Texarkana Trip 2026 - Day 1 (Home to Little Rock, AR)

 Our "big" summer trip this year took us to Arkansas, Louisiana & Texas. Due to scheduling conflicts with both jobs, we ended up going in early May...which isn't our ideal time for vacation. This trip was also hot on the heels of our long anniversary weekend in Kentucky/Indiana (3 weeks earlier). Lots of driving and site-seeing in a short time. BUT, we had a great time and saw lots of great things!

We left our house around 5 am on Friday morning (May 1st) and headed south. Our first day was mainly a travel day from Moline to Little Rock, AR. 

We arrived in Arkansas - stopping at the Welcome Center for a restroom break and quick photo.

Once in Arkansas, Matt saw a sign with upcoming cities and he mentioned that he thought I had relatives buried in one of the cities. I pulled out the phone and looked on Find A Grave with no luck (for that city)...but did find that two of my direct ancestors were buried in towns that we would be driving through (first one being that day, 2nd one on our way home). We were pretty excited to find out this information.

Our only planned stop, outside of Little Rock, was Walnut Ridge, AR. How sweet that we found out that my mom's Great Grandmother, Sephronia Snelling George (1872-1957), was buried in Walnut Ridge! We stopped in Lawrence Memorial Park and drove to the section listed on her memorial page. We started at the front of the section and ended up walking all the way to the back of the section with no luck finding her stone. We were pretty frustrated and decided to look again as we walked back to the car, but didn't want to spend much more time there since we still had a few hours of driving ahead of us.

Here is the section we searched...(our car is to our left). Take notice of the stone right in front of me. It is Sephronia! We walked right by her and didn't have a clue! 

Disbelief! We parked right there and walked past her! So thankful we found the spot on the way back!

Back in the car, we had a few more touristy stops in Walnut Ridge, including Beatle Park. 

From DowntownWalnutRidge.org:

"On September 18, 1964, The Beatles had just finished playing a show in Dallas and were on their way to Missouri for a little R&R prior to their final stateside gig in New York City. En route to Missouri, they landed at the airport in Walnut Ridge. It just so happened a few local teenagers saw the plane at Walnut Ridge Airport and word spread.

The band's plan was to return two days later, with no one realizing that they had come and gone. But when they returned to Walnut Ridge this time, the town was waiting with 200 to 300 screaming fans. That stop became the only town in Arkansas that the Beatles ever visited together. Walnut Ridge celebrates this little-known fact in a big way. In fact, USA Today released a list of the 10 best places to visit in the world for Beatles history, and there, along with Abbey Road itself, was Walnut Ridge."

We had fun reading the history of The Beatles and Walnut Ridge and seeing all the murals/artwork.

From Beatles Park, we drove to Guitar Walk at Cavenaugh Park. This park is home to a 115 foot (long) and 40 foot (wide) concrete Epiphone Casino Guitar as well as a handful of storyboards (with music) showcasing popular Rock 'n Roll artists - Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Sonny Burgess, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Conway Twitty, Wanda Jackson & Billy Ray Riley.

Hwy 67 is nicknamed "Rock 'N Roll Hwy 67" through this section of Arkansas (111 miles from Corning to Bald Knob) because of the many rockabilly musicians who played in different venues along the route. 

A bird's eye view of the guitar - borrowed from the Walnut Ridge Downtown website.

From Walnut Ridge, we continued to drive towards Little Rock for a few more stops.

The Old Mill - This park has a re-creation of an 1830s water powered grist mill. This mill was used in the opening scenes of the movie "Gone with the Wind" (seen at the 1:32 mark) and is believed to be the last standing structure from the movie. We enjoyed walking around the park - it was beautifully done.

From The Old Mill, we drove to Little Rock Central High School, the home of "Little Rock Nine" - the school is located at 1500 Little Rock Nine Way - aptly named. 

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the historic Brown v. Board of Education case declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Three years later, nine African American students - later known as the Little Rock Nine - attempted to attend Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Opposing integration, Democratic Governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to block the students from entering the school. In response, Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division to enforce the law and protect the students' right to attend school.

The students were: Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Melba Pattillo Beals, Minnijean Brown Trickey, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Thelma Mothershed Wair, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Gloria Ray Karlmark. They were met with fierce hatred and resistance. We can't imagine attending school, trying to keep focused on our schooling all the while enduring the vitriol and overwhelming hostility these nine students went through.

After visiting the school (such a beautiful school!), we drove downtown to the Capital Building & Grounds. Check out the six 10 foot bronze doors! Stunning!

Aside from the Capital Building, we wanted to see the Little Rock Nine Monument. The positioning of the monument is very poignant - taking a stand, waiting for the government to fight for them. 

Our final stop for the day (aside from dinner & hotel) was along the Arkansas River at Riverfront Park. We walked along the Arkansas River Trail, across the Arkansas River (Junction Bridge), saw the "Little Rock" monument and walked the grounds of the William Clinton Presidential Library. Unfortunately, it was late enough in the day so the Capital Building and Clinton Library were already closed. 

We had planned to walk across the Arkansas River Trail (right next to the Clinton Library) but it was almost 8:00 and we hadn't eaten dinner and had been on the road since 5am. We were beat and ready to end our day. 

We looked up some options for dinner and decided on DeLuca's Pizza. Once we arrived, Matt dropped me off and circled the (very busy) lot to find a parking spot. I was able to get a table but it was in the middle of a busy, loud area (on the balcony with lots of music and loudness below). The chairs and table were like a waiting room seating arrangement (very hard to have a conversation...let along eat at). Once Matt came in, we decided that we didn't want to wait (up to an hour for the pizza) and that the restaurant was too busy for our tired bodies & minds. 

We opted to try David's Burgers - an Arkansas original. It was just what we need - fast food, greasy burger & fries and caffeine! A great choice to end our day! While eating, we figured out our hotel for the night and discussed plans for Day 2 - Hot Springs National Park and Vicksburg.

Favorites from Day 1:

Becki: Riverfront Park

Matt: Finding the Snelling Grave (the timing of realizing we would be driving through that town), Capital Building & walking along the river front.