Away from the Crowds in Arkansas

Imagine finding Beatles Park in Walnut Ridge. The Beatles arrived in Walnut Ridge in September 1964. From the Walnut Ridge Airport, the Fab Four were to be secretly transported to a vacation spot. However, this did not turn out to be a secret, and on the day of their departure from Walnut Ridge, the entire town gathered at the airport, and it became one of the biggest events that ever happened to this town.

To be sure that this day was never forgotten, they created Beatles Park, a public amusement area with cut-outs, murals, sculptures, cartoon impressions, and any other artifacts that they could gather related to the band. To this day, the Beatles at the Ridge Festival, an annual celebration, is held in downtown Walnut Ridge, taking place on the third Saturday of every September.

For family fun, visit Cockrill’s Country Critters, where you can get up close and see kangaroos, miniature ponies, llamas, alpacas, slithering reptiles, camels, and lemurs. This is a farm and party venue. It is among the largest petting zoos in Central Arkansas.

Collins Creek Cascade and Trout Stream is home to the first and only documented wild trout population in Arkansas. It is inhabited by many rainbow and brook trout, and since its restoration, the creek has produced all its fish naturally without any artificial stocking. A lovely place to visit in the summer and commune with nature and see the cascades.

Hogscald Hollow, located in Eureka Springs, is the place to go when you want to get away from it all. Here you can go paddling on Beaver Lake and admire a lovely waterfall. The lake also offers swimming and fishing. The surrounding landscape includes limestone bluffs and you can see wildlife.

Peppersauce Ghost Town in Calico Rock was once a thriving town with trappers, French merchants, taverns, some outlaws, and illicit businesses. During this time the local moonshine was known as “Peppersauce.” By the 1890s there were plans to construct a rail line through the town, and by 1903 the area flourished as a railhead and trading hub for zinc, cotton, and timber. Unfortunately the downfall of the town came due to the local electrical plants being shut down due to high-tension power lines, excessive deforestation adversely affecting the timber trade, and cotton was superseded by cattle. Today you can see some 20 buildings, the old prison, an empty lumberyard, a defunct cotton gin, an abandoned funeral parlor, and perhaps some roaming ghostly spirits.

Pivot Rock Park is located in Eureka Springs. It was supposedly the hiding spot of notorious outlaw Jesse James and his James-Younger Gang. This has become a roadside attraction with a gift shop that serves as the entrance to the park. There are interesting rock formations and the iconic eponymous rock standing almost like an inverted pyramid.

Another highlight is the Natural Bridge formation.

See the Popeye statue in Alma which is the “Spinach Capital of the World.” (pictured above) There in Popeye Park is a water fountain, and sitting on top of the fountain is a giant bronze statue of Popeye the Sailor Man. The ‘Spinach Town’ also has a huge water tower that has been painted to look like a spinach can and is considered as the “largest spinach can in the world.”

Quigley’s Castle sits in Eureka Springs. It was the creation of Mrs. Elise Quigley, who wound up with her structure known as “The Ozarks’ Strangest Dwelling.” It all began when Elise Quigley started tearing down the house and, with the help of her family, turned it into her dream house. You can see the castle it became today surrounded by a picturesque garden, and the interiors are decorated with 65-year-old trees that grow among the living space. Mrs. Quigley’s stone collection, family antiques, and memorabilia are on display.

The Old Mill in North Little Rock still looks charming surrounded by nature, sitting on the grounds of T.R. Pugh Memorial Park. It was built by Frank Carmean, a construction worker, and Dionicio Rodriguez, a Mexican-born sculptor. The mill was built to look like it belonged in the 1830s. The floor planks, the water wheel, the huge gnarled bridges, and the mill’s rope were all crafted out of concrete.

A town with the strangest of names, Toad Suck is located in an unincorporated community in Bigelow. The story behind the name of the town is that once upon a time steamboats traveled along the Arkansas River. However, when the water level wasn’t right for steamboat traffic, the captains and crew members waited for the water level to rise in the town, frequenting the local taverns, and apparently, they ‘sucked’ on liquor until they swelled up like ‘toads.’

Every year in May the nearby town of Conway plays host to the Toad Suck Daze, a three-day charitable event that raises money for educational scholarships.

Wattle Hollow Retreat is located in North Arkansas in Devil’s Den State Park. This is the creation of Joy and Merlin Fox, who wanted to have a place close to nature where they could live a holistic life. Merlin passed on in 1985, but Joy continued realizing their dream. The forever work-in-progress property now houses several hand-built houses and structures and hosts yoga, meditation, healing, and vipassana retreats all through the year.