Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Kat's Bucket List - 8 More Must-Try Things To Do in Arkansas in 2015.

Earlier today, I posted a suggested bucket list for folks who want to travel Arkansas in 2015.  Most of the items on the list are thing I've already managed to do.  So what's on my list?

1.  Float the Caddo River.  While the Buffalo National River is very popular for canoe and kayak enthusiasts and the Cossatot is a big deal for white water rafters, the Caddo is a nice, medium to slow stream that courses through about 80 miles of the Ouachita region.  I'd love to take a summer day and make the trip from Caddo Gap down to maybe Glenwood.  Bonus points if I can manage it in an inner tube with a beverage of choice.

2.  Stay in really neat places.  I really want to spend the night in a Hobbit Cave, wake up with my own waterfall and hang out one lazy afternoon in a barn.  Frankly, I'm also very curious how a night would be living in a really big cave.  I want to share these experiences with folks who need to get out and experience the world beyond average hotels.

3.  Visit every Arkansas show cave.  There are nine show caves in Arkansas -- Blanchard Springs, Bull Shoals, Cosmic, the Hurricane River Cave, Mystic Cavern and Crystal Dome, Old Spanish Treasure, Onyx and War Eagle -- and I think it's about time I visit them all.  A year should be plenty of time to schedule tours of each and every one.  This will probably be something I do when it's really hot -- since caves and caverns keep their cool temperatures year-round.

4.  Dine on a trolley.  You think food trucks are mobile -- you haven't seen Cafe Roulant.  It's a trolley that tours Eureka Springs while offering a lunch or dinner from one of several area restaurants.  I'm anxious to give this new idea a shot.

I won't look this good, but this should give you the idea.
5.  Trout fish the Spring River.  Okay, this is probably going to sound silly.  I've been trout fishing from the bank and trout fishing from a boat, but I think it'd be cool to actually go trout fishing in waders in a river.  And the Spring River, as gorgeous as it is, seems like a prime choice.  It's a beautiful area and it's well known for its fishing.

I want to see what's at the end of this road.
6.  Find out what's at Arkansas's most remote spot.  If you go to Barton (near Helena-West Helena) and head south on Highway 85, you head into unknown territory.  I want to find the restaurants at Elaine and points south and see what's at the end of the road closest to the confluence of the Arkansas River with the Mississippi.  Call it curiosity.

7.  Order the fries at Cattleman's Steakhouse in Texarkana.  Cattleman's turns 50 in 2015, and while it's well known for steak, quail and other entrees, it's the delicacies on the appetizer menu that need to be further explored -- specifically calf fries, turkey fries and dragon fries.  It's about time I bit the bullet and shared this uniquely Arkansas experience.

The start and end point of the trail, I hope.
8.  Complete the Arkansas River Trail.  I haven't properly ridden a bike in about 10 years now and it's time that happen again.  Now that my daughter Hunter's riding and has a new, bigger bike, it's time we start training to do the loop -- the Arkansas River Trail from downtown Little Rock to the Big Dam Bridge, across to North Little Rock and back to the Clinton Presidential Center.  Heck, doing it on foot wouldn't be a bad early goal.  Consider this -- I am afraid of heights and haven't managed to talk myself into getting up on the Big Dam Bridge yet.  This will be a challenge.

That's not a whole lot of goals, but I'll be happy if I can get there.  What's on your bucket list?

4 comments:

  1. I love your Arkansas bucket list.....!

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  2. I'm from Louisiana, I was surprised at the number of these that I've done. Digging for Diamonds has been checked off, the Caddo & Buffalo Rivers, visited some of the caves, also a few of the restaurants. I hope to have a bath at the old Bathhouse in Hot Springs this weekend - which is on my list.

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  3. Stop in at a gas station where a teenager on the payroll will actually fill your tank, wash the windshield and check the oil. Haven't seen one in 20 years! And folks wonder why we need to build more prisons.

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  4. If you want to dine in a train car as well as a trolley, Boomerang Diner in Fort Smith will fulfill that. They are housed in an old-fashioned dining car from the 1930s or 1940s.

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