4 Reasons to Be Big on Little Rock this Fall

Okay, sure. We get it. “Little” is in our name, but the truth is that there’s nothing little about Little Rock. If anything, we’re an outsized town that’s ready for the spotlight. Don’t believe us? Then check out these five reasons why we are (and you should be!) BIG on Little Rock this fall.

Okay, sure. We get it. “Little” is in our name, but the truth is that there’s nothing little about Little Rock. If anything, we’re an outsized town that’s ready for the spotlight. Don’t believe us? Then check out these five reasons why we are (and you should be!) BIG on Little Rock this fall.

If you’re BIG on flavor, you’re big on Little Rock

Saying Little Rock is BIG on food is an understatement. We’re home to 10 Arkansas Food Hall of Fame inductees and one of Arkansas’s two James Beard Award-winning restaurants. If that wasn’t enough, we’ve been named “America’s Next Top Foodie Destination” by the Foodie Flashpacker, one of “15 Southern Cities All Food Lovers Should Visit Now” by Southern Living and Food & Wine. Forbes Travel Guide named us a “Top 5 Secret Foodie City,” and the folks over at Bourbon & Boots said we were among the “8 Most Overlooked Foodie Towns in the South.” In short, whether you’ve got a hankering for barbecue, a craving for catfish or a thing for tasting menus, your new favorite restaurant is right here in Little Rock.

And don’t think that our local flavor stops there. With six breweries, two wineries and a nationally renowned distillery, you’ll find something to sip on around every corner. Pick up a copy of your Locally Labeled Passport and see a different side of the city through its numerous tasting rooms.

If you’re BIG on the outdoors, you’re big on Little Rock

Arkansas’s official state nickname is “The Natural State,” and nowhere else is that more evident than Little Rock. The city’s unique positioning, on the bank of the Arkansas River and at the edge of both the Ouachita Mountains and the Mississippi Delta, means that almost every landscape imaginable is just a short distance away. Little Rock’s abundant parks and green spaces are the city’s most natural resource, and chief among these is the Arkansas River Trail, a 14-mile loop that lets visitors walk, run, bike and hike on both the north and south sides of the river. Little Rock has more than 1,200 miles of cycling trails just waiting to be explored.

To the city’s west is Pinnacle Mountain State Park, the highest point in Central Arkansas, offering bird’s-eye-views of downtown Little Rock. Nearby is Rattlesnake Ridge, a protected natural area with some of the region’s most exciting climbing, mountain biking and hiking trails. And if you’re the kind of person who prefers their adventures to happen a little closer to sea level, grab your paddle and rent a kayak or canoe to explore downtown Little Rock on the Arkansas River or the quiet wilderness of the Little Maumelle River.

If you’re BIG on history, you’re big on Little Rock

Quite a bit of history has happened in Little Rock since its founding in 1821, and it’s still everywhere you look. You can discover Arkansas’s territorial history at the Historic Arkansas Museum, and explore its early statehood in the Old State House Museum, located in the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River. The far-flung battlefields of World War II are brought here via the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, where both a U.S. Navy tugboat and submarine are available for tours. The struggle for civil rights comes to life at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, made famous by the integration of nine African American students in 1957. See the life and work of our nation’s 42nd president at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center, and tour exact replicas of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room.

If you’re BIG on learning, you’re big on Little Rock

Learning never stops in Little Rock. Whether it’s about the fight against global poverty and hunger at the world headquarters of Heifer International, or the role that the Little Rock Zoo plays in animal conservation around the world, Little Rock is a city built for the curious. Downtown, the Museum of Discovery chronicles the wonders of the natural world while the Witt Stephens Nature Center allows guests to get up close and personal with what lies beneath the surface of our local waterways. And don’t forget the Little Rock Audubon Center, where our region’s rarest biomes are protected and studied.

So, whether you’re reading this from the opposite side of the globe or even just right down the road, Little Rock is ready and waiting for you to visit. If you’re big on having a good time, you’re going to be big on Little Rock, and Little Rock’s going to be big on you.

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