Arkansas Road Trip March 2015

 Arkansas Road Trip March 2015

We drove from Atlanta through Birmingham on our way to Memphis for our first overnight. On the way to Memphis, we decided to stop in Tupelo, MS, birthplace of Elvis.

  

That evening we went downtown Memphis to Beale Street for dinner and sights.

 

 The next morning we went to Graceland. We went for the Platinum tour since they had a great price for military.  It included the mansion, archives, car museum, airplanes, and several other areas. Cathy was very impressed and was a much bigger fan by tour’s end.

From there we drove to Little Rock. Our first stop was Pinnacle Mountain State Park. We climbed up the difficult East Summit Trail and came down the West Summit Trail.

Day 3 we were downtown Little Rock. It was the only day it rained on us. We toured Heifer International eco-building and had lunch at the Clinton Presidential Center. Lunch was surprisingly good.

By then the rain stopped and we went to the Historic Arkansas Museum, road the River Rail Streetcar to North Little Rock and back, walked part of the Arkansas River Trail through the Sculpture Garden, and toured the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History in the old Arsenal.  

We ended the day at the Big Dam Bridge.

The next day we drove to Hot Springs National Park. We walked through the historic district, toured the Fordyce Bathhouse, and made the requisite visit to a bathhouse. We chose the Quapaw Bathhouse.

From there we went to Garven Woodland Gardens with their tens of thousands of tulips in bloom.

 

We spent the night in Texarkana, TX at the only bad Marriott property we have ever stayed. The next morning we spent most of the day at Carter of Diamonds State Park, the only place in the US where people can search for diamonds. There were hundreds of people searching. It’s hard work. On average two diamonds are found every day, not one by us.

 

After we finished our diamond hunt, we drove to Ft Smith. The first part of the next day, we spent in Fort Smith and Miss Laura’s.

 

Then it was on to Bentonville with Crystal Bridges and the original Walmart, which is now a museum.

We spent that night in Eureka Springs. In the morning, we went to Christ of the Ozarks and Thorncrown Chapel.

From there we drove to Branson, MO. After a quick stop at stone Hill Winery, we went to a terrible dinner. That was redeemed next door when we went to the great “Six” show, featuring the Knudsen brothers. Very entertaining!

The next morning we toured the Titanic Museum. We asked the same question, “what is the Titanic” Museum doing in Branson?” It was very well done and one of the many highlights of our road trip.

From there we went to the Shepard of the Hills Trout Hatchery on Lake Taneycomo.

 

 

Then it was back to Memphis and home the next day.