Looking for a city full of Black heritage, art and great food? Then Little Rock, Arkansas should be on your list of must-visit places. Little Rock is a city rich with history, events and activities to inform and entertain you, your family, and your friends all-year-round.
For the history buff, Little Rock is brimming with heritage and culture. The city is on the United States Civil Rights Trail and is a top ten trail destination. Little Rock is the home of the Little Rock Nine and the phenomenal Daisy Bates. You can visit her home by appointment. You can take a guided tour of Little Rock Central High School, a national historic site. And you can visit Testament: The Little Rock Nine Memorial on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol.
The William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum is a great complex that includes artifacts from the Clinton administration, and permanent exhibits in the museum. For outdoor activities, step outside to visit the Clinton Presidential Park, which has the Anne Frank Tree installation, the Bill Clark Wetlands, and the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge. When you’re ready to rest and eat, 42 bar & table on the premises. The Clinton Presidential Center and Museum is also part of the Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail.
Another historical and cultural stop in Little Rock is the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (MTCC), the first publicly funded museum of African-American history and culture in Arkansas. MTCC has virtual, temporary and permanent exhibits. For kid-friendly fun, there is the children’s gallery, which is designed for ALL children, ages 0 to 9. Also, there is a collaboration with the Arkansas Hall of Fame that showcases the extraordinary accomplishments of Black Arkansans. Call 501-683-3593 for times, days and other information.
Little Rock has done a tremendous job of preserving its history, especially those events that shaped the nation’s history. The array of unique museums and heritage sites in Little Rock requires a tour, whether it’s an escorted tour, self-guided or virtual. Try these audio tours: the Arkansas Civil Rights History audio tour, and the Political History audio tour. You can set out on foot to take these tours: Little Rock Mural tour, Sculpture tour, Little Rock Historic Church tour, Little Rock Military History tour, Little Rock Civil Rights tour, and Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail. You can add a visit to the Little Rock Zoo, while you’re at it. The landmarks are worth an extra day or two of sight-seeing.
A girlfriend’s getaway to Little Rock is a gift that keeps on giving. Little Rock can accommodate all of your soft girl season needs from shopping to lunching, brunching and fine dining. One of the city’s festivals can contribute to a need to dance, shout or simply chill to music. Check these festivals out: Mardi Gras, Jazz in the Park, the Main Street Food Truck Festival, Juneteenth in Little Rock and Central Arkansas Pride Fest. And if you love art and shopping, then visit the Black-owned Hearne Fine Art Gallery and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts to catch new exhibitions and review the collections. Visit the Esse Purse Museum to see purses representing multiple decades of women’s history. They also have a gift shop. So shop.
Visit Little Rock with your BIG appetite. Little Rock’s foodways and culinary fare are as diverse as the people. Visit locally owned establishments like 42 bar & table, which is onsite at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum or eat at two Little Rock favorites for soul and seafood, Sim’s BBQ and K. Hall & Sons.
Experience Little Rock in Color for a week, a day or a weekend. It will keep you busy and it will not disappoint.
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Robin Caldwell is the blogger behind freshandfriedhard.com and a public historian and researcher focusing on Black culinary traditions and foodways.
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