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Few towns in Arkansas offer great options for visitors 12 months out of the year. Mena is one of those places. Even in the chill, you can take in all the thrills.
Arkansas will be a central location for the 2024 North American eclipse path of totality. With the most extended timeframe of totality in Sevier County, near Gillham, their northern neighbor at Queen Wilhelmena State Park in the Ouachita National Forest will host some of the best skies for viewing, especially in open sky spots of lakes and clearings.
We know that Mena, Arkansas, the gateway to the Ouachitas, is a busy and fun place throughout the year. The growing popularity of the Wolf Pen Gap corridor, the attention of the first brewery in a dry county, a historical railroad and train depot, a growing staycation destination, a national scenic byway and a year-round Arkansas State Park and a designated Main Street preservation community. It is truly a place to experience any time of the year, even in our first quarter’s grayest and icy skies.
Its central location in southwest Arkansas, central Arkansas, and the Western corridor of Arkansas makes it a great weekend getaway for couples girlfriends, a quick night out or a weekend day trip for families.
When my family lived in the southwest part of the state, Mena was a town we would visit multiple times throughout the year to watch the foliage and blooming flowers, ride a train and dodge black bears munching on roadside berries.
History of Mena
Mena was founded in 1896 and served as the mid-anchor of Arthur Stilwell’s Kansas City Southern Railroad. Arkansas.com calls it “a railroad town at the eastern foot of Arkansas’ second highest peak, Rich Mountain, and the eastern terminus of the Talimena National Scenic Byway.”
Early on, the town established itself as a tourist destination, claiming to be a spa city with economic interests in timber and natural resources. Over the years, Mena has been an education hub as the home to Commonwealth College in 1924 and later, a technical school opened in 1975. Over time, Rich Mountain Community College became a remote location of Henderson State University, and in 2017, it moved under the University of Arkansas umbrella, keeping the distinct Rich Mountain name.
While the 2017 movie American Made, starring Tom Cruise, depicts an intriguing portion of Mena’s history, multiple tornadoes over time have nearly destroyed the town, but the resilient community and their tenacity to be a destination for economic growth and tourism have rebuilt time and time again. History buffs, hikers, trail riders and artists find this buzzing community far from stale.
What can you do in Mena, Arkansas?
- Queen Wilhelmina State Park is family-friendly, with trails, playgrounds, a lodge, a restaurant and picnic tables. It’s an easy park to drive in winter and fall and get out and explore in warmer months.
- Mena KCS Historic Train Depot is a restored historic train depot from the passenger era. The depot serves as the Visitor Center and tourism office. The primary passenger area displays founders, famous residents, historic home tours, pioneer artifacts and Lum and Abner memorabilia. A 1939 Dodge police car rounds out the grounds of the active railway system. All Aboard!
- Janssen Park is one of many Mena city parks that are great options for children to play and adults to rest and read. Included is an original 1851 log cabin from the city’s founding, considered by some to be a hideout for outlaw Jesse James.
- The Blue Zipline and Farm is a family destination with ADA accommodations, using the farmland as an outdoor classroom.
- Wolf Pen Gap, in the Ouachita National Forest, is 41 miles of recreational trails for ATVs and off-road vehicles. Nearby, many cabins offer ride-in/ride-out accommodations.
- Mena Art Gallery – a growing artist community makes this town a destination for art lovers.
- Lake Wilhelmena is an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reservoir used to raise rainbow trout and channel catfish at different times of the year.
- Mena has 33 structures on the National Historic Register and five hold significance to the state of Arkansas. Historic Homes walking and driving tours are a great way to explore the town.
- While a more significant Mountain Bike Trail Project is underway, Mena currently hosts four paths with various difficulty levels.
- Shady Lake Recreational Area is one of the best spots in the state to see undisturbed fall colors and CCC construction. It is an outdoor photographer’s dream.
- Board Camp Crystal Mine is an open-air, guided mine-digging venue with extraterrestrial sightings.
- Antique shopping and flea markets
- Christian Motorcycle Association campground brings visitors to the area throughout the year for family camping and conferences.
- Antique Malls and Flea Market treasures abound in private studios and around the historic commercial district.
- Ouachita Little Theater hosts productions year-round with community leaders as cast members.
Photo used with permission from The Ouachitas.
Where can you eat in Mena, Arkansas?
- The Ouachitas Entertainment District – Pizza. Coffee. Tap Room. That’s all you need to know!
- American Artisans Eatery & Gallery – specialty foods and eclectic tastes surrounded by local art
- Skyline Cafe opened in 192 and still serves a similar menu to downtown diners.
- Myers Cruizzers Drive-in is everything you want from a 50s drive-in – fried appetizers, flattop burgers with all the veggies, shakes, and sundaes dripping with hot fudge.
- Chopping Block – what started as a butcher shop and deli turned into a full-service restaurant serving the finest meats for nearly 50 years.
- Suzy Q’s – coffee, gourmet hot chocolate, decadent sundaes and burgers
- Sassafrass Bakehouse is a pop-up bake shop with treats served at several restaurants around town.
- Fully Baked Cafe is everything you want in a local diner where people gather for weeknight dinners and weekend brunch.
- Big D’ Station – Don’t miss this stop behind the Exxon station with breakfast platters and plated BBQ lunches.
- Little Italy – authentic Italian-made dishes.
- Reiki Hibachi and Sushi House is the local spot for Asian cuisine.
- Cocina Flores – local authentic Mexican food.
- Sherwood Bistro – sandwiches, soup and coffee to warm your heart.
What else can you do near Mena, Arkansas?
- Jot ’em down store in Pine Ridge – home of the Lum and Abner museum, curators of pioneer life and the basis of a show by natives Chester Lauck and Norris Goff of a 1930s radio show.
- Cossatot River State Park is a natural swimming area with up to Class V rapids. But the cool, clear water is a great summer swimming hole, and the Cossatot Falls are beautiful right after a significant rain or snow melt.
- Lake Ouachita State Park is home to Arkansas’ largest lake, a historic spring, and quiet coves for fishing and water sports.
- Historic Washington State Park, a premier Arkansas Preservation story, was the Confederate capitol of Arkansas during the Civil War. The park mimics a 19th-century Arkansas community along the Old Military Road and Southwest Trail.
- Hot Springs – home to a National Park, Gangsters, baseball players and Bathhouse Row.
- De Queen and Gillham lakes offer cabins and quiet waters for boating, fishing and birdwatching.
- Mount Ida – the Quartz Capitol of the World, even producing crystals preserved in the Smithsonian Museum.
- Crater of Diamonds State Park – with the only active diamond mine open to the public, Murfreesboro is a great day trip for families and pirates; those who love the thrill of the hunt and even hunting down some history nearby at the Ka-do-ha Village of the Caddo Indians.
Mena truly is a year-round destination. It’s a perfect Saturday drive when you have been homebound with school-aged children all week. It’s an easy spring break staycation destination. And it’s the kind of place where seniors, teenagers, couples, families and children can all find their thing!
Have you been? Tell us in the comments what you love to do near Mena, Arkansas.
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