What's New in 2010

Things You Need to Know

Click it or Ticket – The Arkansas “Click it or Ticket” law is tougher than in the past. Drivers can be pulled over for not wearing a seat belt. Previously, a driver had to have been stopped for a traffic violation before they could be ticketed for not wearing a safety restraint. Not wearing a seat belt is now a primary offense in Arkansas. Remember – when traveling Arkansas’ streets and highways – “Click it or Ticket!!!”

Rachel’s Law – If you’re planning on visiting any of Arkansas’ beautiful lakes and rivers, you need to be aware of a new watercraft law. The legislative act, known as “Rachel’s Law,” raises the minimum age for individuals to legally operate a personal watercraft. The new minimum age is 16. The law covers personal watercraft vehicles. The law is named in memory of Rachel Rutherford, a Little Rock teen who died in 2007 after a jet ski accident. 877-493-6424. www.agfc.com/boating

Social Networking – The staff of Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism is leading the pack in social networking! Become a fan of Arkansas Tourism and State Parks of Arkansas on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter at ARTourism and ARStateParks for all the in-depth scoop on happenings in The Natural State. We have our own Whrrl page at http://whrrl.com/search?q=arkansas. We're on YouTube and Flickr too! Make sure and check out www.VisitMyArkansas.com, where you'll find the latest travel blogs about events and attractions throughout The Natural State. We make it easy for you to get breaking news, sneak peeks and an insider's view of everything happening in Arkansas!

Ozarks

Historic Downtown Pocahontas – In July 2009, Pocahontas received the designation of National Historic Commercial District for 17 blocks of the city’s downtown. The following month, Pocahontas received the designation as a Preserve America Community. The historic downtown is comprised of buildings that date back to 1873. The majority of the buildings within the 17-block area are at least a century old. Downtown Pocahontas is one of the best-preserved examples of Victorian-era architecture in Arkansas. 870-892-0254. SeeRandolphCounty.com

Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area Visitor Center - The 17,500-square-foot center features an exhibit gallery, wildlife viewing area, two rooms for group field studies, orientation room with a 65-inch LCD screen, murals, and gift shop. Interactive displays include computerized notebooks that convert to Spanish.

A replica of a karst cave is inset into a wall, and an example of an Ozark bluff with water flowing over it is featured in the main entry area. Exhibits include a full mount deer and black bear, metal three-dimensional sculptures of birds of prey, and examples of endemic flora and fauna.

Structurally, the design is representative of the old Ozark clerestory barn with wide rafters and high ceilings. It is also a green building and is the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited state parks building and one of the few in Arkansas. A large water feature representing a pond and flowing creek wraps from the front to the back of the visitor center.

Visitors can enjoy the park’s 12,045 acres along with the southern shores of 28,370-acre Beaver Lake. Twenty-two miles of the land are along the shore of Beaver Lake. 10 miles east of Rogers on Ark. 12. 479-789-5000. Friendsofhobbs.com. ArkansasStateParks.com.

The Muse Gallery and Coffee House at Terra Studios – Features over 40 regional crafts people. Coffee house has Artisan breads and pastries from the Ozark Natural Breads Bakery, culinary art goodies from chef Susan Lovett, and Arsaga's fresh roasted coffees. Terra Studios is home of the original Bluebird of Happiness. Ark. 16 E., 14 miles east of Fayetteville. 479-643-3185, 800-255-8995. Terrastudios.com

Osage Creek Performing Arts Center – The center will cater to concerts, other arts performances, crafts fairs and corporate events. This 16,000-capacity concert and event venue is located on an 858-acre farm off Logan Cave Road just north of U.S. 412 in rural Benton County. Construction is slated to begin in the spring of 2010 with completion by fall. This $20 million project is financed by a private investor and will offer 25 to 30 major concerts and festivals per year. www.osagecreeklive.com

Ozark Medieval Fortress – In the Ozark Mountain Region of Arkansas, a team of historians, architectural experts, and passionate and enthusiastic builders are constructing a genuine fortified castle, with 45-feet-high towers, 6-feet-wide walls, a drawbridge, moats, and stone walls surrounding an inner yard using the techniques, material, and rules of the 13th century. This Ozark Medieval Fortress is set to open in the spring of 2010. However, part of the allure will be watching 30 masons, carpenters, and stone carvers dressed in authentic garb work for 20 years to complete the castle. It will be an entertaining, educational, environmental and scientific attraction park. This socio-historic project is the brainchild of Michel Guyot, who launched a similar concept in Burgundy, France 10 years ago with great success. 1671 Ark. 14 W; Lead Hill; 870-436-7625; Ozarkmedievalfortress.com

