Homemade bread, backyard chickens, allllllll the Netflix. The forced domesticity over the last year had its high points. But somewhere between “Tiger King” and “Lovecraft Country,” the walls started to close in, and one thing became abundantly clear: We gotta get outta this state. So we took out for Arkansas’s borderlands to help you plan your next road trip.  “Shreveport’s historic downtown was first built out of wood, and boy, did it burn, baby, burn. Kerosene and wood stoves and bar fights were not a good mix.” That’s the Downtown Development Authority on Shreveport’s fiery architectur ..read more

Set the radio dial to WEVL-FM, 89.9, our all-volunteer local radio station. We’re about to drive you to the spots in the town that gave birth to rock ’n’ roll and is full of soul. Friday Night Start off in the Edge district, where you can snap some photos outside Sam Phillips’ studio, maybe catch a verse or two of Lucero’s band practice and then tour the legendary Sun Studio. The tour guides, many of whom are musicians — like Mark Edgar Stuart — are top-notch and the tour only lasts about 30 minutes. Sing a few bars into the microphone Elvis used and learn a little about Memphis’ amazing music ..read more

Arkansas wine country had managed to thrive even before recent sessions of the Arkansas legislature started liberalizing some of the state’s booze laws in the name of economic development. Now, inside the state’s venerable vino country is an outpost of something that barely existed here late last century: Arkansas beer country. Two breweries, Country Monks and Prestonrose, have opened their doors on the gravel roads of Logan County; both are helping change the flavor of the Arkansas River Valley, a region known for decades for its wine. Brian ChilsonIN BREWING COUNTRY: Brother Richard Walz, a ..read more

If you squint a little, you can see it: A near-future where Little Rock is known throughout the country for its parks and outdoor recreation. We’ve got the pedestrian bridges. Only a tiny — if logistically and politically fraught — section of the river trail loop remains incomplete. The Southwest Trail, which will run 65 miles from the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site to Hot Springs, is scheduled to be finished in 2022; Little Rock officials anticipate connecting it to the River Trail.  Then there’s War Memorial Park, which occupies 200 acres in the center of the cit ..read more

In France, the concept of terroir is a celebrated one. The word translates literally to “territory,” but means much more. It speaks to the slope of the land, its mineral composition, the currents of air that stir it, and the levels of rain and sun that permeate it. When the word is used, it indicates not only the qualities of a microclimate but also a certain kind of symbiosis with the soil through which those qualities are drawn out and savored. Artisanal finesse — most notably in the field of winemaking — is the means through which a terroir can be tasted.  Winemakers have many variable ..read more

Ask five Northwest Arkansans what they most closely identify with local culture, and you’ll get five different answers: Arkansas Razorback sports. Epic cycling trails. Walmart founder/regional benefactor Sam Walton, maybe, or the mighty Buffalo, America’s first national river. There’s a magnetism specific to the lush, sweeping southern Ozarks, where the Boston Mountains support rolling plateaus, and whatever has drawn people to them, it’s kept them there. Northwest Arkansas’s population, much of it lured here by the business interests of Fortune 500 companies like Walmart and Tyson Foods, boom ..read more

Brian ChilsonCHARLOTTE TERESA: A retreat in Pope County is fashioned after a historic Louisiana plantation. “I’m not saying this is the ‘Get Out’ house. I’m just saying, if it was … this would be a good place to put it,” my husband remarked on the road to Charlotte Teresa Plantation in Atkins. Between the isolated gravel roads leading us to our destination and the relative lack of information about the bed and breakfast online, we were feeling a bit jumpy. In light of the fact that the Charlotte Teresa Plantation is not, in fact, a historical plantation, but a relatively new orchard and farmho ..read more

“A visitor standing upon one of the many majestic peaks in the area of the proposed park is thrilled by a panoramic view that cannot be had elsewhere in the South Central States. With cheeks flushed by the invigorating mountain breezes, the mountain climber is rewarded by an inspiring view of countless and nameless peaks, mountain groups, dense forests, and inviting valleys, all merging into the distant horizon. … Fed by crystal springs and like so much molten silver these streams flow, their turbulent courses unappreciated and rarely visited.” — Osro Cobb, c. 1926, quoted in “Osro Cobb of Ark ..read more

Somewhere between the heyday of baby-pink mid-century tourist courts and 2019, hotels got dreadfully boring. Where did we go so wrong? And who can we blame? The rise of the interstate highway system, maybe, or the supersizing of the hospitality industry? The ways in which business class accommodations began to play to the beige-colored middle — to those just looking for some predictable, perfunctory respite while attending corporate conferences or training sessions? Mysteries of the milquetoast notwithstanding, here’s to a handful of folks in Arkansas carrying the torch for the anti-hotel, off ..read more

Carnival season in New Orleans kicked off in early January and reaches its peak on Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras day, which falls this year on March 2. Any time is the right time to visit New Orleans, but there is something special about this time of year, when it can feel like the whole creative force of the city is devoted to the art of celebration. No rough guide can do it justice — the city is inexhaustible — but here’s a starter kit. If you’re picturing frat boys barfing on Bourbon, don’t worry: There’s a better way. Eat First things first, pack in as many of these New Orleans classics as you c ..read more