Local Area Outside the Gate

Your assignment to Little Rock Air Force Base brings one overwhelming added bonus ... Arkansas.
You'll be living among the most supportive community in the Air Force; the base community council is the 2010 winner of the highly coveted Abilene Trophy, the Air Mobility Command's Community Support Award. In addition, the base is almost exactly in the center of a state that is filled with wonderful scenery, outdoor adventure, culture, history and some of the friendliest folks you're likely to meet anywhere. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Consider just a few things you can do on a Saturday, or on a long weekend. Hot Springs National Park and the city by the same name are less than two hours away. Branson, Missouri, with its dozens of affordable, live-entertainment theaters; a theme park; and everything else you can imagine is just beyond the state line about a threehour drive to the northwest. Along the way, the beauty of the Ozark Mountains will keep the kids and your other passengers enthralled as you drive. Try visiting Branson in November for a taste of what the locals call an "Ozark Mountain Christmas."

Do you like to fish? The world record brown trout came out of Arkansas's Little Red River. It pushed into second place the previous record from the North Fork River. We're talking about trout in the 35-pound range. If that's not enough, how about bass, including several major tournaments with big-money prizes, land-locked stripers up to 40 pounds, catfish, brook trout, rainbows, and panfish. Almost any body of water you're likely to come across offers the opportunity for catching your supper. And fishing season in Arkansas never closes; it's open every day of the year.

Golfers will find dozens of courses within a short radius to test every skill level.

Shoppers can chose from base facilities or almost every major chain store in the United States within a few minutes of the main gate. Besides the national chains, there's plenty of old stuff in privately owned antique stores in every community large and small. We all work hard in the Air Force, but when you have free time in the evenings or on weekends, Arkansas can offer just about anything for anyone from the youngest child to the oldest grandparent. Get out and enjoy some of the best our country has to offer.

Jacksonville
The city web site describes Jacksonville, Ark., just outside the front gate of Little Rock AFB, as a "...warm and friendly community." It is all that and more. And the city is particularly proud of the fact that since 1955, the Air Force Base has been part of the fabric of everyday life in Jacksonville. The warm relationship between Jacksonville and the base dates back to the early 1950s when the local citizens banded together to purchase the land for the base.

Perhaps the best part about Jacksonville is that it offers all of the advantages of living in a small town with easy access to all of the culture and excitement of a large city little more than 15 miles away. Jacksonville is truly the one place in Arkansas where you can enjoy the best of both worlds.

Jacksonville Museum of Military History
Jacksonville Arkansas
Approximate Population: 30,000
Mayor:
Gary Fletcher
Phone: (501) 982-3146
Chamber of Commerce:
(501) 982-1511 • www.jacksonville-arkansas.com
Schools:
Pulaska County Special School District
(501) 490-2000 • www.pcssdweb.k12.ar.us

Little Rock
If you have small children, you must visit the Peabody Hotel in downtown Little Rock for the daily Duck March. It's free, twice daily. At 11 a.m., the Duckmaster leads five mallards from their pens into a glass elevator for the trip down to the lobby. Standing in the lobby, you can watch the ducks peering out of the glass-sided elevator as they descend. On the ground floor, as King Cotton March by John Phillip Sousa plays over the loudspeaker, the Duckmaster leads his unleashed charges along a red carpet and up a few steps into the lobby's fountain.

At 5 p.m., the process is reversed as the ducks are taken back to their pens. If your child is having a birthday or some other special event, tell the folks at the Peabody and perhaps he or she can be appointed an honorary Duckmaster and assist in marching the ducks in or out of the fountain.

