10 Timeless Towns In Arkansas
Starting from the Quapaw or akansea Native Americans to trailblazers and gangsters from the old days, the state of Arkansas has added and witnessed its fair share in the annals of American history. Many of the timeless towns in Arkansas preserve the monuments and heritages of the past so that later generations can learn from the errors and victories of their forebears. So whether you are feeling relaxed and rejuvenated in premier resort towns like Eureka Springs and Hot Springs, learning about famous individuals in destinations like Batesville and El Dorado, or simply admiring the landscape in small towns like Calico Rock, the state of Arkansas will keep you enthusiastic and energized to keep on exploring for more.
Eureka Springs
Eureka Springs, although having been incorporated and further established in the 1800s, has been a fabled Native American hotspot due to its soothing, healing waters. One can feel entranced and enchanted by the looming figure of the Christ of the Ozarks Statue on the slopes of the Ozark Mountains. One can also feel humbled by the sights of bears, lions, tigers, and cougars roaming freely in areas like the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. Additionally, travelers will be amazed by the "living" caverns of the Onyx Cave Park and the refreshing attractions around Beaver Lake.
There are a number of haunted houses you can brave in Eureka Spring's historic downtown. Most importantly, you will be revitalized by the accommodations afforded to you from some of Eureka Springs’ enthusiastic lodgings like the Osage Creek Lodge, the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, the Basin Park Hotel, and much more.
Pocahontas
So named after the famous Native American woman of the Powhatan people, the town of Pocahontas is situated on the Black River on land that was formerly the hunting grounds of the Osage Native Americans. Starting out as French trading post in 1770, Pocahontas was a frequently visited supply stop for frontiersmen traversing the Old Southwest Road during the Louisiana Purchase. Arkansas’s first grist mill, deMun Mills, was built in 1813 south of Pocahontas. In the decades of the 1800s, Pocahontas prospered as a prominent port community for flat and keel boats travelling through the Black River.
During the American Civil War, the Southwest Trail—part of the Arkansas Heritage Trails System—became major emigration route which Confederate General Sterling Price's troops utilized during Price's Raid. More of Pocahontas’s history can be viewed in locations such as the Eddie Mae Herron Center/Museum and a restored Victorian Italianate courthouse from 1872.
Batesville
Batesville, found about 90 miles away from the city of Little Rock on the banks of the White River, was once a former territory of the Osage people until they ceded the land to the United States government in the year 1808. When the American Civil War reached Batesville, the famous General Sterling Price made the town his headquarters. Travelers need not fear any form of retaliation these days when they are traipsing through the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, or gallivanting at the Polk (or Poke) Bayou Park.
One can go swimming at several pools unusually called the “The Rocks.” You can also admire the vintage Art Deco architecture of the Melba Theater or learn all about Mark Martin, a renowned NASCAR driver, at the Mark Martin NASCAR Museum. Furthermore, there are a number of interesting highlights and landmarks to find along the Arkansas Heritage Trails System that Batesville is part of. More importantly, you can spend a longer time in town once you book a room in lodgings like The Royal on Main or Hampton Inn Batesville.
Van Buren
Opposite the historic location of Fort Smith on the banks of the Arkansas River, and right beside the state border of Oklahoma, the town of Van Buren shares its name from President Martin Van Buren. When a man named Thomas Martin established a town by the Arkansas River in 1818, it was originally called Phillips Landing after Thomas Phillips who purchased the land in 1836. However, it was renamed two years later after the aforementioned US president. Over the years, Van Buren thrived as a “fitting-out” center for settlers moving to the West, and then a major railroad junction point for river traffic since the year 1873. Several historic smelters and glass factories have been in operation since the 1900s when natural gas was discovered in Van Buren.
Bob Burns was a popular humorist born in Van Buren who invented the musical instrument known as the “bazooka,” which the shoulder-rocket weapon widely used during World War II was also named after. Visitors can learn more about Van Buren and Fort Smith’s interconnected histories at the Arkansas Welcome Center at Van Buren/Fort Smith, or you can tour the Drennen Scott House that was once the home of one of Van Buren’s founders. You might also fancy exploring the Ozark National Forest, the Lake Fort Smith State Park, and Devil's Den State Park to the north of Van Buren.
El Dorado
The legend of El Dorado, the City of Gold that men like Sir Walter Raleigh sought, continues to attract everyone. And even though the small town of El Dorado in Arkansas has next to no connections to the fabled golden metropolis, it is nevertheless made its mark in local history. It is known for being “Arkansas’s Original Boomtown” since the oil boom of the 1920s was most prominent in El Dorado. In years past, specifically in the year 1902, El Dorado was transformed into a gunslinging showdown between two prominent families, the Tuckers and Parnells, of which a popular theatrical performance known as “Showdown at Sunset” can be watched every Saturday evening in the summer.
Regardless of the lack of actual karats of gold in El Dorado, you can certainly find the black gold of oil in historic locations like the John Newton House and the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources. In contrast, the South Arkansas Museum of African-American History focuses more on the African-American history that towns like El Dorado participated in various degrees. Should you wish to see more of what El Dorado has to offer, you can always book a room in one of the town’s beautiful establishments like the Haywood El Dorado Tapestry, El Dorado Inn, or Candlewood Suites El Dorado.