Queen Anne Mansion – Scheduled to open in March 2010, the Queen Anne Mansion is a destination to experience the finest in American architecture, and decorative and cultural arts. This stately Queen Anne was built in 1891 and sits overlooking the Victorian village of Eureka Springs. Open for group tours and special events; the Queen Anne Mansion’s beauty is in its magnificent scale and its artful details. The home showcases the American Queen Anne style with a wrap-around porch, round tower, leaded and stained glass windows and intricately hand carved woodwork. It is furnished throughout with authentic period antiques. Originally constructed in Carthage, Missouri, the Queen Anne was disassembled and relocated to its current site in 1981. The historic Kelley House is located on the grounds and is also available for tour. Open for weddings, receptions, group tours and special events, the Queen Anne is located just off Ark. 62 at 111 W. Van Buren. Call 1.800.MANSION or visit www.thequeenannemansion.com for details.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Highway 67 – Located along U.S. 67 in Jackson, Lawrence, and Randolph Counties in northeast Arkansas, the highway was home to a variety of nightclubs, theaters, and roadhouses in the 1950s and 60s. Musical giants such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison played at the clubs, resorts, and theaters along the road. Signage along U.S. 67 will denote the historical designation. SeeRandolphCounty.com

University of Arkansas Discovery Zone – Free University of Arkansas children’s museum created in partnership with the Arkansas Discovery Network, a statewide museum collaborative funded by a $7.3 million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. Varying exhibits include the Arkansas Museum Road Trip, designed to encourage viewers to travel around the state to see other features not found in their home area; Traveling with the Arkansas Rocks, Rivers and Roadcuts exhibit which focuses on major geologic features of Arkansas and the processes that shaped and are still shaping the state’s landscape today; and the Magic Planet, a digital video globe. Some of the images programmed on the sphere include global patterns of weather, earthquake and volcanic zones and tectonic shifts. Other Discover Network exhibits scheduled include Backyard Science, Newton’s Corner, Illusion Confusion, Astronomy – It’s a Blast, GPS Adventures Arkansas and Exploring the Frontier. Located one block west of the edge of the U of A campus at 1564 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 479-575-3875.

Arkansas River Valley

Arkansas Tuberculosis Museum – The Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Booneville opened for the treatment of the much-feared and often fatal malady. By 1940, it had become the largest facility of its kind in the United States and was providing research to other sanatoriums as far away as Italy. Many of the Sanatorium buildings still stand and provide excellent examples of Art Deco, Colonial Revival and Craftsman architecture. A museum depicting the center’s accomplishments is scheduled to open this year in honor of the 100th anniversary. 479-675-2666. Booneville.com

Logan County Coal Miners Memorial & Mini-Mine – Phase one includes a functioning blacksmith shop, a company store, a museum, and an underground mining section that depicts the history of mining in Paris between 1800 and 1955. South Elm Street. ArkansasCoal.org

Ozark Courthouse Square Historic District – Properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places include those built in the late 1800s; a walking tour brochure is available at the Ozark Tourist Information Center, 300 West Commercial. www.ozarkareacoc.org

Paris Downtown Historic Commercial District – Recently named to the National Register as a Historic Commercial Downtown District, the buildings located in a contiguous 4-block area date from the early 1930s or earlier, making over 51% of the commercial district buildings as historically significant. The area also includes over 25 additional sites listed on the National Register.

Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival – A long staple event in Kansas, organizers moved the festival to the Ozark Mountains in 2009. Over 10,000 people attended the inaugural Arkansas event, held at Mulberry Mountain near Ozark. www.wakarusa.com

Central Arkansas

Argenta Community Theater (ACT) – A 175-seat Black Box Theater inside the Faucette Building, a part of North Little Rock’s Historic Argenta District, listed on the National Preservation List. Two to four local productions per year ranging from narrative dramas to musical theater will be held as well as the North Little Rock Children’s Theater Summer School/Camp. The space can be rented for special occasions, meetings, gatherings. 401 Main Street. 501-758-1421.

