It’s impossible to paint The Natural State with a single brush; every corner of Arkansas has a thriving local culture all its own in history, food, music and art.
Central
While the state’s capital city is packed with internationally significant attractions like the Clinton Presidential Center, Heifer International headquarters and the historic Little Rock High School, there’s also an incredible local culture filled with homegrown experiences.
“We have a healthy artisanal craft scene and a big locavore, farm-to-table movement,” says John Mayner, vice president of marketing and communications for the Little Rock CVB.
One of the most notable businesses in that movement is Rock Town Distillery, which just won 2015 American Micro Whiskey of the Year by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. The distillery uses Arkansas-grown grains in its whiskey, gin, rum and vodka, making it a true taste of the Natural State. Groups can enjoy a dinner, followed by a tour and tasting, or set up a private bottling party.
The city’s Southside Main district also offers plenty of local flavor, including the Loblolly Ice Cream and Soda Fountain, featuring artisanal ice cream; Root Cafe, specializing in fast casual, farm-to-table meals; and South on Main, a restaurant headed up by Executive Chef Matthew Bell. The restaurant menu shows off the best in regional cuisine and Southern culture. The venue is also home to literary readings, live music and film showings, thanks to the adjacent offices of Oxford American magazine and the involvement of the Little Rock Film Festival.
Another show tailor-made for groups is Tales from the South, a showcase of original, true stories told on stage by their authors. Conceived by Paula Martin Morrell, professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, these performances have become a regular radio show throughout Arkansas, although Morrell does arrange private shows for groups at area restaurants, and planners can choose a theme to the stories told that night. Add in dinner, and planners have a unique evening that allows attendees to hear the history and heart of the Natural State in an intimate setting.
In nearby Conway, home to Hendrix College and the University of Central Arkansas (UCA), groups can enjoy local and visiting writers, theater directors, poets and more through the Hendrix-Murphy program in literature and language, or hold an event at UCA’s Baum Gallery of Fine Art.
Northwest
Art has become an important part of northwest Arkansas since the opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in 2011. Several smaller galleries have popped up in downtown Bentonville, and the combination means attendees can tour the museum, see upcoming exhibitions such as From Van Gogh to Rothko or Warhol’s Nature and plan a shopping exhibition, starting with the Crystal Bridges gift shop and lasting through local art galleries as well. Groups can make their own art too, with an artistic teambuilding event taught by creativity instructor Kerrie Evenson.
Next door to Bentonville is Rogers, a growing business center that also boasts a charming historical downtown district with cobblestone streets and a center park. The town’s historic center is just minutes away from the hotels and John Q. Hammons Convention Center in the Pinnacle Hills district, and is perfect for an outdoor event or boutique shop scavenger hunt.
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Further along the I-49 corridor is Springdale, a down-home city with a country feel, including group-friendly sites like the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History.
“The museum is a great resource,” says Caroline Reddmann, director of tourism and visitor relations for the Springdale Chamber of Commerce. “The city’s name was once Shiloh in the 1870s, and the museum celebrates that history.”
Planners can also include a Northwest Arkansas Naturals baseball game, a minor-league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, or enjoy the town’s biggest event, the 71st Rodeo of the Ozarks, held in the first week of July. The chamber can help planners set up a pre-event barbecue dinner or a cowboy meet-’n’-greet as well.
Home to the University of Arkansas (UofA), Fayetteville has a creative and artisan groove. Downtown and Dickson Street is the entertainment district and the heart of the city’s social scene, with boutiques, bookshops, art galleries, restaurants and bars. Planners can arrange an afternoon of shopping and dining and wind up the day with a show at the Walton Arts Center, or hand out passports for the Fayetteville Ale Trail, which takes attendees through the area’s numerous microbreweries. When the passport is full, attendees can turn them in to the visitor’s bureau for a gift.
River Valley/Ouachitas
History runs deep in Fort Smith, and the Fort Smith National Historic Site is a must-see for groups; “Hanging” Judge Isaac Parker’s courtroom, gallows and underground jail are open for tours, and provide an up-close look at frontier justice. Groups can even participate in a period trial reenactment in the historic courtroom itself and later unwind with a Victorian High Tea at the historic Clayton House.
The thermal waters of Hot Springs made the city famous and drew celebrities, politicians and gangsters through the decades. Groups can still enjoy the water that started it all with spa treatments at Quapaw Baths & Spa or the famed Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa. A different bubbly treatment awaits visitors at Superior Bathhouse Brewery, a new micro-brewery that uses the native thermal waters in brewing. Located on historic Bathhouse Row, the facility is an excellent site for a meal and craft beer tasting event. Down the street is the Gangster Museum of America, featuring fascinating exhibits on the ultimate bad boys and girls of the early 20th century and how they affected not only Hot Springs but also the world.
Timberlands
Pine Bluff has always been a hardworking town and nothing shows that better than the Arkansas Railroad Museum. With several exhibits and a restored steam engine, it’s a great spot for a reception and a tour. Groups can also learn more about the natural part of the Natural State with special programs and tours through the Delta Rivers Nature Center, which focuses on the animal life and ecosystem of the region.
One of the most popular sites for tours and rentals in Texarkana is the Ace of Clubs House, an 1885 home built in the shape of a club from a deck of cards. Legend has it that the mansion was built with money won from a poker game, hence the unusual and extravagant shape and style. The Four States Auto Museum also offers up historic style with antique cars, memorabilia and rotating exhibits. Special tours for groups can be arranged.
Delta
Music is a part of life in West Memphis, and the annual Blues on Broadway festival in May is a wonderful way to experience the city’s heritage. Planners can also set up guided tours of blues history highlights, such as the former site of the Plantation Inn, where both Ike Turner and Isaac Hayes once played. In Jonesboro, the Forum Theater is available for rentals and groups can set up backstage tours to learn how a production comes together.
Farther south in Lake Village is Lakeport Plantation, the last antebellum mansion left on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River. With the graceful cables of the new Greenville Bridge visible behind the property and the cotton plants blooming in front, the structure sits at a fascinating juxtaposition of history and progress. The mansion was restored to its original historic appearance by Arkansas State University in 2003, and guided tours of the 1859 home can be paired with an outdoor reception or other event on the grounds.
Contributing writer Beth Bartlett wonders if Crystal Bridges accepts Internet cat photos as art.
