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Arkansas offers many opportunities for older adults to explore and enjoy the state’s rich history, culture, and natural beauty. From museums to historical sites, state parks to cultural centers, there’s something for every interest and ability level.
Whether you’re planning a trip for a group of senior adults, looking for places to explore with parents, or seeking adventure with your friends who belong to this age group, there are a few things to keep in mind that will make your excursion more successful.
7 Tips for Planning Arkansas Trips with Senior Adults
- Nostalgia wins the day. Think about your group members or travel companions. What things are important to them now? What hobbies do they participate in? Where did they grow up? Do you remember a story they told you about their childhood? How did they spend their career? Keep all of these things in mind as you pick destinations.
- They are still children at heart. Maybe even more so than planning a trip with kids, ensure you include loads of fun. Topics that might have seemed “off limits” in earlier years are more fun to them now. Gangster history of the 20s, the bedroom of a teen idol, or seeing behind the scenes of a historic brothel are all tongue-in-cheek experiences that bring loads of laughs and tug on heartstrings.
- Be clear about arrival and departure times and where you will meet for pickup. Make sure everyone knows what time to meet and where. Remember to accommodate scooters and wheelchairs with your drop-off and pickup destinations.
- Find places with placemaking and observation benches and accessible resting spots.
- Flat terrain or paved pathways for scooters and wheelchairs are helpful for those navigating mobility challenges.
- Bring water with you, or stop for opportunities at each destination to keep them hydrated.
- Plan extra time to move around a group.
Arkansas Trips for Seniors by Region
Northwest Arkansas
- Daisy Airgun Museum | Rogers: This unique museum showcases a collection of over 10,000 airguns, from antique to modern, making it a must-see for history buffs and shooting enthusiasts alike. Take a guided tour to learn about the evolution of airgun technology and see some of the world’s rarest and most valuable airguns.
- Historic Cane Hill and Country Doctor Museum | Lincoln: Historic Cane Hill preserves a 19th-century village, a heritage site on the Trail of Tears and an educational mecca with the first college in Arkansas. Visitors can explore the Cane Hill Methodist Church, Schoolhouse, and a Smithsonian-supported nature trail. Nearby in Lincoln, the Country Doctor Museum marks primitive medical equipment and the story of health care in rural Arkansas.
- Blue Spring Heritage Center | Eureka Springs: Discover the area’s rich history at this heritage center, which features exhibits on Native American culture, the Civil War and the town’s Victorian architecture. Be sure to visit the Blue Spring, a popular tourist destination for over 100 years.
- Miss Laura’s Visitor Center, Elvis Haircut Museum, US Marshals Museum | Fort Smith: Visit a former brothel and learn about the “cheeky” side of Fort Smith History. The original barbershop where Elvis received his army haircut in 1958 connects to the Chaffee History Museum. The National US Marshals Museum is a destination with stories tied to historical events.
- MONAH | Bentonville: The Museum of Native American History shares the regional history of Indian Tribes and their cultural ties to the five civilized tribes. This free cultural experience offers over 10,000 artifacts from five ancient periods.
South Arkansas
- Gangster Museum of America | Hot Springs: This museum tells the story of the gangsters who made Hot Springs their playground during the Prohibition era, including Al Capone and Lucky Luciano. It features exhibits of the gangsters’ lavish lifestyles, criminal activities and eventual downfall.
- McCollum Chidister House | Camden: Take a tour of this antebellum mansion and learn about the history of the Chidister family, who played a prominent role in Camden’s development. The house has period furnishings and artifacts, and the grounds feature a beautiful garden and Freedmen’s Bureau.
- Historic Washington State Park | Washington: The city was founded in 1829 and played a significant role in the Civil War, serving as the Confederate Capitol from 1863-65. Other popular attractions in Washington include the Old Jail Museum, the Hempstead County Courthouse and the Blacksmith Shop, which crafted James Bowie’s famous knife!
- Lakeport Plantation | Lake Village: A museum in the 1859 Mississippi River antebellum plantation home of Lycurgus Johnson. Visitors enjoy the home furnishing, watching the progress of active cotton production, and touring the last standing plantation home in the region.
- Two Rivers Museum | Ashdown: A stellar example of rural Arkansas historical museums, the artifacts on display will bring nostalgia and understanding to childhood and teen experiences in small towns across the state. A standout feature is the funeral bugg, wooden embalming table, production equipment from manufacturing plants and local sports memorabilia.
