Handicap accessible room at DeGray Lake Resort State Park
Handicap accessible room at DeGray Lake Resort State Park

Accessible Arkansas

Here is a sampling of Arkansas tourist sites available to disabled persons who are planning wheelchair accessible vacations. Because the listed sites have varying degrees of wheelchair accessibility, visitors are encouraged to call ahead before making travel plans. 

Arkansas State Parks

Several of our Arkansas State Parks feature accessible lodging. Parks with accessible lodge rooms include DeGray Lake Resort, Mount Magazine, Petit Jean and Queen Wilhelmina. Accessible cabins are found at Crowley’s Ridge, Devil’s Den, Lake Catherine, Lake Chicot, Lake Ouachita, Moro Bay, Mount Magazine, Mount Nebo, Ozark Folk Center, Petit Jean and Village Creek.

For those looking to enjoy the outdoors, accessible trails can be found at several state parks, including Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources, Bull Shoals-White River, Cossatot River, Crater of Diamonds, Crowley’s Ridge, Daisy, Davidsonville Historic, DeGray Lake Resort, Hobbs, Lake Dardanelle, Lake Fort Smith, Lake Frierson, Louisiana Purchase, Millwood, Ozark Folk Center, Parkin Archeological, Pinnacle Mountain, Queen Wilhelmina, Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park, formerly Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park, and Village Creek state parks.

Barrier-free fishing piers are available at Bull Shoals-White River, Cane Creek, Crowley’s Ridge, Davidsonville Historic, Lake Charles, Lake Chicot, Lake Dardanelle, Lake Frierson, Mississippi River, Petit Jean, Pinnacle Mountain, White Oak Lake and Woolly Hollow state parks.

Hiking Trails

Many locations in The Natural State offer accessible trails. For example, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has provided an accessible trail to explore the beauty of the Ozarks around Greers Ferry Lake. The Buckeye Nature Trail, also a National Recreation Trail, is a 660-foot, smooth surface trail accessible to wheelchairs. Located downstream from the Greers Ferry Dam, the Mossy Bluff Trail meanders along a bluff overlooking the Little Red River and provides picnic tables and two vista points for hikers. 

Blanchard Springs Caverns

Blanchard Springs Caverns near Mountain View offers a subterranean adventure with spectacular glimpses of the underground world. One of the cave's trails, the Dripstone Trail, is wheelchair accessible, provided the individual has some assistance. This scenic tour is around a half-mile long and travels through two huge rooms filled with crystalline formations. 

Blanchard Springs Handicap Walkway

Hot Springs National Park

One of the most scenic trails in the state is The Grand Promenade in Hot Springs National Park. A National Recreation Trail, the promenade is one-third of a mile in length and runs parallel to Bathhouse Row. Along the brick-paved path skirting Hot Springs Mountain are benches, game tables, native and ornamental plants, an abundance of birds, and the springs that gave the park its name. Several scenic overlooks offer views of the resort town and the surrounding Ouachita Mountains. The promenade provides wheelchair accessibility via ramps at its south and north ends. 

Hot Springs National Park

Magic Springs & Crystal Falls Water & Theme Park

One the most popular attractions for families in The Natural State is Magic Springs & Crystal Falls Water & Theme Park in Hot Springs. Several of the rides at Magic Springs & Crystal Falls are classified as accessible. The park encourages disabled guests to have someone with them for assistance if needed. 

The Great Passion Play

The Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs is a popular family vacation destination. The focal point of the sprawling entertainment complex is the play itself, which portrays Christ's final days on earth. A recreation of Jerusalem, the colorful market place, the crucifixion and the ascension are all depicted in the outdoor amphitheatre. Other attractions include the seven-story-tall Christ of the Ozarks statue, the New Holy Land, the Sacred Arts Center, the Bible Museum and the Smith Memorial Chapel. The amphitheater is handicap accessible. 

Arkansas Museums

Bentonville is home to the world-class Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. All interior spaces of the museum, including galleries, classrooms, meetings rooms, lobby, library, museum store and Eleven Restaurant are fully wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant. ADA compliant parking is available on the lower level of the parking garage. 

In Central Arkansas, Little Rock's earliest structures are preserved through the Historic Arkansas Museum. The renovated and expanded main building of the museum houses permanent displays of the state's outstanding collection of furniture, silver, pottery, textiles, paintings and firearms, all made by Arkansas artisans and artists over the past 200 years.

Also on the grounds is the Museum Store and the Historic Homes exhibit, including the Hinderliter Grog Shop, a Plum Bayou Log House and the Woodruff Print Shop. According to a museum spokesperson, all the buildings that comprise the complex are barrier-free except for the second floor of the Hinderliter. 

Historic Arkansas Museum

In Helena, the Delta Cultural Center is made up of several venues featuring exhibits highlighting Arkansas Delta themes, such as the Civil War, Native American culture, Old Man River and the African-American experience. Venues include a restored 1912 Union Pacific depot, Beth El Heritage Hall, Cherry Street Pavilion, Fort Curtis, Miller Annex, the Moore-Hornor House, Freedom Park, Battery C Park and the Visitors Center, all of which are handicap accessible. 

The history of the Grand Prairie and the German immigrants that settled the town of Stuttgart can be found at the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie. The prairie's natural and cultural heritage, the history of its rice production, and the popularity of duck hunting in the area are all explained in exhibits. Another display replicates Stuttgart's Main Street during the town's formative years, featuring recreations of period businesses. An early prairie village found on the museum grounds includes an authentic one-room schoolhouse, a re-created home and a reproduction of Stuttgart's first Lutheran church. The 20,000 square-foot main museum and all but one of the prairie buildings are barrier-free. 

Grand Prairie Center

Lodging

Check out some of our accessible lodging options for your next Arkansas vacation.

Lake Catherine Accessible Cabin