Argenta Historic District Art Galleries – Two new galleries are now open in North Little Rock’s Argenta Historic District. Greg Thompson Fine Art has a wide range of original artwork for those building an art collection; specializing in works of prominent regional artists and museum caliber pieces. 429 Main Street. 501-664-2787. The Ketz Gallery/Art Attack offers art lovers a unique shopping experience with local and regional artists in paintings, pottery, and sculpture. 501-529-6330. ketzgallery@gmail.com

Bandits, Badges & Bars – This new exhibit located in the Old State House Museum in Little Rock explores the state's history of crime, law enforcement, courts, and prisons from pre-territorial days to the mid-1980s. The display has four distinct galleries: The Criminal Element, which chronicles the story of Arkansas’ bad men; Upholding the Law, which tells the story of Arkansas’ law enforcement; The Scales of Justice, which narrates the colorful history of Arkansas' courts; and Behind Bars, dealing with Arkansas' quest to reform its prison system. 501-324-9685. www.oldstatehouse.com

Heifer Village – The village, a $13.5 million project, is an interactive global education facility and is designed as a sustainable and environmentally sensitive building. Adjacent wetlands, which support native species, complement the building’s design. Located on the campus of the Heifer International Center, the goal of the village is to educate visitors about solutions to global hunger and poverty. 501-907-8800, 877-870-COWS. www.heifer.org

Kid’s Bridge – The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum in North Little Rock now has a replica of a ship’s bridge just for kids. It contains a combination of controls from an ocean-going ship and a river tugboat. The helmsman's wheel spins, the four rudder controls move, as do the valve controls and both throttles. 501-371-8320. www.aimm.museum

La Petit Roche Plaza – This is a new and improved area in Riverfront Park that surrounds the Capital City’s namesake – the little rock. Additions include an accessible walking bridge that spans the rock connecting the park and the Junction Bridge, plus a plaza with interpretive graphics explains the significance of “la petit roche.”

Overnight Stays on the USS Razorback – Spend the night on a submarine without joining the Navy. The USS Razorback is a piece of American Naval history present in Tokyo Bay during the signing of the Peace Treaty ending World War II. The floating museum, moored on the north shore of the Arkansas River in North Little Rock, now offers overnight stays for groups. 501-371-8320. http://aimm.museum/

Riverfront Park Sculpture Garden – Seven new pieces of art --“Full of Himself” by Jan Woods, “Cascade” by Ron Chapel, “Bateleur Eagle” by Pete Zaluzec, “Sizzling Sister” by Wayne Salge, “Conversation with Myself” by Gail Fowler, “First Glance” by Denny Haskew, and “Straight and Narrow” by Lisa Gordon are now showcased in Little Rock’s Riverfront Park. 501-664-2393

Urban Canoe Trails – A stretch of scenic Bayou Meto in Jacksonville is now an urban canoe trail. The shaded waterway provides canoers and kayakers a view that can't be seen from any other location, including large cypress trees, beaver dams, and a profusion of wildlife. Ramps are located at Dupree Park and at Reed's Bridge Memorial site. In Little Rock, a new urban canoe launch site is now available at Hindman Park. The new site replaces the informal launch area and provides paddlers easier access to the 20-mile creek and other city parks and trails.

World of the Pharaohs Exhibit – Don’t miss the opportunity to view The World of the Pharaohs: Treasures of Egypt Revealed, on display at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock through July 5, 2010. The Arts Center is one of only three locations in the U.S. where the exhibit will be open to the public. This amazing traveling showcase, presented in conjunction with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, “explores the long-vanished world of ancient Egypt and the pyramids.” It includes more than 200 incredible objects including a colossus of Ramses II, Egyptian arts, amulets and jewelry, statues, stone objects and artifacts. 501-372-4000, 800-264-2787. http://pharaoh.arkarts.com/

Arkansas Delta

Arkansas Delta Music Trail – Sounds from the Soil and Soul – Interpretive wayside signs are located throughout 15 counties of the Arkansas Delta. The signs give background information on legendary musicians, performers, and important musical sites. Signs are now located in Dyess, Tyronza, West Memphis, Brinkley, Marianna, Turkey Scratch, Helena-West Helena, and near McGehee. More signs will be placed throughout the Arkansas Delta in 2010. 870-972-2803. DeltaByways.com

