Cheap Arkansas Vacations
- Arkansas abounds with inexpensive vacation opportunities.Arkansas state contour against blurred USA flag image by Stasys Eidiejus from Fotolia.com
Arkansas is a popular tourist offering offers a diversity of attractions. There are abundant opportunities to enjoy the state's natural beauty, including hiking trials, scenic driving routes, caves, hot springs, waterfalls and even digging for your own diamonds. The state and national parks are top-quality. For those who prefer a less strenuous vacation, Arkansas offers museums, spas, music and a wine country with tours of the wineries. The state abounds with things to do on a budget. - Few vacation spots offer not only inexpensive entertainment but also a chance to engage in an activity that could more than pay for the entire trip! Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro is fun for the entire family. The park is a plowed, 37 1/2 acre field that is the eroded top of a gem-bearing volcanic tube. More than 75,000 diamonds have been found here since the first two were discovered in the early 1900s; finds still average two gemstone quality diamonds a day. The diamond mine was purchased by the state in 1972, and the site was developed into an 888-acre, predominantly mixed hardwood and pine forest park located on the Little Missouri River. The park includes a visitor's center, picnic area, gift shop and restaurant (open only in summer). There are 60 campsites, equipped with water and electricity, and a 1.3-mile hiking trail. Visiting a state park is a very inexpensive activity, and the reasonably priced hotel accommodations in Murfreesboro make this trip a memorable one---not only for the fun but for the low cost.
Crater of Diamonds State Park
209 State Park Road
Murfreesboro, AR 71958
870-285-3113
craterofdiamondsstatepark.com - Relax with a glass of Arkansas wine.white wine and red wine image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
Although not often mentioned, Arkansas's vineyards can be traced back to the 1880s, when European immigrants noticed how closely the sandy yet fertile soil and the moderate temperatures of the Arkansas River Valley resembled the winemaking regions of their homelands. Those immigrants planted the first vineyards, and these same families are still in the wine business, making Arkansas the oldest and largest wine-producing state in the South. Arkansas wine country is located near Interstate 40, east of Fort Smith and northwest of Little Rock. The Arkansas River, winding through the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, makes this tourist destination scenic as well as tasty. Wineries in the area include Mount Bethel Winery, Poste Family Vineyards and Winery, and Wiederkehr Wine Cellars and Vineyard. Paris, Arkansas, is the home of Cowie Wine Cellars and the winery's Arkansas Historic Wine Museum.
Mount Bethel Winery
5014 Mount Bethel
Altus, AR 72821
479-468-2444
mountbethel.com
Poste Family Vineyards
1700 St. Mary's Mountain Road
Altus, AR 72821
800-275-8423
postfamilie.com
Wiederkehr Wine Cellars
3324 Swiss Family Drive
Wiederkehr Village, AR 72821
479-468-9463
wiederkehrwines.com
Cowie Wine Cellars
101 North Carbon City Road
Paris, Arkansas 72855
479-963-3990
cowiewinecellars.com - Local plants abound in a picturesque setting.wagon image by michael langley from Fotolia.com
This is the only park in America that is entirely devoted to the preservation of the Ozark Mountains' heritage and music. The site includes artists performing the music of the Ozarks, artisans demonstrating their crafts and the Heritage Herb Garden and Greenhouse, which focuses on herbs traditionally used in the mountains for cooking and medicinal purposes. Visitors can participate in workshops in herb gardening, pioneer crafts and Ozark Mountain folk music. The park also offers special programs for children and seniors.
Ozark Folk Center State Park
1032 Park Avenue
Mountain View, AR 72560
800-264-3655
ozarkfolkcenter.com
Crater of Diamonds State Park
Arkansas Wine Country
Ozark Folk Center State Park
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