Such a great park with AR River making such a beautiful back drop! I love to take my dog there for…read morean afternoon stroll to watch the sunset on the AR River! It is beautiful beyond words! There is a boat dock, play ground, camp sites, bank fishing, bathrooms, showers and pavilions!

Very nice area. Very small camping area but has plenty of room to stop off and have a picnic…read more Beautiful scenery. Very clean!

The Old Mill is a beautiful spot in North Little Rock, AR amongst a charming neighborhood…read more It's listed as a National Register of Historic Places. Rightly so... the mill is supposedly the "last standing structure" from the movie "Gone With The Wind." The gates opened at 8 AM. Entry was free. By the time we got there, a small group was already taking professional-like photos of their model. The landscaping was nicely manicured. Some of the plants and flowers or trees were labeled with little signs. My girls liked climbing up into the replica "water-powered grist mill." We didn't stay long as dogs were not allowed on the grounds. Our dog stayed in my Jeep while the air-conditioning was on since it was in the upper 80s already. For more info plus an interactive map, go to: https://nlr.ar.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks/old-mill/

It's very relaxing and beautiful there and it just takes you back to bygone era, and it's pretty…read moreneat it was in Gone With the Wind.

This is a pretty place to come with the kids, the dogs or just by yourself…read more Lake Willastein is a man-made lake/earthen dam created in 1942 which perhaps why there are several military-looking bunkers spread around. There's a jogging track, a few piers to fish from, a kids playground and hiking trails that lead back into the woods. There's 53 acres to explore and I have been told, an excellent 4th of July fireworks display held by the water.

Love this park, been coming here since I moved to little rock 5 years ago. It's quiet , clean and…read morealways very pretty! My nana & pawpa live nearby to so that's always a plus. Don't miss out! go to the park!!! run , walk or jog don't get fat ! After this great review everybody should be going to the park and working on their fitness!!!

Margaret Clark Adventure Park is the smaller of the two playground areas that my girls discovered…read moreinside Riverfront Park in Little Rock, AR. This was a bit smaller compared to the other one. In fact it didn't interest my big kids all that much. There wasn't a "can we go back to the other park?" It was, "we're going back to the other one. Bye, Mom." Lol. Just a reminder parents, please teach your kids to pick up their trash right before you leave. It's good for them and helps us all enjoy the park much more. Plus the Arkansas River is just a few yards away.

This is a neat like sub-park/play area located in Riverfront Park, just off of the main section of…read morethe Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden. It is named after Margaret Clark in appreciation of her longtime commitment to children and her interest in Riverfront Park. Her husband William E. Clark, has a wetlands park, down the street from this one by the Clinton Library, that is dedicated to him as well. It is very nice and welcoming. You know you have found the park when you see the twin sheep sculptures, Bliss and Glee, which are the work of Giuseppe Palumb. The park also has a hippopotamus sculpture named Roundbottom, that serves double duty as a bench. It is the work of Tim Cherry. The park opened in 2018 and still looks relatively new. It was designed for children ages 2-5 and is on artificial grass and mud free rubber surface. The park appears to have a nature theme and has a bank of traditional/toddler swings, rocks to climb, percussion instruments, bridges, slides, stand and spin, and a spinning cone climber. The slides are small and there is not much there as far as equipment goes, so I do not see the park entertaining kids much older than 5. It is a nice park though and well maintained. I have no issue with them catering to pre-school kids because sometimes the littles get over run over and pushed to the side by the big kids at other parks. This is not a destination park, but it is nice spot to visit if you are in the area with little kids and some time to kill.

Pinnacle Mountain State Park is a nice place to to spend your day doing hiking and it's only about…read more20 minutes from downtown Little Rock. I spent a few hours hiking on one of the more difficult hiking trails and it was a great experience! The trail was clean and well labeled, but the only difficult part was locating the same trail markers going down the mountain, especially since there are so many rocks and boulders throughout the entire terrain so it was very easy to miss several trail markers on the way down. I love that the state park offers a variety of trails and difficulty levels, so whether you are a beginner hiker or a more experienced hiker, you are bound to have a good time. I enjoyed the trail and the experience of doing some rock climbing, and if I'm ever in the area again I will definitely come back!

