Bayou Bartholomew – The Longest Bayou in the World
February 27, 2020 by Corey A. Edwards
If you’re a fan of fishing or just enjoy getting out into nature, you may want to check out Bayou Bartholomew. Known as the longest bayou in the world, it stretches 359 river miles from Pine Bluff, AR, to the Ouachita River in Sterlington, LA.
The Arkansas River created Bayou Bartholomew some 2,000 years ago when it moved a ways east, leaving its old bed behind. This slowly filled with a variety of run off to become the leisurely bayou we know today. A “bayou” is a slow moving body of water in a low, flat area, usually serving as the outlet of a lake or river. Bayous are often found leading from (and are thus just as often confused with) swamps.
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Discover the Museum of Automobiles Atop Petit Jean Mountain
January 30, 2020 by Corey A. Edwards
If you like cars you’ll love the Museum of Automobiles in Morrilton, AR. This Rockefeller collection turned museum houses over 50 gorgeous, vintage vehicles, dating from 1904 to 1981. The museum also displays antique motorcycles, guns, license plates, arcade machines, auto memorabilia, and more.
Winthrop Rockefeller (1912 – 1973) was a third-generation member of the famous Rockefeller family and 37th Governor of Arkansas, serving from 1967 to 1971. He moved to Central Arkansas in 1953, establishing “Winrock Farms” cattle ranch atop Petit Jean Mountain.
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Toad Suck Daze Festival 2019
April 20, 2019 by Corey A. Edwards
Toad Suck Daze 2019 is coming right up, May 3rd through the 5th, in Conway, AR. This annual event attracts up to 150,000 visitors each year with live music, carnival rides, and of course, Toad Races!
Toad Suck Daze has been entertaining folks the first weekend of every May since 1982. What began as one man’s idea on how to forget the recession has become a beloved annual festival that attracts visitors from all over.
The event is named after a historic crossing on the Arkansas River, just outside of Conway. “Daze” was added as a play on the word “days” and to call out “the euphoria of spring.” The festival was originally held in Toad Suck Park but was moved to downtown Conway after spring flooding made the park unavailable one year.
The name “Toad Suck” itself, remains somewhat of a mystery. Theories abound as to the source. The most accepted theory is that, while steamboat crews waited for their loads to be transferred, they’d frequent a tavern on the spot and commence to “… suck on the bottle ’til they swell up like toads.”
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Step Back In Time at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park
December 24, 2018 by Corey A. Edwards
Arkansas’ Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park is nationally recognized as one of America’s most intact Civil War battlefields. Step back in time with a visit and tour of the site of northwest Arkansas last major Civil War battle.
The Battle of Prairie Grove was fought on December 7th, 1862, between the Confederate Army of the Trans-Mississippi and the Union Army of the Frontier. The Confederates hoped to stop the Union’s Southern advance, with Fort Smith at stake.
Both forces were relatively equal and the battle, which saw fierce fighting and over 2,700 casualties, ended in a tactical draw. It was a strategic victory for the Union, however, who commanded the field after the smoke cleared. Confederate hopes for securing northwest Arkansas declined thereafter.
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3 Days of Fun at Hope Watermelon Festival 2018!
July 13, 2018 by Corey A. Edwards
Come out to Hope, AR this August for the 42nd annual Hope Watermelon Festival! This year’s celebration includes the Urban Cowboy Reunion Tour with Mickey Gilley and Johnny Lee – plus tons more! August 9th through the 11th, 2018.
Hope Watermelon Festival has been held every August since the mid-70’s, with roots going back to the 1920’s. This beloved and historic festival serves up 3 solid days of food, music, and old-time fun.
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Bathe In the Glow of Garvan Woodland Gardens Holiday Lights!
November 21, 2016 by Corey A. Edwards
Come out to Garvan Woodland Gardens between November 19th and December 31st, 2016 for the Garvan Woodland Gardens Holiday Lights display. This stunning, annual spectacle attracts thousands of visitors each year!
Garvan Woodland Gardens is a must-see Arkansas attraction no matter what time of year you’re here. Once this world-class, botanical garden transforms itself for the holidays, however …
Well, let’s just say that Garvan Woodland Gardens Holiday Lights display is one for the bucket list.
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Get Revved Up at Hot Springs Corvette Weekend 2016
March 18, 2016 by Corey A. Edwards
The 18th annual Hot Springs Corvette Weekend is expected to bring upwards of 500 of the classic, American sports cars to Hot Springs, April 21st through the 23rd, 2016. If you’re a Corvette fan, you won’t want to miss this event!
The Chevrolet Corvette is arguably the most iconic and popular of all American sports cars ever made. Since they first went on sale in 1953, the nearly 2 million Corvettes have been sold. The Corvette is so popular that, in recent years, nearly one third of all sports car sales in the US have been Corvettes!
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Stroll Hot Springs’ Grand Promenade
February 18, 2015 by Corey A. Edwards
Hot Springs National Park Grand Promenade
photo: Eric in SF
What many folks don’t realize is that Hot Springs, AR began its life as a National Park before it became a city.
Actually, Hot Springs was the very first land ever set aside in the US, though it was done in the days before we had a National Park system. What Congress and President Andrew Jackson created in 1832 was termed a “United States Reservation,” a protected area of land that became a part of the United States Park Service in 1921.
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Visit the Arkansas Air & Military Museum
January 31, 2015 by Corey A. Edwards
If you’re a fan of airplanes and or military history, you owe it to yourself to visit the Arkansas Air & Military Museum in Fayetteville, Arkansas – even the hangar it’s housed in is unique and historic!
Located at Fayetteville’s Drake Field, the Arkansas Air & Military Museum is housed in an all-wood hangar – all wood because it was constructed during World War II and wartime restrictions didn’t allow for the use of more typical metal construction materials.
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Take a Cruise on the Mark Twain Riverboat
December 20, 2014 by Corey A. Edwards
North Little Rock’s Mark Twain Riverboat is one of the few authentic paddle wheel boats in existence, a stern wheeler offering dining, charters, and cruises on the Arkansas River.
Many people don’t realize that the name “Mark Twain” is actually a Mississippi riverboat term meaning “mark number two” or two fathoms = twelve feet: the safe depth for a steamboat’s passage. The writer, Samuel Clemens, once a “cub” steamboat pilot himself, first started using this phrase as a pen name in 1863 and, with his success, forever cemented the phrase as a name.
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