If you're looking for arts and crafts fairs and downtown gallery walks, Arkansas is the right destination for you. Arts centers and galleries display visual artworks of both the masters and up-and-coming artists in communities across the state. From the arts center in the Capitol City of Little Rock to the many free art galleries in the artist communities of Hot Springs and Eureka Springs, Arkansas offers an amazing outpouring of creative genius.

Arkansas has some of the best small art towns in America, and they come in all sizes. For example, historic downtown Leslie, an Ozark Mountain town of less than 500 residents that maintains its 1920s-era charm, boasts an active community theater, art gallery, museum, and antique shops.

Other towns maintain Arkansas's vernacular craft tradition. Visit the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View and Old Hardy Town for homemade crafts unique to The Natural State. Craft guilds keep the tradition alive as well. The Arkansas Craft Guild, one of the oldest craft guilds in the mid-South, with its Mountain View retail gallery has 300-some artists creating contemporary and traditional crafts.

Southern antiques abound in Arkansas. From huge antique malls (one has 60,000 square feet, another has 80,000 square feet) to small shops along the highway or tucked into downtown historic districts, small to large treasures and collectibles can be found. Larger cities such as Little Rock, North Little Rock, Hot Springs, Conway and Eureka Springs all have a variety of stores. Other communities worthy of a shopping stop include Mountain Home, Brinkley, Heber Springs, Van Buren and El Dorado, just to name a few. Numerous events add to the experience of The Natural State's arts, crafts and antiques culture. Art studio tours and art walks are ubiquitous events. Arkansas's world-renowned craft fairs are offered in the spring and the fall. Antique shows and flea markets provide additional outlets for rare finds.