Arkadelphia
At the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, the delightful town of Arkadelphia is home to the prominent universities of the Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University. About midway between the cities of Texarkana and Little Rock, Arkadelphia was established in 1811 on the Ouachita River and near the Caddo River, and it was an operator of a nearby salt works named John Hemphill who founded the town in the first place. Originally it was called Blakelytown until the year 1837 when the townsfolk decided to combine the words Arkansas and adelphia (Greek meaning “brother-place”) together.
During the American Civil War, the Confederate armies used Arkadelphia as a major supply depot and ordnance works to empower their troops. Over the years, Arkadelphia became known for its educational institutions as well as A Festival of Two Rivers is held annually on the month of April where one can participate in canoe races and other activities by the Ouachita River.
Arkansas Post
As an unincorporated and often unknown community about an hour away from Pine Bluff, the little and unassuming town of Arkansas Post used to be the most important and influential site in all of Arkansas. After French traders established the first permanent European colony in the Mississippi River Valley in 1686, and relatively close to a Quapaw village called Osotouy, Arkansas Post was the only site in Arkansas that experienced a battle in the American Revolutionary War known as Colbert’s Raid in the year 1783. Then around the time of the American Civil War, Arkansas Post became the first territorial capital of Arkansas from 1819-1821.
Even though Arkansas Post has been somewhat abandoned due to the past wars and conflicts, the Arkansas Post National Memorial—which President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill to preserve and create—memorializes the battlegrounds and history of Arkansas Post in addition to entreating visitors with spectacular sceneries of the marshes and swamps which the Arkansas River feeds. One can learn more about Arkansas Post from the Arkansas Post Museum, the A M Bohnert Rice Plantation, and Arkansas Post National Memorial Visitor Center.
Calico Rock
Calico Rock, less than an hour away from both Cherokee Village and Mountain Home, is one of the best places to participate in timeless Rainbow Trout fishing on the meandering White River. So named after the calico cloth-colored markings on the bluffs looming over the White River, Calico Rock started out as a steamboat landing in the early 1800s and eventually became a prosperous boomtown in 1902. Among the many destinations surrounding this simple town are the Ozark National Forest, the Syllamo Mountain Bike Trail, the Sugarloaf Mountain Lookout Tower, and the Blanchard Springs Caverns.
At the Calico Rock Museum, you can admire a few exhibits and displays of Native American artifacts uncovered in the region. Flanking a narrow street corridor known as Peppersauce Alley are dozens of historic shops and buildings you can purchase vintage items or go exploring at your leisure. Finally, some of Calico Rock’s resplendent abodes like the Calico Bluff American Cabin will keep you satisfied and safe in your vacation in town.
Camden
Approximately 34 miles north of El Dorado and on the Ouachita River, the comfortable town of Camden was first known as Écore á Fabre from one of its earliest settlers in 1824. The Mc Collum-Chidester House contains the artifacts and articles of another of Camden’s founders and also delves into the history of Camden alongside the Historic Missouri-Pacific Train Depot. The town started out as a major cotton shipping terminal in Southern Arkansas and a Confederate stronghold that witnessed the Battle of Poison Springs nearby.
Rather than cotton, Camden is now famous for harvesting kaolin clay (used in pottery and chinaware), lignite, sand and gravel, and petroleum and for manufacturing automobile equipment, disposable diapers, explosives, and ammunition. For recreation, one can go strolling through the White Oak Lake State Park or at the Poison Spring Battleground Historical Monument. And for lodgings, look no further than to places like Comfort Inn Camden.
Hot Springs
About 35 miles north of Arkadelphia, travelers will be amazed and astounded by the beauty of Hot Springs, the former boyhood home of President Bill Clinton. Ever since Hot Springs became a federally protected area in 1832 to ensure the maintenance and purity of the 47 naturally flowing thermal springs on the southwestern slope of Hot Springs Mountain, the town has prospered as a premier resort town in the Ouachita Mountains. The town even accommodated infamous gangsters from the 1940s to '60s, among them Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Owney “The Killer” Madden, and others, which the Gangster Museum of America catalogs.
These days, travelers will be enchanted by Hot Springs numerous festivities and events each year, among them the Hot Springs Music Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival, Hot Springs Jazz Festival, Hot Springs Blues Festival, the downtown Bathtub Races, and the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade. The Mid-America Science Museum, winner of 2016 National Medal for Library & Museum Service from the Institute of Museum & Library Services, is a great destination to invigorate your scientific curiosity, while the Garvan Woodland Gardens and the Hot Springs National Park feature dozens of natural wonders to immerse yourselves in. But probably the best attractions are the accommodations afforded to visitors in lodgings like the Arlington Hotel, the Wildwood 1884 Bed & Breakfast, or The Reserve at Hot Springs.
Hot Springs, Pocahontas, Camden, Arkansas Post—these and more are just some of the many timeless towns in Arkansas that visitors ought to tour on their memorable adventures throughout the state. From Arkansas Post, one can learn all about a handful of battles that were raged in the American Revolution and American Civil War. From Hot Springs, you can soak in over 1,000,000 gallons of 143°F water flowing from the mountains whilst studying the historical figures that made Hot Springs a favorite retreat. Then in other locations like Arkadelphia, Pocahontas, Eureka Springs, and more, you will be enlightened and surprised by all the new things to know and remember in the many timeless towns to visit in Arkansas. Turn history into a hobby and the past into a pastime when experiencing the amenities given to you from the timeless towns in Arkansas.
