Arkansas

Understand

Arkansas' official nickname is "The Natural State", and that tells you a lot. It has great state parks throughout the state, with wilderness comprising broadleaf forests. The northwest boasts the Ozark Mountains while the south and east of the state has flatter land and shows more of its agricultural heritage. The Mississippi River forms the eastern border of the state and gives a great blues music heritage, great country music elsewhere (Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell were Arkansans) and folk and bluegrass everywhere. There are wonderful state parks with camping facilities and some with cabins. The Buffalo River has majestic scenery and easy canoe float trips (but go in late spring to be sure there is enough water). The summer is hot and humid with average heat indices ranging between 73°F at night and 100°F during the day, but heat indices can climb as high as 110°F and not go below 80°F at night on some particularly hot days. Spring and autumn are wetter but mostly from intermittent heavy rain showers. Winter brings a little snow, but this time of year can still be humid. Spring is tornado season.

The spelling and pronunciation of "Arkansas" (it is always ar-kan-saw or ark-an-saw, not ar-kansas) reflect the state's heritage. The name is a French pronunciation of a Siouxan word meaning "land of downriver people" and was prescribed by law in 1881. It is still illegal to mispronounce the name (the law contains a clause stating that "the pronunciation with the accent on the second syllable with the sound of 'a' in 'man' and the sounding of the terminal 's' is an innovation to be discouraged"), so be careful!

Natives and residents of Arkansas are called Arkansans, though the older "Arkansawyers" is also still used.

Tourist information

• Arkansas Tourism website

Regions

Cities

• Little Rock – state capital, also the seat city of Pulaski County.
• Bentonville – northwest town best known as home to the headquarters of Walmart.
• El Dorado – a small city of 19,000 in Arkansas' Union County.
• Eureka Springs – a tourist destination town of 2,000 located in Arkansas' Northern Ozark Mountains.
• Fayetteville – the largest city in the state's northwest, and with the main campus of the University of Arkansas.
• Fort Smith – second largest city in Arkansas.
• Hot Springs – the place where President Bill Clinton grew up, but the main attraction is Hot Springs National Park.
• Magnolia
• Texarkana – a city that shares a border with the city of the same name in Texas.

Other destinations

• Buffalo National River
• Ozark National Forest
• Ouachita National Forest is west of Hot Springs.

Get in

By plane

Little Rock National Airport (LIT)serves central Arkansas, while Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) located near Bentonville serves the Northwest region of the state. Aside from private airports, other airports that may be more convenient can be found in Fort Smith, Texarkana, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Memphis, Tennessee.

By train

Amtrak serves the state via its once-daily Texas Eagle train that runs between Chicago and San Antonio, with through-cars to and from Los Angeles three times a week. Cities served in the state include Little Rock, Texarkana and Walnut Ridge, just outside Jonesboro. Unfortunately, southbound trains arrive in the middle of the night while northbound ones arrives late evening.

By car

By bus

Bus travel is somewhat limited in Arkansas, but Greyhound runs daily services to Little Rock from Dallas and Houston, Oklahoma City and Nashville via Memphis. Additionally, Jefferson Lines runs daily buses from cities north of Arkansas, such as Kansas City.

Get around

Car travel here, as in most of the United States, is quickest. Interstate 40 crosses the state from Fort Smith to Memphis, passing through Little Rock. Interstate 30 also goes south from Little Rock to Texarkana.

Information on transit can be found here.

Stay safe

Crime

Crime is generally low in most of the state, the main exceptions being the larger cities. Even though many small-town Arkansans view Little Rock as a particularly dangerous and unsafe city, its violent crime rates are in line with other United States cities of similar size. Property crime is more prevalent.

Drunk driving can be a danger, especially in rural areas at night. Arkansas is divided between "wet" and "dry" counties, so many drinkers in the state must drive 10–30 miles away from home for a good time.

Social issues

In terms of race relations, Arkansas has progressed in many respects since the 1950s. However, many small towns in the state, especially in the highlands, are mostly or entirely white, and people of color may attract stares or unwanted attention. People of Hispanic background may be assumed to be recent immigrants. Likewise, some areas of the Delta, and of the cities of Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Pine Bluff are almost entirely African-American, and even absent overt racial tensions, poverty is widespread in these areas, and wealthier visitors of any background need to be aware of economic and social tensions. However, some areas in larger towns and cities are decidedly integrated.

Severe weather

Severe thunderstorms and flash floods often occur during the spring and summer months. While generally mild, winter storms can also strike the state – especially in the northwest. Perhaps the most likely environmental danger is the intense summer heat, compounded by the humidity from June through September. Keep well hydrated, and avoid overexerting yourself.

Tornadoes

Arkansas, though not a part of the country's "tornado alley," is frequently affected by tornadoes during the storms which occur throughout the spring and summer seasons. Weather conditions can change rapidly and it is important to stay informed during tornado season as to the current weather outlook while travelling across the state.

If you are planning on traveling to Arkansas during the spring or summer months, refer to the Tornado safety page for important precautionary information.

Go next

• Texas – The largest state in the contiguous United States borders Arkansas to the southwest.
• Oklahoma – Arkansas' western neighbor offers the opportunity to explore America's Great Plains.
• Missouri – The state's northern neighbor is home to St. Louis, the Gateway to the West.
• Tennessee – Northeast of Arkansas, Tennessee offers natural wonders such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• Mississippi – The state's eastern neighbor has Civil War battlefields, scenic parkways, and antebellum charm.
• Louisiana – Home to New Orleans, this state on Arkansas' southern border offers a unique culture.