1. The new visitors center is STUNNING and has beautifully clean bathrooms, as well as concessions…read morethat might be open occasionally? Love the free AR state park "passports" you can get as well - so many high-quality details!! 2. This was a challenging but well-marked hiking path. For context, we were told there is a "hard" side or an "extra hard" side to hike LOL. We chose the "hard" side. You do need some moderate physical fitness - a good portion of the "trail" was just spray-painted yellow marks on large rocks and boulders you have to climb. But we did it all in under 2 hours? Great views from the top, and there is a wonderful playground in the middle of the parking lot too! What a unique and fun experience. Honorable mention: we saw a raccoon in a Christmas sweater.

Always a great time, we go every year. It's always beautiful and a very nice budget friendly idea.read more

I recently attended an outdoor function here. The facility was well-maintained and tidy…read more I was especially impressed with the cleanliness of the restroom attached to the large pavilion.

On our visit to Hot Springs, we were told to check out Garvan Woodland Gardens. It was definitely a…read moregreat decision to come by and have a nice long stroll through the various gardens, forests, streams, and just nature. Its not too hard to find and there's plenty of parking out front. Leaving the parking lot is a little confusing though (signs would be helpful...). But its well worth the trip out! There were a variety of slices of nature and we spent a few hours here and still did not get to see it all. There's a whole nature preserve that's part of it and apparently great in the dawn/dusk to spot and hear various birds. We did see quite a bit of wildlife and fun plants around so even if we missed the preserve it was fun to see everything else. I think this is a great spot to reconnect with nature for a bit. There were well marked paths so it wasn't too strenuous and there were some more kid friendly areas as well for them to explore and run around.

Options for autumn when Canada was "closed" (1 of 2)…read more - - - - - Covid may seemingly be a thing of the past, but, for some, it will never be forgotten because it affected them or their loved ones in far more serious ways. It changed how we interacted, shopped, circulated, and even limited our options as to where we could travel. For a while, Canada was closed and it always comes to the top of my list when it comes to fall colors. That said, other options became New England, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the Ozarks. Garvan Woodland Gardens is located just outside of Hot Springs, Arkansas, thus in the general Ozarks area. Hot Springs itself was already on the map as place of touristic import. Along a major avenue there is nationally registered "Bathhouse Row," a string of private spas in ornate mansion-sized facilities that rose to fame during the 20th Century. Its most famous visitor may have been Al Capone. I came to learn that Capone died a natural death. One might have thought otherwise. I vaguely knew about these gardens - the Garvan Woodland Gardens. However, if in town and you ask questions about things to do, their existence, and their details, become front and center. It's an easy drive from the small city of Hot Springs. The gardens began as a private garden that then flourished when they were donated and "privatized," or realistically operated by the University of Arkansas. As such, there is an admission fee. As can be expected, the gardens are segmented and themed. The most notable might be the Japanese Garden and the manicured plantings that go with that. There are also other themed areas, including some areas which are a little natural, or scruffier, if you prefer that word. There are other areas such as a toy railroad sort of old town, walkways abutting the lake, and odd contraptions that serve as stairs, bridges, and tree houses. Then, there are some areas with art installations of sort that look sort of granola. I didn't have time to read every placard explaining the logic, if any, of some of these things. There is also a non-denominational chapel on the grounds and it closely resembles the state's Thorncrown Chapel designed by the University of Arkansas's famed alumnus E. Fay Jones. I had already seen that chapel in Eureka Springs, but, if you can't make it to its remote corner of the state (actually just south of and somewhat close to Branson, Missouri), this one will almost enable you to check Thorncrown Chapel off your list. Seasonal blooms will affect what you see. Note that, if seeking fall color in the state, it will come later than other parts of America owing to the more southerly latitude. In the fall, it won't be as "flowery." The forested lands in which Garvan Wooodlands Gardens sits appear to be studded in Southern pine, and reminded me of the vegetation surrounding the Atlanta area. The employees on hand were very helpful. Note that, in this state, your bucket list ,at the very minimum, would be about 3 state parks, 2 more rugged natural areas, the historic areas of Little Rock, Eureka Springs, and Hot Springs, which would include these gardens. The beauty of everything you see may exceed your expectations. Just about everyone is giving Garvan Woodlands Gardens 5 stars. For its context and area, it should fetch 5 stars. However, compared to other places with a similar admission fee, I felt it was closer to 4 stars. It is nonetheless impressive and recommended and you should also consider the month in which you plan to visit. However, it could also be that the few hippie-dippy things there made for an eye roll. They always do.