Arkansas is a state in the United States which borders the Mississippi river its east border. Arkansas is not widely recognized overseas due to its small population, but when it is recognized, it is usually recognized as President Bill Clinton's home state. This is rather ironic because the majority of Arkansans are conservative Republicans and very vocal critics most anyone who disagrees with Rush Limbaugh. Arkansas has a backwoods reputation, but much of it is actually technologically on par with the rest of the United States. As an indicator of its cultural advancement, "Pokémon" is on two times a day on weekdays.

However, its backwoods reputation is not totally undeserved. Arkansas has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any state in the US, as well as the highest number of meth labs. Arkansas does in fact have a rather small population (somewhere around 2 million) and low rankings in education and average income.

Thanks to this reputation, Arkansas is ranked very low on the list of favorite destinations, which is exactly how many Arkansans want it. Many of the best places in Arkansas are beautiful, natural, isolated spots which would be ruined entirely if they received too many visitors. However, there are enough places here that you, whther visitor or resident, should really visit.

Geography

Geographically, Arkansas can be split up into six major divisions: the Ouachita mountains, the Arkansas river valley, the Ozark mountains, the gulf coastal plains, the Mississippi delta and Crowley’s ridge.

Ouachita Mountains

The Ouachita mountain reigon is probably the most fun part of Arkansas for the average guy. It’s the gorgeous, sunny, lake dotted areain west central Arkansas. The big attraction here is Hot Springs, but while you’re there, you might as well take a dip in Lake Ouachita (see below.)

Ozark Mountains

The Ozark mountain area is the one that gets Arkansas the uneducated redneck reputation. This is the area with all the little towns and people with strong Southern accents. But if you’re looking for the best rivers and the best mountains, you may not want to go anywhere else. The big city up here is Fayettville, the capital of the Bible Belt, but instead of going there, you should check out the Buffalo River.

Arkansas River Valley

The Arkansas river valley is, as far as I can guess, the most populated area of Arkansas. It is held together by Highway I-30, an infernal stretch of road and the Arkansas River. Try to avoid this road if you can, even if it means driving on the shoulder.

Gulf Coastal Plain

The coastal plain is, in my opinion, the most beautiful reigon in Arkansas (but only by a very small margin.) The coastal plain is a sunny, relatively flat areawith small, aging towns with poorly stocked gas stations and friendly people. The best part about this reigon is bouncing along the roads and watching the fields of crimson clover in the spring.

Missippi Delta

The Mississippi Delta is the area of Arkansas which probably has the most history. It is the home of the Arkansas Post, the first capital of Arkansas, and the mainstay of cotton plantations before the American Civil War. Today it grows most of Arkansas’ rice and soyben crops. It has no major outdoor landmarks that I am aware of.

Crowley’s Ridge

Crowley’s ridge is a strange little mountain range that got lost and ended up in the middle of the north Mississippi Delta. It is a thin hilly reigon, formed by the awesome New Madrid fault. Not the place to go for shopping, but it’s a beautiful place for camping.

Arkansas River

The Mighty Mississippi River

The Mississippi gives Arkansas a priceless chunk of the most valuable waterway on the continent. Through the Mississippi, Arkansas moves its agricultural produce to the rest of the world, which is good, because if it had to go on our roads you’d never get it.

Arkansas Cities (Yes, They DO Exist!)

Little Rock

Little Rock is the big city in Arkansas. Boasting a population of 180,000, Little Rock and its sister city North Little Rock rest along a stretch of hilly, wooded land on the Arkansas River. Some places to check out are the State Capitol, which is a scale model of the Capitol building in Washington D.C.; the Market District, a pretty cool area downtown with great restraunts; Pinnacle Mountain, a very peculiar mountain a few miles outside the city limits; and The Box, a really great burger restraunt in North Little Rock.

Hot Springs

No one’s going to tell you that Hot Springs isn’t any fun. Hot Springs is the home to the Oaklawn racetrack, the world’s only horse race whereyou can apparently win thousands of dollars on bets without tehnically gambling (see above.) It’s also the home of the Vapors nightclub, which was at one time a hangout for organized crime. And of course, if hot water springs are your thing, this is the place to go.

Russellville

This isn’t really a very important city, but it sure has a lot of good restraunts.

Texarkana

”Texarkana is Twice as Nice!” or so says the sign. Texarkana is pretty interesting because, for one thing, it’s the only noteworthy city in the coastal plain area (unless you count Pine Bluff, which I don’t.) Texarkana is split in half by the state boundary between Arkansas and Texas.

Things to Avoid

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are intense cyclones, an extremely destructive and unpredictable features mostly limited to the United States. (If you would like to learn more about tornadoes, there is an excellent documentary called "Twister,"* although after you watch it, you might never leave your cellar.) Arkansas occasionally gets tornadoes, especially in the spring and summer. Since it is so hilly, Arkansas gets far fewer tornadoes than somewhere like Texas, and because of this our tornado warning systems have historically been rather poor. In January of 1997, a set of tornadoes devastated the city of Fort Smith. * Fort Smith is the home of a state-of-the-art doppler radar system which continuously scans the entire state.

Earthquakes

Unbeknownst to most people, northeast Arkansas is the home to the New Madrid fault. We haven't had any real earthquakes in nearly 200 years, seismologists say we're overdue, and this could be a big one. This is especially bad when you consider that the last earthquake, which struck in 1812, had an estimated magnitude of 8.1, caused the Mississippi river to run backwards and rung church bells in Boston. However, the chances of an earthquake interrupting your stay are only slightly lower than the likelihood of Rogers, Arkansas voting in a Communist representative, so relax.

Nuclear 1, Russellville

The Nuclear 1 power plant outside Russllville is considered one of the more dangerous nuclear facilities in the nation. It isn’t likely to melt down, but a minor lek is a possibility...

Roads

Believe me, you’ll want to stay away from these. Although all of Arkansas’ roads are driveable, few make for comfortable rides. If you get motion sickness, just bring a bicycle.