Arkansas Delta
- Arkansas Post | Gillett: Visit the site of the first European settlement in Arkansas and learn about the state’s early history. See the reconstructed fort, the museum and the archaeological site.
- Rohwer Heritage Site | Tillar: This site commemorates the Japanese American internment camp that operated in Arkansas during World War II. See the barracks, the mess hall and the schoolhouse.
- Delta Cultural Center | Helena: The center, dedicated to preserving and celebrating the Arkansas Delta region’s rich history and culture, features exhibits from early Native American inhabitants to the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Visitors learn about the Delta’s unique geography, agricultural heritage and enduring culture through educational programs, workshops, and events.
- Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame, Arkansas Railroad Museum, Delta Blues Exhibit | Pine Bluff: Historic buildings, downtown brick walls, and wayfinding signs around town tell the story of a Jazz and Blues ecosystem that launched most genres of music we enjoy today. Through this collection of museums and a driving tour, visitors learn about history, get to know musicians and explore the railroad system that contributed significantly to economic stability.
- Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie | Stuttgart: The museum captures the region’s pioneer history and agricultural dominance through exhibits on natural history, agricultural heritage, early industry, and the people who live here. Included are a history of waterfowl, farming equipment, and an old pioneer church.
Northeast Arkansas
- Ozark Folk Center State Park | Mountain View: This living history museum showcases traditional Ozark crafts, music and dance. Visitors can watch demonstrations by skilled artisans, listen to live music and even take a dance lesson. The park also has a restaurant, a museum, and a gift shop.
- Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum | Piggott: Explore the life and work of Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, along with a collection of his personal belongings and manuscripts. The museum also offers guided tours of Hemingway’s boyhood home.
- Northeast Museum at ASU | Jonesboro: This museum features exhibits on northeast Arkansas’s history, culture and natural resources. See exhibits on Native American culture, the Civil War, the region’s agricultural heritage and a lifesize mastodon skeleton.
- Johnny Cash Boyhood Home | Dyess: Visitors begin in downtown Dyess and learn about the tenant farming community that developed in the area. Then, they travel to Johnny Cash’s restored homesite for a guided tour, where meticulous effort went into recreating rooms from sibling memories and images from Johnny Cash’s memorabilia.
- Sultana Disaster Museum | Marion: Often overlooked, the Sultana was the greatest maritime disaster in US history. This story is rarely told, as other significant new-worthy events happened around this time. After an explosion on the Mississippi River near Memphis, the overcrowded boat eventually landed on the banks of the Arkansas River near Marion. The museum tells the hushed stories of survivors and a sad day in steamboat history.
Central Arkansas
- Moss Mountain Farm | Roland: Tour the home and gardens of renowned lifestyle expert P. Allen Smith and learn about sustainable living. Smith’s home showcases sustainable design, native plants and wildlife.
- Old State House Museum | Little Rock: Visit the oldest surviving state capitol west of the Mississippi River and learn about Arkansas’s political history. The Old State House is a beautiful example of Greek Revival architecture and is home to a museum that tells the story of Arkansas’s statehood.
- Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts | Little Rock: The state’s largest art museum houses a collection of over 14,000 works of art spanning from ancient to contemporary times. The museum hosts rotating exhibits from local and internationally renowned artists. An onsite restaurant and coffee bar complete the experience.
- Clinton Presidential Library | Little Rock: Explore Bill Clinton’s life and presidency through interactive exhibits and artifacts from his office. The museum also has a replica of the Oval Office and a theater that shows a film about Clinton’s life and career.
- Central High School National Site | Little Rock: This National Historic Site preserves and interprets the events surrounding Central High School’s desegregation. Visitors can explore the school’s campus, including the original classroom buildings, the school auditorium and the administration building. A self-guided walking tour of the neighborhood seeks to recreate the story and experiences of Sept. 4, 1957. Exhibits and interactive displays provide a comprehensive history of the Little Rock Nine, the desegregation crisis, and the broader civil rights movement.
Other Great Arkansas Trips for Seniors:
- Rock n Roll Highway
- Nature Centers
- Military Museums
- National Cemeteries
- Art Museums
- Courthouse Tour
- Driveable Military Parks – Pea Ridge & Prairie Grove
- Garvan Garden | Hot Springs
- The Great Passion Play | Eureka Springs
Images in the story are used with permission from the Arkansas Departments of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.
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