1) Take a scenic drive on Arkansas’ state highways to appreciate the beauty of the Ozarks and other famous natural attractions. Arkansas Scenic 7 will take you through the best vistas the Ozark and Ouachita mountains have to offer. Arkansas 309 climbs 2,753 feet to the state’s highest summit. If you don’t like the heights and prefer to keep as close to the “sea level” as possible, try Interstate 530 which winds its way through wetlands and Bayou Bartholomew.
2) Don’t forget to stop by Arkansas’ many wineries for some refined wine tasting, relaxing and shopping. Here are just a few suggested pit stops along the “fermentation route”: Chateau Aux Arc, Mount Bethel Winery, Post Familie Vineyards & Winery, and Wiederkehr Wine Cellars and Vineyard.
3) Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park is the right place to be for the history and Civil War buffs in the family. Join the hour-long tours led by professional guides and learn more about the events of that painful era in American history.
4) Arkansas takes pride in its historic preservation efforts. There are many sites throughout the state where you can visit and appreciate old cabins, homes, court houses and Indian villages still pretty much looking the way they looked a hundred fifty years ago. Parkin Archeological State Park is a good spot to start your historic heritage tour from. Also check out Crowley’s Ridge State Park, Devil’s Den State Park, and Jacksonport State Park.
5) Trail of Tears cuts through several state parks and withdraws thousands of visitors every year. In some of the parks you can actually walk through the same paths through which Native Americans were forced to march during their Westward migration. In other sections of the Trail, you are allowed only to view it from an overpass. The Trail winds through Lake Dardanelle State Park, Mount Nebo State Park, Petit Jean State Park, and Pinnacle Mountain State Park.
6) Ozark Folk Center is where you’ll be treated to sweet folk music, and lots of it too, provided by the best country-folk and bluegrass musicians around. The center is also a great resource for researchers with 60,000 documents, Ozark recordings, and sets of sheet music.
7) Want to pay your respects to one of the oldest trees in the whole nation? Then head for the Historic Washington State Park, home to the giant Southern Royston magnolia tree registered with the Arkansas Famous and Historic Tree Program. allstate customer service
