From its landscapes of lakes, rivers and lush fields to a history that predates statehood, the Arkansas Delta is a special place. The region’s culture is as soulful as the blues music that began here, as flavorful its barbecue and as majestic as the Mighty Mississippi that spans its eastern border.
From the region’s incredible history to its sumptuous foods, the Arkansas Delta is one-of-a-kind. Whether you’ve never visited the area, you’re looking for an excuse to return, or you’re a native, here’s a list of 12 “must do” activities in the Arkansas Delta in 2012.
The 27th annual King Biscuit Blues Festival. The three-day festival, scheduled for Oct. 4-6, is one the Arkansas Delta’s most recognized events. Thousands from throughout the world flock to historic downtown Helena as the music takes over – giving visitors a three-day, down-home, soul-baring musical history lesson. Helena is known for its blues music… a powerful, lyrical lullaby for anyone who has faced pain or tragedy or just had a really bad day. It sweeps over you like the waves of the Mighty Mississippi. “The Biscuit,” as it’s lovingly referred to, also features arts and crafts, activities for kids, fantastic food fare, and a music symposium. But it’s the music that keeps fans coming. The yearly lineup includes contemporary blues performers, up-and-coming musicians and renowned blues legends. Visit www.KingBiscuitFestival.com for more information.
Experience a sunset or sunrise over Lake Chicot. A one-time main channel of the Mississippi River, the lake is the largest natural lake in Arkansas and the biggest oxbow lake in North America. The waters are known for fantastic fishing, boating and water sports. The area is also a birder’s paradise, offering some of the best year-round sighting opportunities in the region. The magnificence of the lake is at its majestic peak when bathed in the breathtaking hues of an Arkansas Delta sunrise or sunset. The breathtaking site is ideal for photographers. Learn more by logging on to www.arkansasstateparks.com/lakechicot/.
The 77th annual World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest and Wings Over the Prairie Festival. Stuttgart is known as the “Rice and Duck Capital of the World,” so it’s the perfect spot to host the championship calling contests and the duck gumbo challenge. The festival brings thousand of sportsmen to the town each November. In addition to the world-class calling competitions, the event features a carnival, sporting goods and collectibles shows, arts and crafts and a variety of exhibits. This year’s event is scheduled for Nov. 17-25. Check out www.StuttgartArkansas.org for detailed information.
Southland Park Gaming and Racing. Located in West Memphis, Southland has the distinction of being one of the largest greyhound racing facilities in the world. Southland offers something for everyone – over 900 electronic gaming machines, simulcast racing, a 150-seat juke joint, and superb food, as well as Southland’s claim to fame – greyhound racing. Get close to the track as the graceful greyhounds chase the bone around the course. Southland Park features over 400 live greyhound performances each year, as well as a simulcast room featuring greyhound and thoroughbred races. Southland Park Gaming and Racing is located at 1550 N. Ingram. For more information, visit www.SouthlandPark.com or phone 800-467-6182.
Learn About Native Americans in the Arkansas Delta. Parkin Archeological State Park in Parkin and Hampson Archeological Museum State Park in Wilson offer insight into the lives of Native Americans in the region before European settlement. Parkin Archeological State Park in Parkin preserves and interprets a 17-acre Mississippi Period settlement located along the St. Francis River. Many scholars believe the site to be the village of Casqui, visited by the Hernando de Soto expedition in 1541. Hampson Archeological Museum State Park houses and exhibits part of a renowned collection from the Nodena site, a farming-based civilization that resided in the area from 1400 – 1650 A.D. Both parks share with visitors the lives of the earliest residents of the Arkansas Delta. Learn more about both parks by visiting www.ArkansasStateParks.com.
Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center. The center, located in Jonesboro and operated by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, is a fun and insightful way to learn more about Crowley’s Ridge, its geography and topography, and the “critters” that call the region home. Don’t miss the 16-minute film, complete with special effects and animation, which explains the formation of the ridge. Hands-on exhibits tell the story of the plants and wildlife that call the area home. Outside the center, visitors find the Habitats Trail and a connection to the Craighead Forest Park trails, both offering the opportunity to experience the flora, fauna and topography of Crowley’s Ridge. Interpretive programs are offered regularly. Log on to www.CrowleysRidge.org for more information.
Arkansas Post National Memorial. Located south of Gillett, the park traces the history of Arkansas Post from its establishment in 1686. Established by French explorer Henri de Tonti, the site was the first European colony in the Mississippi River Valley. Due to the settlement’s proximity to the Arkansas River, Arkansas Post was an important part of Arkansas’s history, becoming the first capitol of Arkansas Territory. By the early 1800s, Arkansas Post was a thriving river town and selected capital of the Arkansas Territory. Inside the park, visitors take a self-guided tour of the area, including a layout of the town and an 1863 Civil War battlefield with remnants of Confederate trenches. Arkansas Post was also the location of the only Revolutionary War skirmish to take place in what is now Arkansas. Visit www.NPS.gov/arpo to learn more.
