Capital Cities Tour: Discover Little Rock, Arkansas

The Arkansas River, flowing northwest to southeast, divides \rthe state in two. Little Rock, the state’s capital and largest \rcity sits on a bluff on the south bank of the river. Founded in \r1812, the city got its name from the French “la petite roche," \ror "little rock," a stone outcropping on the bank of the \rArkansas River used as a landmark by early navigators. \rCalled “Little Rock” to distinguish it from a huge cliff \rupstream called "Big Rock,” it became a convenient spot to \rland before venturing into the Ozark and Ouachita mountain \rranges. Before the Civil War, the little rock outcropping was \rlarger, but the railroad chipped out a few tons of it to build a \rbridge foundation. So, little rock is littler today.

Things to See in Little Rock:

• State Capitols

Little Rock has three state capitols. The original is in the \rArkansas Territorial Restoration, a collection of historic, \rpioneer-era buildings.

The second Capitol—the oldest surviving state Capitol west \rof the Mississippi and the first site of the state \rlegislature—is now the Old State House Museum, a classic \rGreek Revival on the bluffs of the Arkansas River. It’s also \rthe site of President Bill Clinton’s 1992 and 1996 \relection-night celebrations. The museum houses Arkansas \rstate history, native art, a collection of Civil War battle flags \rand the state’s First Ladies’ inaugural gowns.

The current Arkansas State Capitol, designed in 1899 and \rcompleted in 1916, is a gold dome, quarter-scale replica of \rthe nation’s Capitol. It sits on a hilltop west of downtown \rLittle Rock at the former site of the old State Penitentiary. \rMade of Arkansas white marble and granite, the building is \rsimilar to the nation's Capitol but with the unique distinction \rof six, 4-inch thick, handcrafted Tiffany brass doors that \rshine like six gold bars.

Check it out: . . . At Christmas the Capitol is ablaze in white \rlights that reflect off the elaborately carved brass doors. \rAmid all this twinkling white light is the word "Peace" \rspelled out in a cool sapphire blue from five circular \rwindows above the main entrance. Beautiful.

Tip: Another seasonal feature is the 100 Christmas trees on \rthe lawn, representing Arkansas counties. Each tree is \rdecorated based on the unique feature of the county. A \rfestive way to learn about Arkansas counties.

• MacArthur Park Historic District or Quapaw Historic District

Downtown Little Rock's oldest surviving neighborhood is \rMacArthur Park Historic District (also known as Quapaw \rHistoric District, named after the Quapaw Indian tribe). The \rfocal point is MacArthur Park, located on 36 acres originally \rset aside in 1837 for an arsenal to protect the fearful settlers \rfrom Indian attacks, which never came. In the late 1800s \rGerman immigrants settled around the arsenal, building \rhomes ranging from modest cottages to some of the most \relegant 19th century homes. The neighborhood is also the \rbirthplace of World War II hero General Douglas MacArthur \rborn in April 1880. The Quapaw Historic District preserves \rthese classic Victorian homes from Little Rock’s past, one \rof which is the 1881 Villa Marre featured in the opening \rscenes of the former television show “Designing Women.”

• Central High School National Historic Site

Now a national historic site, Central High School was the \rscene of the 1957 school integration crisis in which nine \rblack students showed up to attend Little Rock Central High \rSchool under a 1954 Supreme Court ruling against racial \rsegregation. Although the city expected to be one of the first \rsouthern cities to comply with the new law, the governor \rcalled in state troopers to block the students from attending, \rfearing violence and property damage from protestors. After \rthree weeks the troops were withdrawn and the local police \rescorted the students through a side door, only to be \rushered out again four hours later. U.S. Congressman \rHays and Little Rock Mayor Mann appealed to the federal \rgovernment and President Eisenhower dispatched one \rthousand soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division of the \rU.S. Army to the site, and that settled it. The nine students \rentered the school, stayed the full term and eventually \rgraduated. Central High Museum and Visitor's Center \rcommemorates this historic event.

• The Old Mill

Fans of the movie “Gone With the Wind” will enjoy a visit to \rthe Old Mill in North Little Rock. A historic re-creation of an \r19th century water powered grist mill, it was featured in the \rearly scenes of the classic film.

ARKANSAS TOURIST INFORMATION: (800) 872-12590

Priscilla Faith Rhodes is the author of DISCOVER AMERICA \rDIARIES: 50 STATES, 50 STATES OF MIND, and \rco-publisher of the award-winning website, Postcards from \rAmerica, http://www.postcardsfrom.com, a edu-travel site \rthat helps students and families learn about America \rthrough postcards.