Move over New Year’s Resolutions. Here are 100 things you should do around the Natural State in 2019, instead.
Each January, millions of Americans attempt to chart a new course in life by setting a handful of New Year’s Resolutions. But for all the good intentions, seldom are they ever achieved. In fact, according to U.S. News & World Report, 80 percent of all resolutions fail by February and only 8 percent of people ever achieve their goals.
This year, we’re going to try something different. Rather than make a few lofty resolutions that will be out the window before Groundhog’s Day, we’ve decided to spend 2019 marking off things on AY’s first-ever Arkansas Bucket List.
Let’s face it: our resolutions often fail because they are rooted in something negative. We’re unhappy with our weight, how much time we spend on our phones, how much money we waste. And setting a resolution means depriving ourselves of something we want. Life is short. How would you rather be spending the year?
We’re here to help by providing you with a great start. The following list is comprised of 100 things you can do and see in every corner of our great state. We’re certain we didn’t include everything there is to do – you might not see something that would have made it on your bucket list. But it’s a start! Take these 100 opportunities and add your own. And most of all, have fun and make the most of your year.
Attend a Battle of the Ravine college football game played annually by Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University.
Arkadelphia
Bike the Iron Mountain Trail, an exciting singletrack mountain bike trail.
Arkadelphia
Visit Arkansas Post, the state’s first capital.
Arkansas Post
Pick cotton in the Delta at Peebles Farm.
Augusta
Explore the Mark Martin Museum, home of Arkansas’ NASCAR legend.
Batesville
Catch a movie at the Ozark Foothills Filmfest.
Batesville
Wear a kilt to the Scottish festival at Lyon College.
Batesville
Marvel at the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel, designed by E. Fay Jones.
Bella Vista
Admire art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Bentonville
Visit the Walmart Museum and 5&10, a store designed to remind us of the Walmarts of old.
Bentonville
Visit the DeGray Lake Resort State Park.
Bismark
Buy a book from The Blytheville Book Company, formerly That Bookstore in Blytheville.
Blytheville
Fish for smallmouth bass on the Kings River.
Boston Mountains
Scout for elk in the Ozarks.
Boxley
Find the Louisiana Purchase monument in the Arkansas Delta swamplands.
Brinkley
Experience the toad races at Toad Suck Daze during the summer festival.
Conway
Tour the Lower White River Museum.
Des Arc
Step back in time at the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home, where the country legend grew up.
Dyess
Drive the Great River Road, a 362-mile stretch of road along the Delta.
East Arkansas
Walk the historic courthouse square in El Dorado.
El Dorado
Rock out at the El Dorado Music Fest in the Murphy Arts District.
El Dorado
Pray at the Christ of the Ozarks statue, which stands seven stories high.
Eureka Springs
Stay at the historic, and possibly haunted, 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa.
Eureka Springs
Sleep in an old gas station at the Texaco Bungalow.
Eureka Springs
Look for alligators in Grassy Lake.
Faulkner County
See a drive in movie at 112 Drive In, one of the state’s last remaining drive-in theaters.
Fayetteville
Call the Hogs at Razorback Stadium on gameday.
Fayetteville
Buy a book from the maze of literature at the Dickson Street Bookstore.
Fayetteville
Wander through the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks.
Fayetteville
Go on a wild cave tour at Blanchard Springs Caverns.
Fifty-Six
See The Unexpected, an annual public arts festival.
Fort Smith
See Elvis at the Chaffee Barbershop Museum, where the King of Rock received his military haircut.
Fort Smith
Visit the courtroom of Judge Parker, known as the “hanging judge.”
Fort Smith
Watch the water roll at Mammoth Springs, the state’s largest spring.
Fulton County
Find the Gurdon Light along the railroad tracks, believed to be a wandering spirit.
Gurdon
Float the Spring River.
Hardy
Take a guided fishing trip at Lindsey’s Resort.
Heber Springs
Watch the World Championship Cardboard Boat Races on Greers Ferry Lake.
Heber Springs
Listen to the King Biscuit Hour, the country’s longest-running radio station, at the Delta Cultural Center.
Helena-West Helena
Buy a record at Bubba’s Blues Corner, one of Helena’s oldest record stores.
Helena-West Helena
Enjoy the sounds of the King Biscuit Blues Festival, which always features legendary blues musicians.
Helena-West Helena
Visit the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site.
Hope
Eat an Arkansas watermelon at one of the state’s great watermelon festivals.
Hope or Cave City
Bet on the ponies at Oaklawn, Arkansas’ American thoroughbred racetrack.