Explore Historic Helena. This history-filled town, located along the banks of the Mississippi River, is older than the state itself by three years. Mark Twain wrote “Helena occupies one of the prettiest situations on the river.” The river has been both friend and foe to the burg. The waterway brought commerce, visitors and immigrants to the area… but it has also brought floods and destruction. The downtown area offers quaint shops, boutiques and restaurants. Check out the Delta Cultural Center, a museum preserving the history of the Arkansas Delta. Visit the Helena Museum of Phillips County, which houses an extraordinary collection of artifacts ranging from Native Americans to Civil War generals to Thomas Edison. The Pillow-Thompson House is open to the public and is one of the best examples of Queen Anne architecture in the state. Enjoy the view of the Mighty Mississippi at the River Reach Park. Explore the town’s Civil War history by visiting the Confederate Cemetery and the many interpretive panels located throughout the downtown area. For details, visit www.PhillipsCountyChamber.org.
Geocaching Along Arkansas’s Great River Road. A modern, high-tech scavenger hunt, geocaching uses Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates to locate “hidden treasure” placed by other cachers. Over 150 special caches have been placed along Arkansas’s section of the Great River Road. Running along the eastern border of The Natural State, the Great River Road travels alongside the Mississippi River in Arkansas for more than 350 miles. Along the route, you’ll find state parks, museums, Native American sites, Civil War sites and some of the most spectacular scenery around! For more on geocaching in The Natural State, visit www.arkansas.com/geocache/.
Visit Mack’s Prairie Wings. If you’re a duck hunter (or even if you’re not!), you’ve most likely heard of Mack’s in Stuttgart. Considered one of the premier waterfowl outfitters in the United States. Mack’s has been serving the sportsmen of the Arkansas Delta and beyond since 1944, when when M.T. “Mack” McCollum decided to open a sporting goods store for all the duck hunters who came each year to Stuttgart. The business was very successful and expanded in 1970. A mail order catalog business, called Mack’s Prairie Wings, debuted in 1993. Both businesses continued to grow and, in 2000, the two combined into Mack’s Prairie Wings, a 100,000-square-foot building featuring 32,000-square-feet of retail space, located on U.S. 63 North in Stuttgart. In addition to everything you need for the perfect duck hunt, the store also features furniture, clothing for the entire family, home décor and accessories. Log on to www.Mackspw.com to find out more.
Visit the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum. In 1934, a movement of change was born in the small Arkansas Delta town of Tyronza. Eighteen tenant farmers, both black and white, met and decided to confront the widespread unethical practices of landowners. At that meeting, in a building that housed a dry cleaning service and a gas station, the Southern Tenant Farmers Union was formed. The Southern Tenant Farmers Union would break racial barriers throughout its existence, most notably through the inclusion of women and blacks in the organization and administration of the union. Today, the building that housed H.L. Mitchell’s dry cleaner and the service station owned by Clay East, two of the original organizers of the Union, is home to the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, an Arkansas State University Delta Heritage site. The museum offers visitors the opportunity to explore the history of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union and includes exhibits focusing on the story of tenant farming and sharecropping and the movement to remove abuses from the widely used system. Visit the museum’s website at http://stfu.astate.edu.
Eat Some Barbecue. Barbecue is more than mere food in the Arkansas Delta – it’s family history, culture, and soul, all bound together in a tangy sauce! From chopped to sliced to pulled, our barbecue is normally pork. The sauces vary…some are thick and sweet, others thin and vinegary. Marianna’s Jones’s Barbecue, believed to be the oldest black-owned restaurant in continuous operation in the South by the Southern Food Alliance, was recently included in Saveur Magazine’s BBQ Nation issue. In the issue, food writer John T. Edge, who has written about Jones’s before, proclaimed owner James Jones “one pitmaster I’ll always go out of my way to visit.” Craig’s Brothers Café in DeValls Bluff has caught the eye (and taste buds!) of writers and editors of “Garden and Gun” magazine. Craig’s appeared on their “Best of the New South” list with the powerful statement, “If you had to eat a BBQ sandwich every day for the rest of your life, this would be it.” Everyone in the Arkansas Delta has a favorite barbecue joint. Just ask them…they’ll tell you where it’s located. Then go, quickly, and savor some of the best barbecue you’ll ever eat.
These are just the beginning of what the region has to offer. Come see us in the Arkansas Delta in 2012. You won’t be disappointed!
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