural heritage of the greater Ozark region in which Arkansas resides. Former President Bill Clinton, a native Arkansan, is honored at the Clinton Presidential Center & Library. Located in Little Rock, the Center houses the largest presidential archive, with 20,000 square feet (1,858 square meters or 0.186 hectares) of exhibit space. At the Clinton Birthplace in Hope, the Clinton Birthplace Foundation preserves and promotes the history of the birthplace and childhood homes of the former President.

Arkansas offers numerous activities and destinations for children. Among these, the Arkansas Museum of Science & History in Little Rock offers people of all ages an interactive, educational experience in science and history with its permanent exhibits and public programs. The Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs is the largest hands-on science center in Arkansas, and is a Smithsonian Affiliate where visitors can learn about science and technology, as well as host special events. Among this museum’s attractions are an indoor cave and the largest conical Tesla Coil. Families will also enjoy the Little Rock Zoo, which is home to more than 725 animals representing over 200 species, with many on the endangered list.

Arkansas boasts several historical sites, many of which are managed by the National Park Service. The Arkansas Post National Monument, in southeastern Arkansas, was the first permanent European colony in the Mississippi River Valley, settled by the French in 1686. Today this area provides habitat to many aquatic plant and animal species. The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail extends through several states, including Arkansas, and commemorates the survival of the Cherokee people after their forced removal in the 1840’s from their former home in the Southeastern U.S. Pea Ridge National Military Park is a 4,300 acre (17.4 square kilometers or 1,740 hectares) park honoring the lives of the 26,000 soldiers who fought here during the Civil War to determine the fate of Missouri. Fort Smith National Historic Site includes the remains of two frontier forts, where visitors can experience where soldiers drilled and walk part of the Trail of Tears. Little Rock Central High School was home to a turbulent integration on September 23, 1957 of nine African-American teenagers into the school for the first time, following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision.

Arkansas lives up to its nickname, the "Natural State", by providing a spectacular array of outdoor recreational opportunities. There are over 50 Arizona State Parks, and three national forests with over 2.9 million acres (11,736 square kilometers or 1,173,588 hectares) of land, and over 200 camping sites and recreational areas. The National Park Service maintains several natural areas as well. Hot Springs National Park is home to popular hot springs and the reservation built around them. Buffalo National River is America's first National River, and its 135-mile (217 kilometer) length provides opportunities for canoeing along limestone bluffs or traversing nearby hiking trails. Additionally, the Ozark, St. Francis, and Ouachita national forests offer camping, horseback riding, hiking, cycling trails, fishing, hunting, and scenic drives. Spelunkers will not want to miss one of the many caves in Arkansas, Blanchard Springs Caverns, northwest of Mountain View; two of its three levels are open for guided tours.

With so many opportunities within its borders, Arkansas offers something enjoyable for everyone.

Related Resources: