February Events Taking Place in the Arkansas Ouachitas

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Zoie Clift, travel writer
Arkansas Tourism

Tweet line: Check Out February Events in the Arkansas Ouachitas: http://tiny.cc/nhh8f

Note to the Print and Broadcast Media:

In order to better serve your needs and to keep you from getting extremely long documents from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, we have decided to break down our Travelin’ Arkansas release into regions organized by date. This way you will be able to look only at the areas you are interested in covering. The territories covered in Travelin' Arkansas adhere to the six geographical regions found in the Arkansas Tour Guide. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions: communications@arkansas.com or 501-682-7606.

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The 12th annual Home and Outdoor Show is Feb. 11-12 in Hot Springs at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
More than 100 vendors present the latest in landscaping, windows, doors, cleaning, siding, electronics, lawn mowing, hot tubs, pools, energy saving plumbing, and more. The hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m and admission is $5. For more information visit www.myhotsprings.com or call 501-525-9700.

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Enjoy hiking? Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area in Wickes offers a River Corridor Trail Hike Feb. 12, 19, and 26. Meet a park interpreter to explore nature on a renovated section of the River Corridor Trail. During this5-mile hike, cross over 13 bridges along the river on an easy-to-moderate hike. Bring water and also a camera, binoculars, and a hiking stick if you want. Meet at the low water bridge below the visitor center to start the hike. For more details visit www.arkansasstateparks.com/cossatotriver/ or call 870-385-2201.

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A Valentine's Dinner is Feb. 14 at Queen Wilhelmina State Park in Mena. Head to the mountain for a romantic dinner in the Queen's Restaurant located at the lodge. A special Valentine menu is offered. The park is located atop Rich Mountain, the second highest peak in the state. For more details visit www.queenwilhelmina.com or call479-394-2863.

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The Hot Springs Boat, Tackle and RV Show is Feb. 25-27 at Summit Arena. The event showcases nearly 200 boats and RV’s along with exhibits featuring resorts, campgrounds, boat and RV accessories, a Bassmaster Casting Kids Competition and other exhibits related to the boat and RV industry. Admission is $5 for adults and free for kids 12 and under if they are accompanied by an adult. For more information visit www.dgattractions.com or call501-765-1423.

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Interested in learning about bats? If so, head to Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area in Wickes Feb. 27 for Bat Migration. Some bats live in caves and migrate up to 300 miles to get to the same ones year after year. Bats face great odds to find a suitable cave to survive the long cold winter. Visit an overwintering cave with a park interpreter and learn more about bats and their migration.For more details on this free event visit www.arkansasstateparks.com/cossatotriver/ or call 870-385-2201.