About a year ago, my best friend, Jason, and his family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. I decided that it was finally time to head out there and visit them and check out the new-to-me city.
One of the things I love the most about having friends all around the world is that, not only do I have a free place to crash, but I also get the insider’s perspective and tips. Typically, before I go to a new city, I check out a few things on the internet, maybe read a few books or magazines and see what I can find. This time, Jason was my Little Rock Wikitravel page. Because I was only going to be there for an extended holiday weekend, I asked him to show me the highlights (in addition to the one thing I really wanted to see: the Bill Clinton Library).
The Bill Clinton Library was pretty awesome and informative. It’s pretty amazing to see an entire President’s history laid out in timeline format, to see their Oval Office, and all of the ways in which they made the country, and parts of the world, a better place. I also really admire Hillary Clinton and was so happy to see some of the incredible things she did as well. Whether or not you like Bill Clinton, I think the library is really fascinating and it’s a great place to showcase some of this nation’s history.
We spent a few hours exploring the beautiful 210-acre Garvan Woodland Gardens. Sadly there wasn’t much that was still in bloom as far as flowers are concerned, but the landscape was lovely and it was awesome to be surrounded by trees and shade. It sort of reminded me of south-central Pennsylvania and made my heart ache for the familiarity of home. Some of the highlights of it: the bent wood bridge, the bridge made of twigs and branches, the hidden cave with a waterfall blocking part of its entrance (not enough that I didn’t slip off my shoes and run behind it), and the views of the lake. There’s also a pretty sizable koi pond with more koi than I’d ever seen in one place!
Garvan Woodland Gardens is not far from Hot Springs, and I was told that Hot Springs was kind of the “Carny town, full of weirdos riding unicycles and playing accordions”. To be perfectly honest, the actual description that followed sounded reminiscent of Austin, so I was excited to see what it was like. I thought it was a perfectly charming little town, riddled with antique and art stores, cafes and restaurants, and a blues festival that weekend. I would’ve liked to have explored it more, but the rain put a damper on that: by the time we returned to the car, I was so drenched I felt like I’d worn my clothes into the shower. It made for a few beautiful photos though.
Possibly my favorite part out of everything though, was the River Market Books & Gifts. Jason was spot-on in assuming that I’d fall in love with it: a beautiful renovated warehouse style building with exposed brick and ducts; three floors of used, rare, and expensive books; art done by the Arkansas Library Association staff; and an entire section of old National Geographic magazines for 50 cents a piece! I was in hog heaven and spent a few hours in there. In the end, I only left with two books and two magazines, but it was still a struggle to find room for it in my suitcase.
After, we headed across the street for some delicious lunch at Dizzy’s Gypsy Bistro. I can’t recommend it enough. And then we took a stroll along the river to the Central Arkansas Nature Center, Clinton Museum Store, and the Little Rock River Market for some tasty smoothies.
All-in-all, I’d say it was a very successful trip: I got to see some awesome friends, swim in their pool, check out a new city, spend time in a forest, and eat some great food. Little Rock is definitely a cool little city. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, but I was pretty impressed by how clean it was and how easy it seemed to get around. The River Market area is adorable and if I lived in Little Rock, I’d probably spend all my time (and money) there.
