El Dorado

When planning a meeting, convention or group tour in Arkansas, look south to El Dorado. This historic boomtown and world headquarters of Murphy Oil Corporation has struck big again with the grand opening of the Murphy Arts District. The $54 million renovation centers around the 1928 Griffin Building. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was a former Model T showroom that now houses the 2,000-seat Griffin Music Hall, a farm-to-table restaurant called The Griffin and a cabaret lounge. It also overlooks the 8,000-capacity amphitheater, a two-acre children’s playscape, the largest in the state, and the farmers’ market next door. This is just phase one. Phase two, to the tune of $32 million, will see the full restoration of the historic 1920 Rialto Theater. Also in the works is a 10,000-square-foot art gallery with traveling exhibits, art classes and events. In addition to the Murphy Arts District is lodging, fine dining and a host of attractions like the South Arkansas Arts Center, South Arkansas Symphony and South Arkansas Arboretum State Park.