Visiting Arkansas: Family Itinerary

*This blog post has been sponsored by Arkansas Tourism.

Arkansas belongs on your family bucket list. This state truly surprised us with some of the most unique experiences we’ve had during our travels.

Whether you’re exploring it for the charm of Little Rock or the beauty of the outdoors, there’s truly something for everyone here.

Check out this reel to see video of our trip.

Let me share with you our 3 day itinerary for exploring this adventure playground.

We started our adventure in Hot Springs, Arkansas and spent our last day in Little Rock. My family had the best time. The kids are still talking about our adventures!

I’ll share where to stay, what to eat, and what to do.

Our trip started with us flying into Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport. We picked up our rental car from Hertz and headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas, which is about an hour drive.

Where to Stay?

In Hot Springs, we stayed at The Bear Cabin at The Natural State Cabins. There are several cabins in this area with varying sizes depending on your group.

The Bear Cabin has 3 bedrooms, and one of the bedrooms has bunk beds! My kids went crazy over the bunk beds. And I loved how spacious it was. It has a full kitchen, dining room, and outside there’s a children’s play area, a game area, and a firepit.

It was also nicely located about 10 minutes from the downtown area.

What to eat?

We had some great food while we were in Arkansas. Our favorite restaurant for breakfast was The Pancake Shop. The pancakes are delicious. And I loved the French toast.

For dinner, try Purple Cow for shakes and burgers. They even have vegan options. Their plant based burger and Oreo plant based milkshake were delicious!

If you’d like seafood with beautiful views, dine at Fisherman’s Wharf Steak & Seafood. You have to sit on the outdoor patio for the full experience. You can see the water and a nice view of the sunset from here. We really enjoyed the cocktails, crab legs, and stuffed shrimp.

What to do?

Our first day in Hot Springs, we visited Garvan Gardens.

It’s 210 acres of pure beauty! Our favorite spots in the gardens was Anthony’s Chapel, the fairy garden, treehouse, and children’s garden. You can go in Anthony’s Garden and marvel as the chapel in the middle of nature. The tree house is also an adventure as you climb the stairs and explore.

For dinner on our first night, we kept in casual with Purple Cow.

Day 2 was spent at Crater of Diamonds State Park. This park was about an hour from where we were staying.

You can actually dig for diamonds here!

600 diamonds are found a year. But you may also find various types of crystals.

Rent everything you need there or bring your own equipment. You’ll need a shovel and bucket. Before digging, we visited the visitor’s center to learn about the history of the park.

The field can get hot in the summer time so bring a hat and dress cool. The kids had so much fun digging and trying to identify the crystals.

They have an area where you can sift through the materials your dug up. This area can get a little muddy and messy so there’s no need to dress up for this activity.

We didn’t find any diamonds, but we did get a few crystals.

Check out the gift shop on your way out. The kids got some crystals, and I bought a couple of bottles of locally made grape juice, which was delicious.

Day 3

On our third day, we explored Hot Springs National Park.

This is such a unique park because it includes the downtown area where the bathhouses are located.

Start at the visitor’s center to take a self guided tour and learn about the history of the bathhouses and hot springs.

There are three ways to experience the water.

1.Fill up drinking water bottles at Happy Hallow springs. This is some of the best water you’ll ever taste! I’m still thinking about it. You’ll meet locals who swear by this water for everything from staying hydrated to giving it to their pets and plants. There are other springs on Bathhouse Row.

2.Touch the thermal waters at Arlington Lawn. This is a fun area to explore as there are walking trails. You can also touch the 150 degree water, but be careful because it is hot! You can see the steam rising from the springs.

3.Soak in the springs at The Quapaw Bathhouse or one of the other bathhouses.

Hot Springs Mountain Trail is 1.7 miles, easy, and has beautiful views if you’re looking for a hike.

After exploring Hot Springs NP, we headed down to Little Rock, Arkansas.

I got to visit a national historic park I’ve been wanting to visit for a while.

We visited the school and the National Historical Park visitor’s center and learned so much about the nine teens who were the first Black Americans to attend Central High School in 1957. They are know as The Little Rock Nine.

You can visit the school too, but only on the outside as it’s still a current and active school.

And you can get your junior ranger’s badge! This is one of the coolest designs on a badge I’ve seen. I love how it highlights the nine kids on the front.

Next, we went to Little Rock Zoo. The kids loved riding the carousel and seeing all of the animals. Their favorite part and what makes this zoo unique is the Dragon Walking Trail.

They have 10 or so interactive dragons that the kids enjoyed laughing at and running from.

Where to stay?

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Little Rock Downtown. Our suit was spacious and easily accommodated our family of 6 with two bedrooms and a living/dining room area.

The location is also convenient as you can walk to many restaurants and stores.

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/litdogi-hilton-garden-inn-little-rock-downtown/gallery

What to eat?

For breakfast, check out Flora Jean’s. If you have time, eat there because the decor full of plants and natural decor felt magical to be in. They have plant-based and health options. They even have homemade poptarts

For dinner, check out Flying Fish Restaurant. It definitely has a Little Rock vibe to it.

The seafood was delicious.

For dessert, check out Loblolly Creamery to enjoy some ice cream. They had a few vegan flavors that were delicious. I loved the lavender ice cream.

My kids enjoyed sampling the ice cream and choosing their favorite flavors to go on a cone.

We flew out the next day back home. I’m still thinking about the water from the natural springs. It’s some of the best water I’ve ever tasted. I also want to have dinner at Flying Fish some nights, but then I remember I’m not in Arkansas right now. Ha!