After enjoying the Duck March, set out on foot along the south bank of the Arkansas River behind the hotel to explore Little Rock River Market area. Walking paths, parks, museums and all manner of shops and restaurants are yours to discover. Much of Arkansas' history happened along the river. Here you'll find the little rock at the water's edge for which the town is named. French explorers used the little rock on the shoreline (la petite Roche) as a navigational checkpoint in the 18th century, and eventually the town that took root here became known as Little Rock. The city itself boasts a number of historical buildings and sites, including the birthplace of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, born here in 1880 while his father, Major General Arthur MacArthur, was assigned to Little Rock, which was then essentially a frontier posting. The MacArthur home is now a museum.

On the east side of downtown Little Rock is the William J. Clinton Presidential Library. Admission is free for military personnel.

Historic Statehouse Little Rock North Little Rock
Across the river from Little Rock is North Little Rock, which itself boasts a splendid walking path along the river, but the setting itself is more park-like and less commercial. An evening stroll along the river in North Little Rock as the sun sets and bathes Little Rock itself in a warm glow should not be missed. Linger as darkness falls and the lights come on in the hotels and office buildings across the river. The different colored lights reflected in the waters of the river can be awesome.

Dickey-Stevens Park, home to the Arkansas Travelers, the AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, is visible from the North Little Rock river walk and offers professional baseball games at an affordable price. A family of four can probably enjoy an evening or afternoon in the ball park for $50 or less. There are military discounts available for what are already low ticket prices.

Another treat in North Little Rock is the Old Grist Mill, also known more simply as the Old Mill, one of the locations featured in the blockbuster movie from the 1930s, Gone with the Wind. The azaleas in particular, but other flowers on the grounds as well, make for spectacular pictures in the spring. This is a very picturesque setting

Location, location, location...
Little Rock and North Little Rock combined provide most of the population for the region of Arkansas known as the Greater Little Rock area, a figure closing in on 600,000 people. But the numbers are deceiving. A few minutes on relatively un-crowded highways (Interstates 30 and 40 are the major routes), gets you swiftly away from the people and into the great outdoors that is most of Arkansas. An assignment to Little Rock AFB offers the best of both worlds. You're close to a thriving metropolitan area, and fresh air and adventure are just a short distance away. There is much to be said for both.

Arkansas State Parks
With more than just a little justification, Arkansas describes itself as, "The Natural State." Bolstering that claim is a system of 51 state parks—with a 52nd park under construction—celebrating the outdoors, the heritage and the history of the state.

Whether you want just a picnic with the chance to capture an afternoon breeze to fly a kite, to catch fish, to water ski, to hike, to climb mountains, to explore Indian mounds, to relive a civil war battle, or much more, there is something in the Arkansas state park system that fits your needs.
Close to Little Rock, for example, is Pinnacle Mountain State Park, about a half-hour drive west of the city. This is a day-use-only park with picnic areas, a wonderful field of grass just made for flying kits, and several short trails for hikes of up to two hours duration. By all means climb Pinnacle Mountain. This is a short trail, maybe three-quarters of a mile, about half of which is simply a scramble over a steep pile of boulders. But once you're on top, it seems you can see the whole state of Arkansas.

A bit further west, about an hour and 15 minutes from Little Rock, is Petit Jean State Park, the first park brought into the state park system, which was created 75 years ago. There's a lot of camping here, both with and without hookups, and some great trails. Be sure to take Red Bluff Drive, a gravel road sort of running around the remote part of the park. A couple of overlooks along the route offer sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. As for a hike you should make, head down into the canyon to get close to Cedar Falls. This is a fairly rugged hike, and though it is not particularly far, you should allow a couple of hours. Cedar Falls, with good reason, is considered the centerpiece of the park. If the hike is not for you, you can look down on the falls from an overlook along Highway 154.

If fishing is your goal, head for Bull Shoals-White River State Park up in the Ozark Mountains a couple hours north of Little Rock AFB. Bring your own boat to this 45,440-acre reservoir, or rent one from the marina in the park. The park is located both above and below the dam, so you can fish either the lake or the river. This is one of those places that offer the chance to catch trophy rainbow and brown trout.

