My son and I are visiting from Raleigh, NC and we always go to the story time at home so I was so…read morethankful that the Main Library in Little Rock offered a story time. The parking is great. They have a lot designated for library goers. If you are attending the story time they provide you with a free parking pass for up to 2 hours. Which I didn't know but I'll remember for next time. The library is clean and well organized. I love that the kids area is separate from the other parts of the library; it's on the 3rd floor. The kids area was well organized and I love that they allowed the children to be themselves and play. The librarian we spoke with was really nice. She assisted my son with finding basketball books. They had plenty of books to choose from, they also had plenty of games for the kids to play until story time started. Story time was okay. The lady was very friendly to the children and seemed to really enjoy them and knew how to keep them engaged. She didn't seem very organized but her stories + songs were engaging. Overall nice library.

It would be a fantastic place, if you weren't bombarded by the homeless at every turn. I was going…read morethere to get writing and digital art done there. But, unfortunately I have an unpleasant experience when I'm outside the study carrels and sometimes they're full and I can't get one. The staff is amazing and it's an amazing establishment, but you have to get the real answers on here. They're inconsiderate of anyone else in the room, they smell to high heaven, they're aggressive and like to stare, and to top it off some of them will try to peddle shit on you. I once had this squirrelly little guy try to get me to buy some iPhone he stole, despite the fact I have one out and charging on the desk I'd been at. It's generally an unpleasant place to go to unless you can lock yourself inside the study carrels or you're just going to pick up a book.

My visit two years ago was a rocky one and the only bad research experience I have ever had. This…read moreis due to difficult policies and some of the least helpful library staff I have ever met. I'd called a few weeks before the trip to ask one or two questions. One of these questions was, "Are there any fees?" The answer was "No." I should have been more explicit and asked if there were any costs associated with printing, but I assumed that this would have been stated if the machines could not save to a flash drive and printing had a cost. I was incorrect. The Arkansas History Commission is the only place I've ever visited in several years of doing research without at least a few microfilm machines connected to computers for flash drive saving. I made the novice mistake of not bringing very much cash with me (what I had was meter money I always take when going to a city). Turns out the History Commission requires money to be pre-loaded onto a card which the printer will charge when it prints. I was definitely unprepared for that, but I learned my lesson and from then on I have always brought money to libraries I have never visited before. With no ATM in the building and no advice as to where I might find a bank nearby (I asked and was offered no information), I took off and drove around Little Rock looking for a gas station or bank. It took awhile. I came back and handed a $20 bill to the employee at the desk. I said, "I'd like $5 on a card, please." "I'm sorry, but we don't make change," she replied. I blinked. "Do I get change back if any is left when I'm leaving?" "No, but you get a refund for the $1 deposit of the card," she said. I stared, speechless. I think she and another employee realized that the "no change" issue would have been a good thing to mention before I left, because they made the change without my having to say anything else. This won me over because I was then able to sit down and get to work at long last. In sum: 1. When someone asks if there are fees associated with using a facility, it is the job of the staff member to bring up everything with a price: fees for parking or meters, fees for printing, fees for photocopies... anything short of a vending machine. 2. The microfilm card idea, and the inability to receive a refund from the card, made things a hassle. 3. The worst part was the non-helpful and non-friendly staff. They couldn't provide any idea as to where I might find an ATM when I said I'd come from out of state? Was I to believe they'd never driven by a bank in the entire time they'd worked in Little Rock, the capitol of the state?

I actually live near Morrilton, Arkansas, so I usually visit the Arkansas History Commission every…read moremonth or so. There are some very excellent and knowledgeable staff who work there and there are some who barely know where any of the records are or have any clue whatsoever about researching family history. You never know how good the staff will be the day you visit in advance unfortunately. As far as records go, there are a wide range to look at including records from other states besides Arkansas! There is a wide range collection of Arkansas records available to look at including microfiche, microfilm, books, census, and even newspapers. While there is a nice collection of cemetery records, some counties have a lot and other counties don't have any for instance. The History Commission has started offering quite a large selection of their information on a website that has no service charge as far as I could tell when using it. I would strongly suggest looking through the site before visiting the History Commission in person, which could save a lot of time and allow you more time to look at the records not included on the website. As far as I know, there is only a fee of ten cents a page for photocopying records, including printing from microfilm, which is nice to have and be able to look at on later dates or to have for your records. If you are new to researching your family tree, I wouldn't suggest visiting the History Commission until you have exhausted talking with family members, the internet, and local research facilities, like your public library and Family History Center. Visiting your local Family History Center will give you the experience of researching a facility and where you can usually get excellent help learning to research your family history and prepare you for the possibility of visiting the Arkansas History Commission when the staff may be either overwhelmed with work or not knowledgeable about their collection or know how to go about researching your family tree. I would strongly suggest visiting the Arkansas History Commission on a Saturday, if possible. Nearby parking is free and more available due to other local state agencies being closed. Also, there are usually fewer people using the facility that day too. You will need to use the building's west side, I believe. It's not the entrance located on the oval in front of the building, but on the side toward the back of the building down the hill from the front. I hope this information is helpful to anyone considering researching at the Arkansas History Commission. There is also a large collection of Arkansas historical documents and books located at the main Little Rock Library where much of the information available is not duplicated at the History Commission. I absolutely love the Arkansas marriage record collection at the library.

