hello everyone,

can anyone help me planning a 5 day trip around Arkansas or Missouri? I live in Oklahoma city .. I have been reading about the Ozarks and seems like its a beautiful place. Is it as pretty around this time of the year?
thanks

Fall is really a better time to visit, because the leaves are just turning and haven't fallen yet. The prettiest place in Arkansas to visit is Eureka Springs, but it can get quite chilly there...it's already been in the teens here in Little Rock and northwest Arkansas is usually much cooler. If you can find a good break in the weather, by all means give Eureka Springs a try. It's beautiful!

I second Eureka Springs, it's a lovely little town. But they do get some winter weather, and NW AR is best enjoyed when you don't have to worry about the possiblilty of icy roads.

Hi Samtam. I would wait until spring, if you can. The trees are bare now and so everything looks gray. I guess in some areas you would see pine trees, but at least in MO the evergreens are almost all cedar, which just looks dark and is not a pretty green, to me at least. As Susan said, fall is a very good time, but there is not good leaf color every year. In spring the dogwoods and redbuds bloom and that to me is always very pretty.

If you do a search here for "ozarks", you will find several threads that may be helpful. What kinds of things have you read about that interested you?

thanks susan,pm and aloha for your suggestions.Its going to be fairly cloudy and sounds like it is not the right time anyway .Any other suggestions for doing outdoorsy things?I want to kill myself for not having planned in advance

If you're looking for something "outdoorsy" to do, you might want to visit Mount Ida. It's the "Crystal Capitol of the World"....and there are quite a few places that will let you dig your own....or buy some in their shops.

I'm not sure which places are open at this time of year, but here's a link to the Chamber of Commerce's site. Click on the link that will take you to the information about the crystal digs.

It's certainly outdoorsy, and definitely a unique experience.....

http://www.mtidachamber.com/

Try a canoe float trip in southern MO, like the clear and spring-fed Current, Eleven Point or Jack's Fork Rivers in the Natl Scenic Riverways, through wild and beautiful country. You can go for a few hrs or spend days and camp on gravel bars.