A vacation in Arkansas has as much to do with rejuvenation as relaxation. The waters of Eureka Springs and Hot Springs have long been known for their healthful qualities, and the state offers additional ways to make visitors feel better: fishing on a scenic lake, walking a wooded trail, contemplating the beauty of a mountain road. Other activities may seem more silly than holistic (petting an alligator, for instance, or watching the World Championship Duck Calling Contest), but all of our research indicates that having fun can be good for you. Arkansas is also home to the Clinton Library, the largest archival collection on American presidential history in the U.S.

Arkansas is also restorative in the sense that it tries to preserve a lot of its past. Sometimes that takes place through historic forts, vintage buildings and presentations of traditional music and crafts; sometimes through the general sense that life moves at a relaxed pace reminiscent of previous decades. Those who like the high energy and sophisticated entertainment of big cities may want to go elsewhere, but if you want to take it easy and enjoy beautiful, rural scenery, Arkansas is a good place to do that.

Geography

History

Arkansas' early residents found that the area's rich bottomlands were good for growing crops. By AD 700, these Native American farmers were raising enough food to support the relatively advanced Mississippian or Temple Mound Builder culture that came to dominate the area. They lived in large villages and often constructed elaborate ceremonial earthworks (some of which can be viewed at Toltec Mounds State Park, near Little Rock). But by the early 1600s, the large villages had been abandoned. When French explorers arrived in the late 1600s, they found only small Caddoan villages strung along the riverbanks.

The French created the first European settlement in 1686, but it didn't lure many settlers. During the 1700s, the area was under Spanish control. In 1800, it went back to France and soon after became part of the U.S. as a result of the Louisiana Purchase. Under new management, so to speak, Arkansas saw a wave of settlers arrive. The rich lands along the Mississippi River attracted slave-owning planters and brought the Southern plantation tradition to eastern Arkansas. Settlers from Appalachia came into the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, probably because it was much like the lands they had left. During the Civil War, Arkansas was divided: Although it seceded, nearly 10,000 of its residents fought for the Union.

Arkansas was driven by an agricultural economy well into the 20th century. Not until the 1950s, in an effort to combat declining revenues and population, did the Arkansas Legislature back a plan to attract industry to the state. Today, Arkansas still grows a lot of rice, cotton and soybeans and is one of the largest poultry producers in the world. It also manufactures electronic equipment and wood-related products.

Arkansas is home to a number of major corporations, including Wal-Mart Stores, J. B. Hunt (trucking) and Tyson Foods. These are found in the northwestern part of the state near the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and the combination has helped create a prosperous, fairly urbane enclave complete with abundant white-collar jobs and its own airport. Arkansas' overall economy has also been strengthened by the many retirees who have moved to Hot Springs and mountain resorts.

Snapshot

Arkansas' main attractions are historic sites, scenic forests, hills and mountains, Eureka Springs, mineral baths, Hot Springs National Park, festivals, boating, hunting, fishing, waterskiing, the Ozarks, a diamond mine, a small theme park, Thoroughbred horse racing, the Wal-Mart headquarters and eclectic Visitors Center, and the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park.

Travelers who enjoy beautiful scenery and an unhurried atmosphere will have a great time in Arkansas. Those who seek the bustle and sophistication of big cities, who are interested solely in coastal or winter sports or who have a low tolerance for rural locales and folk culture will find the state less to their liking.

Potpourri

Ernest Hemingway spent some time in Piggott, in far northeast Arkansas, the hometown of his second wife, Pauline. The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum preserves the home of Hemingway's inlaws and a barn/studio where the author worked.

Hatchet Hall, in Eureka Springs, was the final home of Carrie Nation, the axe-wielding prohibitionist who terrorized saloons at the turn of the 20th century.

As its name indicates, Texarkana is partly in Texas and partly in Arkansas.

Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto is believed to have passed through Arkansas in the 1540s and may have visited a Native American village in the eastern part of the state. Parkin Archaeological State Park (northwest of West Memphis) commemorates the site. Visitors can watch the ongoing excavations of the settlement—it's a chance to see how history is pieced together from shards.

Craft making wasn't always as alive and well in the Ozarks as it is today. The old skills had practically disappeared in the late 1950s when University of Arkansas Extension Service agents began bringing in instructors to revive craft-making as a way to increase incomes of rural people. Today, one of the state's biggest draws is the annual craft fairs in northwest Arkansas. Thousands of tradesmen and visitors come to the area each spring and fall to enjoy the twice-yearly fairs, which coincide with the changing seasons.

Travelers enamored of the alleged healing power of quartz crystals will want to stop in Mount Ida, the Quartz Crystal Capital of the World. You can buy the sparkling stones in shops along the road or rent a pick at the hardware store and find them yourself at quarries in the Hot Springs/Mount Ida area.

As far as we know, Arkansas is the only state where opposing political candidates actually went to war against each other. In the 1870s, two rivals for the governorship both claimed victory; they backed up their claims with armed troops, who fought a few small battles. President Ulysses S. Grant settled the conflict.

Alma calls itself the Spinach Capital of the World and has staked its claim with a huge concrete statue of Popeye.

Arkansas leads the nation in the production of artificial fishing lures.

Famous Arkansans (besides Bill Clinton) include Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, actor/filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton and country-music legend Johnny Cash.

Wyatt Earp spent some time in Arkansas, where in 1871 he was charged with horse theft in Van Buren. He escaped the charges and went on to pursue his legendary career in law enforcement.
Long before Bill Clinton, Arkansas' first presidential candidate was actually William Hope "Coin" Harvey, who ran as a third-party candidate against Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover in 1932. His campaign headquarters were in Monte Ne, a famous resort of the time known for its likeness to both Eureka Springs and Hot Springs.