Thursday, October 1, 2015

Walk and Explore Downtown Little Rock For Free!

The Junction Bridge, now a pedestrian bridge between
Little Rock and North Little Rock.
This is my city. I love Little Rock, and I've seen a lot of changes over the years. I can remember when downtown was a bit frightening, and how it all started to change at the end of the 20th century. And I clearly remember walking the River Market just a few days before the opening of the Clinton
The Little Rock skyline from Riverfront Park.
Presidential Center in 2004.

This city has grown up.  And now, whether you're from Little Rock or from somewhere else, you can lay eyes on these grand changes firsthand... with a tour guide.  Best of all, for October, it's free.


Gretchen Hall of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors
Bureau, Gabe Holstrom of the Downtown Little Rock
Partnership and Jarod Varner of Rock Region METRO
announce the new Downtown Little Rock Navigators Tour.
This morning, a perfectly gorgeous and windy morning in Riverfront Park, Gretchen Hall made the announcement:  the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Downtown Little Rock Partnership and Rock Region METRO have joined together for a program.  They're backing the Navigators, Little Rock locals who show folks around the town and answer questions, in a new project.

The "little rock," or La Petite Roche, for
which Little Rock is named, at La Petite
Roche Plaza in Riverfront Park.
Every Saturday during the month of October, guided tours will begin from La Petit Roche Plaza (the stone plaza under the Junction Bridge, site of La Petit Roche, the rock our town is named for) at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.  These guides will take groups on a 90 minute walking and riding tour of the heart of downtown Little Rock.  Visitors will see lots of great local attractions, including the Bill Clark Presidential Wetlands and Clinton Presidential Center; the Old Statehouse Museum, the SoMa (South Main Street District) and more.  The first part of the tour is a walking tour, and then everyone gets on a streetcar to finish up. Best of all, tour participants get a free streetcar pass for the rest of the day.

The Little Rock Navigator Tour map.  Each marked location is an attraction featured.
This month is just the beta test.  If this goes well, it'll become a regular feature come this spring.

A visitor relaxes in Riverfront Park.
Now, for my local friends, you want to know why you need to check this out, right?  Did you realize 5.7 million visitors come to Little Rock each year?  That may baffle some of my fellow natives who have been here all their lives, but it's true.  Folks come to Little Rock for a
The Wellness Walk in Riverfront Park goes through this
wonderful arbor, which is really shady and comfortable.
lot of reasons.  People are learning our secrets.  Heck, Forbes Travel Guide even named Little Rock one of its Top 5 Secret Foodie Cities... and Trivago named the town its eighth place pick for 2016's Best Value Cities.  When people come to town, do you tell them about all the cool things going on?  No?  Do you
There are a lot of cool new sculptures at Riverfront Park.
know what's going on?  This is just the kind of thing that will open your eyes to the delights of the River Market District and other downtown action.  Seriously.  Give it a shot.

To learn more about the tours, visit littlerock.com.  I'm anxious to see how the tours go, aren't you?  Would you like for me to take one and share the highlights with you?

1 comment:

Be kind.