Hot Springs
Tour the Mid-America Science Museum.
Hot Springs
Catch a film or two at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.
Hot Springs
Visit the Gangster Museum of America and relive an era that defined the 1920’s and 30’s.
Hot Springs
Stroll down the Arkansas Walk of Fame.
Hot Springs
Catch beads at the world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Hot Springs
Bathe in the thermal hot spring waters or take some home from one of many fountains.
Hot Springs
Stroll through Garvan Woodland Gardens, a 210-acre botanical garden.
Hot Springs
Explore Forrest L. Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center, a learning center with animals, exhibits & self-guided trails.
Jonesboro
Howl with the Red Wolves of Arkansas State University.
Jonesboro
Shop for fine furniture at Paul Michael Company.
Lake Village
Step back in time at Lakeport Plantation, an Antebellum plantation home.
Lake Village
Fly fish on the White River at Gaston’s.
Lakeview
Cross the Arkansas River on foot at the Junction Railroad Bridge.
Little Rock
Take in the history at the Arkansas State Capitol.
Little Rock
Bike across the Big Dam Bridge.
Little Rock
Admire the sculptures at Bernice Garden, a garden created to celebrate the community.
Little Rock
Have lunch along the River Market District, the centerpiece of Little Rock’s downtown.
Little Rock
See a musical hosted by Celebrity Attractions at the Ron Robinson Performance Hall.
Little Rock
Visit the Oval Office at the Clinton Presidential Center.
Little Rock
Watch Arkansas’ premier ballet company, Ballet Arkansas, perform.
Little Rock
Tailgate a college football game at War Memorial Stadium.
Little Rock
Hike Mount Magazine, the state’s highest point, in the Ouachitas.
Logan County
Zipline at Ouachita Bend, an exciting mountaintop adventure.
Malvern
Dig for quartz, crystals and other gems at Mount Ida, the heart of “Crystal Country.”
Mount Ida
Experience classic folk tunes at the Ozark Folk Center.
Mountain View
Watch the sun rise over the Arkansas River Valley.
Mt. Nebo
Dig for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Murfreesboro
Spend the day shopping and dining in Argenta.
North Little Rock
Tour The Old Mill, an 1880’s-style water mill with rustic outdoor sculptures.
North Little Rock
Catch a foul ball at an Arkansas Travelers baseball game.
North Little Rock
Drive the Pig Trail Scenic Byway, through the Boston and Ozark Mountains, during fall.
Northwest Arkansas
Visit Parkin Archeological State Park, where a Mississippian Period American Indian village once stood.
Parkin
Learn about the Civil War at the Pea Ridge National Military Park.
Pea Ridge
Explore the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum, once home to Ernest Hemingway.
Piggot
Kayak down the Bayou Bartholomew, the world’s longest bayou.
Pine Bluff
Float the Buffalo National River, which flows freely for 135 miles.
Ponca
Take a picture on Hawksbill Crag, also known as Whitaker Point.
Ponca
Experience history at the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park.
Prairie Grove
Spend the night in a themed camper trailer at Flamingo Springs Trailer Resort.
Prairie Grove
Hike Pinnacle Mountain, an iconic landmark surrounded by bottomlands.
Roland
Tour Moss Mountain Farm, the homestead of P. Allen Smith.
Roland
Pick berries or wildflowers during the summer months at Wye Mountain.
Roland
Visit the largest mound site in Arkansas at Toltec Mounds.
Scott
Call in ducks from the blind in the duck capital of the world.
Stuttgart
Experience the World Duck Calling Championship at the annual Wings over the Prairie Festival.
Stuttgart
Search for treasure in the Old Spanish Treasure Cave, a cave thought to be discovered by conquistadors.
Sulphur Springs
Be in two states at once at the Arkansas-Texas state line.
Texarkana
Explore the history of tenant farming at the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum.
Tyronza
Ride the Arkansas-Missouri Railroad which travels the scenic Ozark mountains.
Van Buren
Walk with the Beatles at the monument dedicated to the legendary group’s 1964 visit.
Walnut Ridge
Take a step back in time at the Historic Washington State Park, a former pioneer settlement.
Washington
Hike Devil’s Den State Park in the fall, when the leaves have changed.
West Fork
Stand over the mighty Mississippi River at the Big River Crossing pedestrian bridge.
West Memphis
Fish for bream on a south Arkansas oxbow lake.
Wilmot
Shop at White’s Mercantile, an old-time general store for the modern-day tastemaker.
Wilson
Watch the sunset over rich Delta farmland.
Woodruff County