From mid-March to early April, Shae, Truffles and I headed to Arkansas – our 32nd state on our 7 year, 50 state road trip.
We specifically chose that time of year so that we could attend the World’s Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade in Hot Springs, but ended up having fun in all three places we stayed.
Whenever we complete a state, Shae and I always share our favorite and not-so-favorite things from our time there, so here’s our best and worst things from Arkansas.
Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At
Stephen – We stayed at two hotels and one Airbnb in Arkansas. My favorite of them was the Staybridge Suites Hot Springs. It was good value, a nice location on Lake Hamilton, every room there has a full kitchen and there are lots of great amenities like a movie room, free guest laundry facilities, etc.
Shae – I really enjoyed the Staybridge Suites in Hot Springs. The location was great and I loved being able to see the water from our room. I could see it being a very pretty place in the summer too.
Favorite Meal
Stephen – Amazingly, we didn’t eat out much at all while we were in Arkansas. Of the handful of places we did get food from, I’d have to pick Red Barn Donuts in Rogers.
Shae – Red Barn Donuts in Rogers were pretty tasty.
Most Disappointing Meal
Stephen – I’d go with Fat Bottomed Girl’s Cupcake Shoppe in Hot Springs. The cupcakes were OK, but not memorable; I’d expected more seeing as they had signs saying they’d been on Food Network.
Shae – I didn’t have a disappointing meal per se. I’m disappointed that I left the giant cinnamon roll from Red Barn Donuts in the hotel fridge when staying overnight and so missed out on it!
Favorite Free Activity
Stephen – Ahead of time, I thought it might end up being the Walmart Museum in Bentonville. However, that’s currently closed for refurbishment and so its temporary location seems to be much smaller with far fewer exhibits than usual. I think I’d go for the World’s Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade in Hot Springs.
Shae – I enjoyed the St. Patrick’s Day parade which was *technically* free but we had drinks and stuff there. Truly free? I loved the museums in the visitor centers at both Hot Springs National Park and the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.
Favorite Paid Activity
Stephen – Hmm….this is a tricky one as there were a few fun paid things we did. Seeing as I don’t think it’ll end up being an answer for any of the other questions, I’m going to go for East By West in Eureka Springs as they have the Eureka Springs Working Bunnies and you have to buy something in order to put them to work!
Shae – Participating in the Zero K was a blast and not too expensive for how fun and silly the event was.
Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity
Stephen – The Zero K in Hot Springs the day after the parade – it was nice that Truffles got to join us during the “race”.
Shae – While not billed as “pet-friendly,” I loved that the Thorncrown Chapel allowed pets inside so we could enjoy it together – that was on our day trip to Eureka Springs.
Least Favorite Activity
Stephen – Unloading the car when we got to Hot Springs. There had been a torrential downpour on our way into town which meant the drive was a bit treacherous, then the hotel didn’t have a covered area when driving up to the entrance, so we ended up unloading the car in the rain.
Shae – I don’t really have a least favorite activity from Arkansas. I really enjoyed the things we got up to.
Favorite Hike
Stephen – Hiking up to Mountain Tower in Hot Springs.
Shae – We did one hike, up to the viewing tower in Hot Springs. It was a nice little hike with enough strain to make it feel like you earned an ice cream at the top while being doable in an hour or so.
Favorite Quirky Thing We Did
Stephen – Attending the World’s Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade, although very closely followed by the working bunny in Eureka Springs.
Shae – Seeing the Eureka Springs Working Bunny – Mochi!
Favorite Memory
Stephen – Shae answered these questions first, but I’ll echo what she says – it was fun getting to chat to the really friendly group of people on the bar’s patio in Eureka Springs.
Shae – I loved sitting on the patio getting to know some of the residents of Eureka Springs.
Funniest Moment
Stephen – Seeing a bunny working.
Shae – Grabbing a Michelob Ultra at about 150 feet (halfway) during the Zero K while watching a man try and do the “race” on his bottom.
Thing We Most Regretted
Stephen – Staying out in an Airbnb out in Pea Ridge rather than in the Bentonville/Rogers area. The Airbnb was good value, but it meant a longer drive to get anywhere.
Shae – Not staying closer to Downtown Bentonville. It looks like a cute little town with a square.
Something We Missed And Want To See
Stephen – There’s probably some good hiking in Arkansas, but we didn’t do any of it.
Shae – There’s more historic sites in Little Rock that I’d have liked to see if we’d had more time and I’d have liked to do a bath in a hot spring in Hot Springs.
Our Biggest Surprise
Stephen – How nice all three areas we visited were, as well as Eureka Springs.
Shae – How cute and sweet Eureka Springs was and how much I enjoyed Hot Springs. I would happily go back for another little vacation trip there.
My Arkansas Drinking Game Would Be…
Stephen – Every time you see a dead armadillo by the side of the road. To be fair, I don’t think we saw many – if any – during this trip, but I remember when we drove through Arkansas about a decade ago that I was astounded by how much armadillo roadkill there was. And strangely it seemed to start as soon as we entered Arkansas and ended as soon as we left.
Shae – Take a drink every time you see the Clintons mentioned.
Summary Of Arkansas In 10 Words Or Less
Stephen – Much more interesting than expected with several cute places.
Shae – Nice with friendly people, a few cute towns and history.
Arkansas Cities We Visited In Order From Favorite To Least Favorite
Stephen – Hot Springs, Bentonville, Little Rock
Shae – Hot Springs, Little Rock, Bentonville
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