USA TOURIST ATTRACTIONS : ARKANSAS

Arkansas Tourist Attractions

One of the Top Arkansas Tourist Attractions is The Great Passion Play theme park located in Eureka Springs, a former Victorian health resort .It is one of the largest Religious Theme Parks in America. The Great Passion Play had turned Eureka Springs into the most popular tourist destination in Arkansas. It was the brainchild of Gerald L.K. Smith, a controversial radio evangelist.

Another Arkansas Tourist attraction is the abundant opportunities for outdoor adventures and its natural scenic beauty & stunning waterfalls attracts visitors from far & wide. It offers the lovers of outdoor life many adventures including wild caving experiences and hiking trails. Check out the fabulous Arkansas hiking trails in the Ouachita Mountains & the marvellous State Parks described below.

Buffalo National River is an unpolluted, free-flowing river encompassing 3 designated wilderness areas. The Buffalo National River runs through the Ozark Mountains and is home to deer and bobcats. Hiking & horseback trails abound - information from the Tyler Bend Visitor Center.

The Crater of Diamonds State Park is another famous Arkansas Tourist attraction located in south-western Arkansas close to Murfreesboro. Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only source of natural diamonds in the United States that is open to the public so come & dig for your own diamonds ! More than 70,000 diamonds have been uncovered . The site became an Arkansas state park in 1972. Crater of Diamonds State Park also features a water playground & museum .

Ozark Mountains, now partially protected as a National Forest , offer magnificent views, like Magazine Mountain. Visit the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View town.

The Mammoth Spring State Park, another of Arkansas Tourist Attractions, is the locations of one of the largest US springs in the USA where the flow is almost 10 million gallons per hour. The Park also features a restored 1886 train depot and a Frisco Railroad caboose.

Another of Arkansas Attractions is Hot Springs National Park which was the first federally protected area in America. The Arkansas attraction features amazing 147° thermal water along with beautiful Victorian Architecture & rich history. Visit the historic Fordyce Bathhouse spa.

Hot Springs, Arkansas is also President Bill Clinton's hometown. His Birthplace is located at 117 South Hervey Street, Hope, Arkansas.

For those interested in a round of golf, the Arkansas's offerings include world-class courses set in superb locations. Arkansas features beautiful golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Edmund B. You will find plenty of fantastic daily fee courses to while away the hours.

From a historical perspective, it was the French who established the first European settlement on the Lower Mississippi near the Arkansas River in 1686. It was later "bought" by the US as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 .

For the lovers of American History, Arkansas's location in the U.S. heartland has resulted in rich history. After a divided Arkansas seceded from the Union in 1861, it became a strategic target for both North and South because of its strategic Mississippi River location & being the gateway to the Southwest.

Arkansas History museums & Civil War battlefields tell the tale of Arkansas's experience of the birth pangs of early America's development.

For Jazz & Blues lovers, eastern Arkansas, where the Mississippi River shaped the land , Delta blues music thrived.

For wine buffs, the Arkansas River Valley has the some great wineries. The Wiederkehr Wine Cellars, Altus is not to be missed. Arkansas River Valley is also home to Fort Smith which is a National Historic Site, the "Wild West" town that bordered the Indian Territory until 1907.

Arkansas , well named as the Natural State.

Last but not least, join in with the Hot Springs & Little Rock St Patricks Day Parades and Fun runs.

National Historic Trails in Arkansas :

The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail is apt. In 1838, some 16,000 Cherokee Indian people were relocated in Oklahoma. Many thousands died. The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail was set up as an act of atonement to commemorate the survival of the Cherokee.