6 Family Fall Escapes Across Arkansas
As the leaves turn and summer fades into fall, temperatures become prime for some great Arkansas exploring. Here are six trips you can take with your family to enjoy the best of autumn’s glory.
1. Art, Games and More
Fayetteville is a marvelous place to start for great family adventures. Spend a Saturday morning downtown at the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market and enjoy the lush, gorgeous garden around its old post office. Stroll through the scenery at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, where the flora and fauna of the region blossom and linger along wetlands, woodlands and a sculpted garden.
Venture out and enjoy a remarkable adventure at Terra Studios, an artists’ retreat and enchanted art park where the famed Bluebird of Happiness is crafted, and where you can take a class or participate in hands-on artmaking. And enjoy an evening of fun and classic video games at Arkadia Retrocade, where dozens of retro games, home game consoles and other amusements of the 1980s are available for play for a flat entrance fee.
2. Blues From Their Cradle
During the autumn, thoughts in Helena-West Helena turn to music. While the King Biscuit Blues Festival consumes one October weekend, you can visit the Delta Cultural Center any time you want. Hear the legendary Sonny “Sunshine” Payne record “King Biscuit Time,” the longest-running blues program in the world, every weekday at 12:15 p.m. Explore the Helena Museum for an exhaustive collection of artifacts from the city’s history, including Thomas Hindman’s desk and a diorama of the Battle of Helena. Explore Civil War history with a visit to Fort Curtis, an earthen fortification where re-enactors often come to share a visual re-creation of a Union victory. More Civil War history can be viewed at Battery C Park, which overlooks the city. Complete the experience with a stay at the Edwardian Inn, a 1904 edifice offering a lovely bed-and-breakfast experience for individuals or families.
3. Step Into the Past
Make plans for the weekend of October 8-9 or October 15-16 to head back in time. Just south of Harrisburg, you’ll find the Parker Pioneer Homestead, a recreated 19th century homestead where the past is replicated in great detail. Enjoy a hayride or tractor ride. Watch a traveling magic show. Learn how sorghum molasses is made and try some of the finished product. With a variety of activities that range from cutting corn from cobs for popcorn to making brooms, there’s plenty for the entire family to enjoy. Bring along your camera for great photo opportunities.
4. Outdoors (and Elk) in Newton County
The hollows of the Ozark Mountains are full of old-growth forests, which means you’ll find every color of autumn painted in its reaches. In Newton County, rise early and quietly venture out to Boxley Valley and Ponca to watch elk in the mist. Take a tour of Mystic Caverns and Crystal Dome at Marble Falls, where you can view impressive, majestic caves full of stalagmites and stalactites in underground chambers that remain at 59 degrees all year round. Spend an afternoon or evening wandering downtown Jasper’s eclectic shops and restaurants.
5. Experience the Boom
The Rialto Theater in El Dorado
El Dorado’s new attractions include a lot for families to do. Union Square Guest Quarters, located above buildings downtown, offers accommodations ranging from single queen beds to multi-room suites in the heart of the city, blocks from the Rialto Theater, downtown square and attractions. Take a stroll through the South Arkansas Arboretum for bursts of autumn color, and learn about the area’s history and ties to oil and brine at the nearby Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources in Smackover.
6. Arkansas’ Other Capital
During the Civil War, as Union forces advanced on Little Rock, the state capital was moved to the southwest Arkansas town of Washington. Step back in time at Historic Washington State Park, a revived community where you can explore not one but two historic courthouses, take a surrey ride, try your hand at dipping candles and printing newspapers, and visit an actual blacksmith’s shop. There, you can learn the history of the famous Bowie knife. While you’re at it, dine on traditional South Arkansas fare at Williams Tavern Restaurant, where you can enjoy specialties like chicken fried steak, black-eyed pea salad and cushaw pie.