History comes alive in two parks close to Little Rock and another a bit further away, the Plantation Agriculture Museum and Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park near the city, and the Prairie Grove Battlefield in the northwest corner of the state. The first facility is dedicated to the cotton-growing culture of Arkansas, Toltec preserves and protects America's tallest Indian mounds dating from A.D. 600 to 1050, and Prairie Grove marks the site of the last major Civil War engagement in northwestern Arkansas. The battle is reenacted on its anniversary every year during the first weekend in December.

Crater of Diamonds State Park
Arkansas, The Natural State, is blessed with an abundance of geological wonders. Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public, stands out as a unique geological "gem" for you to explore and enjoy.

Here, you are invited to prospect in the park's diamond search area, a 37 1/2-acre plowed field that is the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic pipe that 95 million years ago, brought to the surface the diamonds and some of the semi-precious stones lucky visitors find here today.

For more information, go online to www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com.  

By now you're getting an idea of just what is available. To get a better feel for what awaits you in the Arkansas State Parks system, go online to www.ArkansasStateParks.com and click on the interactive state parks guide. This online booklet (also available in paper for free at most visitors centers) devotes at least a page to every state park in Arkansas and is filled with gorgeous pictures of The Natural State.

Hot Springs National Park
At less than nine square miles in total area, Hot Springs National Park is by far the smallest full-fledged park in the national park system, but it can be described as one of the oldest. The land was set aside by Congress in 1832 as the Hot Springs Reservation. The reservation was further designated a public park in 1880. The national park itself contains parts of downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas, easily accessible a few miles west of I-30 in the southwestern part of the state, thus making it one of the easiest parks to visit in the nation. More than 1.2 million visitors visit the park every year.

Hiking trails, campgrounds and hotel/motel lodging to fit every budget are available either in the park, the town or the surrounding area. You'll have to pay extra, though, to kick back in the soothing hot waters flowing from the Ouachita Mountains. Of the original street of bathhouses, known as Bathhouse Row, only one, the Buckstaff, still operates as a bathhouse. Another, Fordyce Bathhouse, is the park's visitor center. Now a National Historic Landmark for their Gilded Age architecture, the rest of the buildings along the Row are in various stages of interior reconstruction. Other, more modern facilities are available to serve visitors. Hot Springs National Park is about 90 minutes from Little Rock AFB by vehicle and most of the drive is on I-30 West. Take exit 111. Reservations are a good idea on weekends and during the summer travel season.

If you love outdoor recreation in terms of fishing and hunting, it doesn't get any better than Arkansas. Some 600,000 acres of lakes and more than 9,000 miles of flowing rivers and streams hold something for just about every angler. Extensive public lands, Ozark and Ouachita National Forest, to name a couple large areas, provide a variety of opportunities for hunting.

Military members are further benefited by the state of Arkansas in terms of hunting and fishing. Regardless of where you are from, if you are permanently stationed in Arkansas, you qualify for the necessary licenses at resident rates. Thus a fishing license with a trout permit will cost all of $15.50. A hunting license complete with four deer tags and four turkey tags is only $25. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission also make it easy for you to determine where to go. Their Web site, www.agfc.com, is complete with interactive maps, up-to-the-minute fishing reports and much, much more. A few minutes or a few hours spent on this Web site will likely yield big dividends in terms of fish or wild game for the dinner table.

Fishing season never closes; it is open year round.
For a comprehensive list of hunting seasons broken down by species, go to www.agfc.com/hunting/huntingsummary.aspx. The only thing missing from this list will be waterfowl seasons, which are set by the federal government. And since Arkansas is highly regarded by duck and goose hunters the world over, it's probably worth your time to check out www.agfc.com/hunting/huntingseasons/waterfowl-migratory-birds.aspx.

Helpful Arkansas Contact Information
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
(800) 628-8725
www.arkansas.com

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
(800) 364-4263
www.agfc.com

Arkansas State Highway Commission
(free road map)
www.arkansashighways.com

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