Kristinesonja

Our team of 5 boys and families will be be on the University of Arkansas campus for a tournament in May 2015.

The boys are 13 and 14yrs old We will have a bit of free time, what should we see? We are from South Florida so things like waterfalls and hikes appeal to me.

We will have rental cars so can travel a bit. Heard Clinton Museum was worth a visit. What should we not miss? THANK YOU!!

We will be staying on campus.

WickedGood

Clinton museum is in Little Rock which is in the middle of the state. Near Fayetteville would be the Crystal Bridges Museum. Eureka Springs is fun, and for hiking etc. there are numerous state parks and the Buffalo River. Spirodog can give great advice in this area of the NW corner of the state. I don't think anything in the Hot Springs area would appeal to the kids except for maybe the water/amusement park.

If you are driving from S. Florida instead of taking a flight I would suggest the Buffalo River after the tourney and then hit the Clinton Museum on the way back

longhorn55

The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (near Eureka Springs) is less than an hour's drive from Fayetteville. It's a lifetime refuge for "big cats" such as lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, etc. It's well worth a visit.

Queenie

Pinnacle Peak is just outside of Little Rock. It is a mountain of boulders with a spectacular view from the top. There are a couple different trails to the top, but it does require some scrambling.

http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/th...mit-trail-177/

Kristinesonja

http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/pa...m=Fayetteville

Hobbs? Prairie? And Withrow seem close.

I'm going to research your suggested parks! THANK YOU! We will fly in Wednesday evening so that we can have free time to explore a park Thursday morning before we have to be at the noon tournament.

I'd love to continuing hearing your tips.

happytourist

Pea Ridge National Military Park if anyone is interested in Civil War history. The boys might like to watch the video explaining the battle and then walk the park.

Crystal Bridges Art Museum in Bentonville is world class, and not what you might think of as appealing to the boys, but they currently have two exhibits that might interest them, one on game fish and the other on Native American history. Also very nice walking trails for them to run off some energy.

Kristinesonja

Thanks for the input.................we are hoping to visit a park for a short hike and scenery Thursday morning or Sunday afternoon.

Keep the ideas coming.

Also, how about casual dining for families?
Whole Hog was suggested for bar b q. Other ideas of what not to miss in our brief visit?

Kristinesonja

UPDATE:

We got to explore a bit of Lake Wedington's park. It was lovely and perfect for the 2 hours we had to hike and drive around.

The highlight of our 'free time' from the tournament at University of Arkansas was the trip we made to Devil's Den State Park. We set out onto the trail behind the visitor's center. It was gorgeous with a trail along the stream, water falls tucked into wooded trails, surprising crevices, pretty trees and amazing rock formations. It was exactly the kind of picturesque place we'd hoped for.

Thank you so much for the assistance. The University was lovely. The people very nice and the building beautiful. I was surprised to see all the rose bushes on campus.

We had a great trip.