I was so excited to check out this library for a study session... It's a beautiful historic brick…read morebuilding in the heart of the "downtown" Argenta district, and it used to be a post office. So much potential for absolutely cool design and historic references inside. Sadly, I was severely let down. We came in the back, and when we opened out into the main level front area, it was an open room with some tables/chairs in the middle (they looked like card tables covered with a paper tablecloth...?). There was no great study space in here, just odd tables dropped in an open room, with nowhere apparent other space to go. Off on the side there was a decent sized art exhibit of water color paintings. While they were nice paintings, it didn't solve my library study space issue. We found our way upstairs, with a small open space that had very few tables, and then a large, open computer room. The rest of the upstairs seems to be the children's space. While I can understand the challenges of coming into a building that was designed to be something else, I was a bit underwhelmed by the different area setups. The upstairs computer section was actually pretty nice, though used a lot of space unnecessarily while any/all other spaces seemed to suffer. Not to mention, aside from the children's section, there were very few books in the library. I'm sure there very plausibly could be an explanation to this, but to me it seems like a work in progress and not worth a visit yet. The three stars is more for the potential here.

The whole spirit of this library breathes new breath into the spirit of progressive democracy…read more From the very large and impressive exhibits to the smallest of contributions. I am so glad we made the effort to witness it all in our short time in Little Rock.

The presidential library was free on Independence Day so we took advantage of it and went for a…read morevisit. I really enjoyed finding a few references to Pittsburgh's Mr. Rogers as well as the special exhibit on the Bill of Rights in partnership with the National Archives. We didn't stay for the reenactment due to the heat, but was fun to catch folks in their costumes. The Clinton Library volunteers were out in force and offered great welcome and hospitality to all. This is a must see when in Little Rock.

Arkansas DMV - I have been putting off getting my Real ID ( California mad it so impossible to get)…read more- I went into the Conway office and drew my number it was 01 , and the number they were on was 52. I thought okay it's going to be a little while, as I was sitting there waiting I was watching their screen with information and it was saying that the online appointment was a way to make your trip quicker. I thought to myself what could it hurt to look. Found the website and selected the date and time Thinking well let's see. I got into the office at 12:30 made my appointment for 12:45 ! I actually had the most helpful gentleman John helping me and he actually let me see the picture ( and a retake) I walked out of the office at 12:55 with my Real ID in hand! What an amazing experience.

There's an old yarn about small people having their little area of control that makes them feel…read morebig. Nowhere more was that readily apparent then when I visited this office today. I arrived last week and was unable to get my Arkansas drivers license with the proper verification because of the onerous amount of required documents to prove residency requirements. I arrived today, thinking that my hiring letter would be enough to prove my occupation has brought me to the state. Despite numerous forms of identification, the workers refused to accept my documentation as proof of residency. The clerk offered to grab the supervisor, but he came in with such an incredibly rude disposition, arrogance, and dismissive attitude, he was impossible to have a conversation with. He made no attempts at empathy, repeatedly talked down and over me, and constantly interrupted. When I said, "hey, could you not come in so hot?" His answer was "I'm not coming in hot" with the same aggressive tone that I was kindly asking him to reconsider. I have not been treated so rudely and so dismissively in quite a long time. Rather than continue to stand there and be insulted and treated rudely by such a pedantic and petty man, I walked out. I will not return to this location and will happily drive the extra 20 minutes to North Little Rock simply to avoid this bloviating asshole.

This is a nice walking trail for people and pet owners. The trail is very wide and has poop bag…read morestations along the way. Great place to walk.

My company paid for membership last year. We attended 18 meetings and participated in several…read moreprograms. We engaged hundreds of guests. We followed up on reported leads. We posted events in LRRCofC calendar for 9 months. We never had a single attendee from LRRCofC attend any of those events. We never got a single inquiry about our services. We did get numerous unwelcome solicitations. Since moving to Little Rock from out of state we have had exactly one client in the state of Arkansas. Yhat client was NOT connected to LRRCofC. Our calendar is filled with events for clients that pay us to travel from Arakansas, but nothing locally. We have had much better success in other cities CofC. One little clue to this Chamber's myopia is while they have a multi-million dollar facility at a prime location in Little Rock, the fountain at their front door has not been maintained for the past three years. Tourists, visitors to the Convention Center across the street, and those using the Trolley stop on their corner are exposed to the stench and trash in the fountain. Clearly, LRRCof C does not care about citizens of Little Rock or small businesses and advocates only for further enrichment of the rich and powerful. This is clear from the advocacy statement opposing unionization and corporate taxation on their website and their recent actions in securing tax breaks and land for unscrupulous corporations. We regret having paid into an organization overplays its effectiveness to small business and purports to support its region, but actually works to further exploit its people.

Great networking opportunities and they work hard for our community!read more

Haven't walked these halls in a few decades. Lovely exhibits celebrating America 250. We were…read morewarmly welcomed with Arkansas hospitality and able to explore the exhibits. Definitely worth a visit!

Construction of the capital took 16 years, from 1899 to 1915. It was built on the site of the state…read morepenitentiary & prisoners helped construct the building. They lived in a dormitory that was on Capitol grounds. The exterior of the Capitol is made of Arkansas limestone. It cost $2.2 million (or $320 million in 2014 dollars). The front entrance Tiffany doors are made of bronze, which are 10 ft tall OK this gotta be an elevator here 10,000. The cupola or dome is covered in 24 karat gold leaf. The government was formerly located in the Old State House.