Arkansas is as brimming with meetings-friendly destinations as it is with beautiful natural surroundings. The aptly coined Natural State is indeed a natural choice for groups to both take care of business and enjoy each other’s company during off-session hours.
Standout interactive group outings, with an emphasis on networking and team bonding, are available throughout the state and include everything from hiking and lakeside activities to golfing and culinary parties.
Central Arkansas
While the state capital embraces its history, including contributions of native son President Bill Clinton at the must-visit William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Little Rock also boasts nightlife, shopping and cultural offerings along the banks of the Arkansas River.
“We feel that history has truly happened in Little Rock, and when visitors come here they not only get to experience that history firsthand, they get to enjoy our Southern hospitality and great local culture,” says Gretchen Hall, spokesperson for the Little Rock CVB.
They also get to enjoy the area’s many interactive off-session activities. Two popular options, Hall says, are hiking, climbing and canoeing at nearby Pinnacle Mountain State Park, or taking a group walk along the Big Dam Bridge, the pedestrian-only bridge that connects more than 14 miles of continuous river trail in Little Rock and North Little Rock.
And 40 minutes away, groups can visit Heifer Ranch to learn about world issues and how giving animals through the works of Heifer International has helped millions of people in hundreds of countries. The ranch offers tours and a three-hour corporate team-building challenge, including an icebreaker to get groups into the swing of things and an “uplifting element” to end the program. Uplifting elements, chosen by the ranch staff based on each group’s needs assessment, include a 40-foot climbing wall, a giant swing and a giant ladder.
In Conway, north of Little Rock, there is plenty of outdoor adventure, according to the Conway Area COC. There are 11 city parks that offer a variety of group activities and many have pavilions and picnic areas. Beaverfork Lake has areas for swimming, boating and fishing; First State Soccer Park has 10 soccer fields and a driving range; and Woolly Hollow State Park, about 15 minutes north of Conway overlooking Lake Bennett, offers canoes, pedal boats and fishing boats.
Indoor options in town include Conway Family Bowl and Conway Roller Rink, where planners can facilitate fun-filled tournaments and games.
Northwest/Ozarks
The lovely Ozarks area, where delegates particularly appreciate being outdoors, is booming with off-site team-bonding activities for groups.
According to Shannon McCaig, convention sales manager at the Rogers CVB, the communities that make up the Northwest portion of the state all “feed into one another.” Planners should note that if they’re meeting in Rogers, where golf tournaments are often arranged at Shadow Valley and Pinnacle country clubs, an afternoon visit to Bentonville or another neighbor is a snap.
Thrill-seeking groups in Bentonville can check out Slaughter Pen Hollow, a mountain bike trail system that features miles of tracks, a downhill slalom course, multiple ladder drops and a dirt jump park.
More laid-back but still adventurous, Bentonville gives groups a chance to enjoy picnicking and water activities at Beaver Lake, and indoor kicks at Blasters Lazer Tag, which accommodates private parties, and Fast Lane Entertainment, complete with bowling lanes and go-karting.
Over in Springdale, Arvest Ballpark was designed with team building in mind, according to Perry Webb, president and CEO of the Springdale COC. The minor league ballpark has several group-oriented seating areas, one with a dedicated food service pavilion, that are ideal for corporate gatherings.
“Combined with the opportunity for groups to participate in on-field contests and activities, the ballpark provides the perfect mix for groups of all sizes and makeup,” Webb says.
Inside the Jones Center for Families is the Charles McKinney LIFE Adventure Center (LAC), with a state-of-the-art ropes course, Webb adds. The LAC provides a wide range of experiential opportunities that prompt creative thinking and team building for companies, and each session is customized by the center’s certified staff to meet particular objectives.
In Fayetteville, which offers the small-town feel expected in Arkansas, there is always something exciting going on, from the nightlife on Dickson Street to a University of Arkansas Razorbacks sporting event, according to Brian Bailey, spokesperson for the Fayetteville Visitors Bureau.
Fayetteville is home to many attractions that are conducive to group excursions, he adds, citing more than 3,000 acres of public parks, miles of trails for hiking and biking, concerts at the Arkansas Music Pavilion, and golf outings at Razorback Park and Stonebridge Meadows golf courses.
In Eureka Springs, an attractive town peppered with Victorian architecture, the “opportunities for group bonding experiences are as diverse as the community here,” says Ken Rundel, spokesperson for the Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission.
“We have some of the clearest, cleanest freshwater scuba diving in the country at Beaver Lake,” Rundel says, adding that gear rental and instruction is available. “Groups can also fish together. We have a plethora of very good fishing guides [including Tall Tales Guide Service].”
Eureka Springs isn’t short on indoor options, either. One unique option is spearheaded by local chef Karen Gros, who offers French cuisine cooking parties and culinary team-building events at La Lavande, her Provencal-style home.
And the whole group can stay at one or more of the historic bed-and-breakfast properties in town and participate in a “Murder Mystery Weekend.”
“They receive their characters’ descriptions prior to arrival,” Rundel says. “The fun starts at dinner Friday night and clues unfold through the weekend until the ‘killer’ is revealed at the final session.”
River Valley/Ouachitas
The River Valley and Ouachita Mountains region in the western portion of the state is rife with off-session activities, namely in its main meetings destinations, Hot Springs and Fort Smith.
