Have you noticed the growth that Little Rock and central Arkansas has been experiencing lately? Exciting new shopping destinations, an increasingly creative food scene, revitalized neighborhoods, expanded artistic endeavors, blossoming schools and high-performing students—our humble metro area is truly going for gold!

And this year, the annual Family Favorites from Little Rock Family is also going for gold. What does that mean? It means that this year, we only awarded one winner in each Family Favorites category—no runners-up, no silver, no bronze, just Gold.

The Family Favorites you’ll see below were chosen by our readers. They sent in their nominations for central Arkansas’ best places for families to eat, play, shop and explore, from city staples to the newest hot spots. The final winners were determined by popular vote at LittleRockFamily.com.

 

Annual Festival/Event

Gold: Riverfest

      

Day Trip

Gold: Petit Jean State Park

      
 

Field Trip

Gold: Little Rock Zoo

      
 

Indoor Playground

Gold: The Wonder Place

     

Museum

Gold: Museum of Discovery

        

Music/Theater

Gold: Arkansas Repertory Theatre

        

Outdoor Park

Gold: Burns Park

     

Pool/Water Park

Gold: Wild River Country

     

Burger Joint

Gold: David’s Burgers

(Conway)    (North Little Rock)    (West Little Rock)   
(Park Plaza)    (Maumelle)     

Date Night

Gold: Local Lime

        

Dessert

Gold: The Purple Cow

  

Pizza

Gold: Larry’s Pizza
     
 

Childcare Facility

Gold: Helping Hand

  

Private Elementary School

  

Gold Tie:

  

Arkansas Baptist

Little Rock Christian Academy
              

Private Middle School

Gold: Arkansas Baptist

         

Private High School

Gold: Catholic High School for Boys

Public Elementary School

Gold: Don R. Roberts Elementary, Little Rock School District

        

Public Middle School

Gold: Pulaski Heights Middle School, Little Rock School District

        

Public High School

Gold: Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock School District

        

Fine Arts program

Gold: Arkansas Arts Center

        

Dance/Cheer/Gymnastics

Gold: The Little Gym of Little Rock
        

Summer Camp

Gold: The Little Gym of Little Rock
        

Martial Arts

Gold: Unity Martial Arts

     

Sports Program

Gold Tie:

 

D1 Sports Training

Upward Sports
                 

Tutoring

Gold: Huntington Learning Center
     
 

Eye Care

Gold: James Eyecare & Optics Gallery
        

Family Dentist

Gold: Austin Family Dentistry
     

Orthodontist

Gold: Phelan Orthodontics
     

Pediatric Group

Gold: Arkansas Pediatric Clinic

  

Pharmacy

Gold: Kroger
        

Place to Give Birth

Gold: Baptist Health

     

Special Needs Services

Gold: ACCESS
     

Birthday Cake

Gold: Mickey’s Cakes & Sweets

     

Party Facility

Gold: The Little Gym of Little Rock
        
 

Auto Dealership

Gold: Landers

Bank

Gold: Arvest
     

Book Store

Gold: Barnes and Noble
        

Children’s Clothing/Shoes

Gold: The Toggery

        

Children’s Haircuts

Gold: Pigtails and Crewcuts
  

Family Photographer

Gold: Jennifer McHam Photography

     

Florist

Gold: Tipton & Hurst
        

Jewelry Store

Gold: Sissy’s Log Cabin
        

Lawn & Garden Center

Gold: The Good Earth Garden Center
        

Real Estate Agent

Gold: The Janet Jones Company
     

Toy Store

Gold: Toys R’ Us