Arkansas Mini Guide
Arkansas is famed for its natural heritage and is known as the ‘Natural state’, making it a great place to plan camping trips and outdoor hikes.
The name Arkansas (pronounced ark-ken-saw) is the French way of saying a word of the Sioux North American Indian tribe which means ‘land of the down river people’. Funnily enough an old law makes it illegal to mispronounce the state’s name.
The capital of Arkansas is Little Rock which has about 185,000 residents. Little Rock is the most cosmopolitan part of Arkansas, especially in terms of its food. In the rest of the state you will find much fried soul food with catfish, barbecues and spicy food all being favourite tastes here.
Car rental Little Rock is the best way to see this diverse state which has mountains, rivers, national parks and even hot springs. Little Rock is served by Little Rock National Airport which has most of the American airlines flying through its 12 gate terminal. If you are driving by car from the neighbouring city of Memphis in Tennessee you will use the interstate 40 road.
Arkansas is bordered by the Mississippi River to the east while the Buffalo River also flows through the state. To the north west the Ozark mountains are to be found.
From little Rock you can also drive to the popular resort town of Eureka Springs in the Ozarks which has picturesque Victorian architecture and a quaint small town feel. To this day the entire city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it has maintained its original charm. Eureka Springs was hastily made into a settlement in the 19th century when healing waters were found there and within a year 10,000 people had become residents.
Depending on what time of year you go to Arkansas, be aware that tornadoes do occur.