Your Ultimate Guide to Fall in Little Rock

Food Festivals

Little Rock’s dining scene is one of the hottest in the South, and there’s no better evidence of that than a calendar stacked full of can’t-miss food festivals. From annual celebrations like Chili Fights in the Heights or the Arkansas Cornbread Festival to colossal events like the World Cheese Dip Championship or the Main Street Food Truck Festival with its 80-plus food trucks, you’ll be hard pressed to leave town with an empty stomach. And, of course, we can't not mention the Arkansas State Fair, your one-stop shop for a panoply of fried treats and treasures. For a better look at our fall food festivals, check out our blog post here.

The Great(est) Outdoors

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that Little Rock’s most natural resource is the abundance of green spaces nestled throughout the city, and there’s no better place to experience the fall season than outside in one of Little Rock’s many parks. Whether it’s admiring any of the more than one hundred sculptures in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden or admiring La Petit Roche, the stone that gives Little Rock its name, Riverfront Park is the perfect place for an afternoon stroll.

The fun doesn’t stop there, however. At Two Rivers Park you can hop aboard a rented kayak and paddle up the Little Maumelle River. This beginner-friendly waterway is the perfect way to see Little Rock from a quieter, more contemplative angle as you navigate the cypress knees and lily pads of the river.

Spooky Fun

We all enjoy the spooky part of the season and Little Rock loves celebrating the things that go bump in the night. October is when the city gets ghoulish and things kick off at the beginning of the month with the Arkansas Paranormal Expo. Bring your ghost hunting gear because this is your chance to connect with others who are out there searching for all things unexplainable.

If you’re looking for something a little more on the wild side, Boo at the Zoo offers the chance for families to wander the grounds of the Little Rock Zoo as it's filled with colorful lights and Halloween-themed decorations.

Kids on a mission for candy can’t miss the Big Boo!seum Bash. On the Thursday before Halloween, downtown Little Rock’s museums band together to create the city’s largest trick-or-treating route. Fun games, prizes and, of course, candy make this a highlight of the season. And it’s free!

Peep Those Leaves

They don’t call Arkansas “The Natural State” for nothin’. Little Rock sits at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, making it a prime location for viewing the incredible colors of changing fall foliage. From bicycle rides along the Arkansas River Trail, the 17-mile loop that spans both sides of the Arkansas River, to walks along the rolling streets of historic neighborhoods like Hillcrest, The Heights or the Quapaw Quarter, Little Rock offers numerous vantage points on the season’s splendor.

Or maybe you’re looking for something a little more adrenaline pumping? There’s not a better view in all of Central Arkansas than from the top of Pinnacle Mountain. Pinnacle Mountain State Park is home to over 15 miles of trails, all of which offer breathtaking views of changing scenery. Just to the west, Rattlesnake Ridge, one of Arkansas’s newest protected natural areas, offers hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing on over 370 acres of forest – the perfect place to get out and surround yourself with nature.

After all of that fun, you’ll need somewhere to take a rest. Find the perfect hotel for your stay by clicking here.