Two hot spots for groups meeting in Hot Springs are Garvan Woodland Gardens and Oaklawn, a seasonal horse racing and gaming facility that could set up a room for private events complete with meal service and a personal teller for placing bets.
“A group could get a race named after them,” says Cindy DeWitt, director of sales for the Hot Springs CVB and Hot Springs Convention Center. “It’s a fun and unique event, and 10 people can get their picture taken with the winning horse.”
Garvan Woodland Gardens hosts everything from casual catfish buffets to black-tie sit-down dinners.
“It’s open year-round, with different blooms depending on the time of year,” DeWitt says. “And at Christmas they have more than 100,000 lights; it’s truly spectacular.”
South of Hot Springs, 45 minutes away in Arkadelphia, is Camp Winnamocka, which specializes in summer camps for children as well as team-building options for groups, including ropes courses. And on the Belle of Hot Springs riverboat groups will enjoy dinner and dancing around Lake Hamilton, complete with “music, camaraderie and a beautiful sunset,” DeWitt says.
Making memories is easy in historic Fort Smith, according to Ramona Moon, convention and event sales director at the Fort Smith CVB, who cites the Park at West End as a terrific place for groups to let the inner kids out to play.
“My groups love renting out the entire facility for a catered reception,” Moon says, explaining that the park features a restored, circa-1935, operating Ferris wheel and a double-decker bus that serves corn dogs and cotton candy.
Among Fort Smith’s other popular group-friendly options are Eagle Crest Golf Course for an off-session tournament; Ben Geren Park, which has hiking and biking trails, softball and tennis facilities, go-karting and miniature golf; Grand Slam Fun Center, with batting cages, miniature golf and go-karts; and the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center for fishing, canoeing and archery.
Timberlands
Mile after mile of pine-covered hills make up eastern Arkansas’ Timberlands, where the main meetings players are Pine Bluff and Texarkana.
According to the Pine Bluff CVB, some options for groups after they meet and do business in town include golfing at Harbor Oaks and Jaycee golf courses, and at Rosswood Country Club; taking in a rodeo at Hestand Stadium; and fishing.
Pine Bluff’s nickname, in fact, is the “Bass Capital of the World.” At Pine Bluff Slack Water Harbor at Lake Langhofer, at Lake Saracen and on the Arkansas River, the public is welcome to fish for bass and catfish, among other fish.
Well known for being on the state line of Arkansas and Texas, groups in Texarkana will enjoy an event that incorporates the heritage of both at the Four States Fair and Rodeo.
According to Lisa Barr, vice president of Four States Fair and Rodeo, there are a few unique options for group bonding within the facilities.
“We have what we refer to as our ‘Corporate Night at the Rodeo,’ where companies can come out, purchase blocks of tickets and enjoy the fair and rodeo together,” she says. “They also visit the fair and we have had occasions where they are served dinner on our outdoor pavilion during the fair. This gives them numerous things to see and do while they spend time together out of the office.”
Another way of bonding at Four States Fair is by volunteering with its Agriculture Learning Center.
“Many companies come out and their employees assist in guiding the tours of school groups around the different attractions and facilities on our grounds during the annual fair,” Barr says. “It’s a good community involvement event where they can showcase their employees.”
Delta
The Delta region, punctuated by the Mississippi River on the eastern border of Arkansas, prides itself on its blues heritage and Civil War history. Among the area’s highlights are the Helena-based Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival and the Delta Cultural Center, where groups can partake in interactive gospel and blues exhibits; and the newly renovated Southland Greyhound Park racing facility in West Memphis.
West Memphis promotes neighboring Memphis, Tenn., to assist in attracting meetings to the area, according to Sarah Christian, director of the West Memphis CVB.
“If there are mostly men in the meeting, we take their spouses for an afternoon of shopping in Memphis,” she says. “The ladies love it.”
In addition to getting the group together for a day of shopping in nearby Memphis or races at Southland Park, Christian says murder mystery dinners are popular for off-session group fun.
Situated 50 miles from Memphis, Jonesboro’s offerings include the Arkansas State University Museum; golf at Links at Jonesboro and Sage Meadows and Hidden Valley golf courses; performances by the Delta Symphony Orchestra; and Forrest L. Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center, where groups will enjoy strolling along the Habitats Trail in search of wildlife.
For More Info
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism 501.682.7777 www.arkansas.com
Bentonville CVB 479.271.9153 www.bentonvilleusa.org
Conway Area COC 501.327.7788 www.conwayarkcc.org
Delta Byways Tourism Promotion Association 870.972.2803 www.deltabyways.com
Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission 479.253.7333 www.eurekasprings.org
Fayetteville Visitors Bureau 479.521.5776 www.experiencefayetteville.com
Fort Smith CVB 479.783.8888 www.fortsmith.org
Hot Springs CVB 501.321.2835 www.hotsprings.org
Jonesboro Regional COC 870.932.6691 www.jonesborochamber.org
Little Rock CVB 501.376.4781 www.littlerock.com
Pine Bluff CVB 870.536.7600 www.pinebluffcvb.org
Rogers CVB 479.636.1240 www.visitrogersarkansas.com
Springdale COC 479.872.2222 www.springdale.com
Texarkana COC 903.792.7191 www.texarkana.org
West Memphis CVB 870.732.7598 www.westmemphis.org
