Arkansas Department of Heritage Parks and Tourism

4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 8 “With wide-open landscapes, an abundance of natural resources, and friendly hospitality, an Arkansas trip is unlike any other,” says Shealyn Sowers, chief of communications, Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. As Sowers points out, Arkansas is known as The Natural State for a reason. Hiking, floating, fishing, hunting and cycling are just a few of the many outdoor activity options available, along with golf, ATVing and even hang gliding. You can even take a backcountry aviation adventure and literally camp next door to your plane. Arkansas is home to some of the best mountain biking trails on the planet, not to mention the first national river (Buffalo National River) and the first unit in the National Park System (Hot Springs National Park). If your choice of adventure is more urban than outdoors, check out Bentonville, which is home to one of the finest American art museums in the nation, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The capital city of Little Rock offers art and museums, along with unique dining and cultural experiences. New this year, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts recently reopened in Little Rock following an almost four-year renovation and reimagining. The museum’s art collection spans the 1300s to present day, with 14,000 works. What else does Arkansas offer? You can dig for diamonds and keep what you find at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. Tour one of only two purse museums in the world at ESSE Purse Museum in Little Rock.