Arkansas

The state

Get to know Arkansas

Arkansas sits in the south-central United States, between the Mississippi River to the east and the Great Plains to the west. The north is dominated by the Ozark Mountains, with forests, caves and clear-water rivers; the south and east are flat, with rice fields and cotton on the Mississippi floodplain. The state markets itself as The Natural State because of its landscapes.

Hot Springs has a national park in the middle of town: Bathhouse Row brings together early-20th-century bathhouses, two of which still operate with spring water that emerges at about 60 °C. The Grand Promenade, a brick walkway behind the bathhouses, passes springs where locals fill bottles.

In the northwest, Bentonville is home to Crystal Bridges, a museum of American art set in a valley with trails and sculptures, and Eureka Springs is a Victorian town with hilly streets. The Buffalo River, the country’s first national river, is popular for canoeing among limestone bluffs. Near Murfreesboro, the Crater of Diamonds is a state park where visitors hunt for diamonds and keep whatever they find.

Little Rock, the capital, sits on the banks of the Arkansas River, with a riverfront promenade and Little Rock Central High School, a landmark of the end of school segregation in 1957 and a national historic site. On the table: fried catfish, barbecue and fruit pies. For those traveling the blues Delta, Arkansas lies en route between Memphis and the Ozarks.