Blytheville Arkansas Welcome Center – The 6,000-square-foot Center offers visitors up-to-the minute information on attractions, regional events, and weather conditions. Travelers will have access to computer kiosks, WiFi, and fresh coffee. The landscaped exterior offers picnic tables for those wishing to take a short break from the road. 5241 North I-55. 870-762-2512. Arkansas.com/attractions/tourism_centers.aspx

Lake Village Arkansas Welcome Center – Located on beautiful Lake Chicot, the new facility offers a spectacular view of Arkansas’ largest oxbow lake. The center offers visitors up-to-the minute information on attractions, regional events, and weather conditions. Travelers will have access to computer kiosks, WiFi, and fresh coffee. The center features a deck overlooking Lake Chicot, complete with a porch swing, rocking chair, fishing pier, and observation deck. 3697 Hwy. 65-82 S. 870-265-5832. Arkansas.com/attractions/tourism_centers.aspx

Mississippi River State Park – Phase 1 of the three-phase process creating the Mississippi River State Park began in May 2009 when Arkansas State Parks took over the management and operations of the Bear Creek Recreation Area on the St. Francis National Forest near Marianna. The area includes two campgrounds, two Day-use areas, a group use area, the boat ramp at Bear Creek Lake, and the Bear Creek Lake Nature Trail. Beech Point Campground, the most popular campground on the St. Francis National Forest, is undergoing a $1.6-million dollar renovation and is expected to open in spring 2010 with full hookups and amenities. The Mississippi River State Park will, upon completion, encompass 550 acres of the St. Francis National Forest. Bear Creek Lake is located on Scenic Ark. 44, six miles southeast of Marianna. 870-295-4040. ArkansasStateParks.com

Arkansas Timberlands

Clinton 1st Home National Park – President Bill Clinton’s 1st Home Museum & Exhibit Center in Hope will soon become part of the National Presidential Parks. On March 30, 2009, President Obama signed into law approximately sixty historic sites for National Parks acquisition. The formal transition to the Clinton 1st Home National Park awaits congressional budget appropriations, scheduled for Winter 2010. During the transition period the National Park Service and the Clinton Birthplace Foundation, Inc. will collaborate to continue enhancements of exhibits and events. For more information, visit the National Parks Service’s Shared Heritage Itinerary Web site at www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/presidents/.

New Cabins at Moro Bay State Park – Five new cabins have opened at Moro Bay State Park in Jersey. Each rental cabin is fully equipped and features a great room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. The 1,100-square-foot cabins include an outside living area furnished with a picnic grill and table. One cabin is a barrier-free design to meet the needs of visitors with disabilities. They are located near the entrance to the park and all overlook the waters of Moro Bay. The park is located 29 miles southwest of Warren on U.S. 63. 870-463-8555. Arkansasstateparks.com/morobay/.

Ouachitas

Evans Children’s Adventure Garden – The new garden is located within Garvan Woodland Gardens, the 210-acre botanical gardens located on the shores of Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs. The Evans Children’s Adventure Garden is 1.5-acre garden providing a series of stone ledges leading the way to an ADA-accessible cave. More than 6.4 million pounds of stone were used in constructing the project, most of it transported from quarries in Arkansas. 550 Arkridge Rd. 501-262-9300. garvangardens.org

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) – The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) located at the Ozark Bathhouse on Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs National Park is now open. MOCA is the first contemporary art museum in Arkansas. The 14,000-square-foot facility, formerly known as the Ozark Bathhouse is a solid addition to the art community and displays modern art pieces from around the world. Renovation work on the landmark took over four years to complete. 425 Central Ave. 501-609-9966. museumofcontemporaryart.com

Oaklawn Gaming and Racing Casino Expansion – A recent grandstand expansion provided Oaklawn Gaming and Racing in Hot Springs more room for live racing, simulcast and gaming (both Instant Racing and electronic games of skill). Since opening in May 2009, the new gaming facility features 650 games of skill including cardless poker and blackjack. Phase two of the expansion is expected to be completed in early 2010 and will add more games of skill (up to a total of 1,100) including the state’s first electronic poker room, featuring Texas Hold ‘Em. Oaklawn Gaming and Racing is Arkansas’ only Thoroughbred horse racing venue. The track consists of a one-mile dirt oval and features live horse races from late January through mid-April and is open year-round for simulcast and all gaming operations. 2705 Oaklawn Ave. 501-623-4411. Oaklawn.com