8 Ways To Have An Epic Arkansas Summer

Want to have an epic Arkansas summer?  I have a few ideas.

1. This is the summer of the Epic Road Trip. There are so many new and neat things to do across the state, and a lot of great things that are still pretty awesome. Tie them together with a roadmap. Over Spring Break, Hunter and I struck out on Arkansas's longest highway... you can catch up with our entire adventure here. Some other suggested highways:

Visit the boyhood home of Johnny Cash.

Arkansas Highway 14.  From Cricket Creek Campground near the Missouri Border, through Yellville and the Buffalo National River Valley, on to Mountain View, Batesville, Newport, Harrisburg, Lepanto, Dyess and Wilson - this route takes you from the heights of the Ozark Mountains all the way to within spitting distance of the Mississippi River. You can fish, tour show caves, eat fried pickles, visit the Mark Martin Museum, see where Johnny Cash was raised and dine at a tavern all along this route.

Explore the Four States Auto Museum at Texarkana.

US Highway 82.  The road made famous by the Cannonball Run will take you across the bottom of the state.  Start off in Texarkana and visit the Municipal Auditorium where Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley once performed, and drop in at the Four States Auto Museum. Visit the state's oldest bakery in Magnolia (and get some good barbecue, too), learn about the history of oil and brine in the region, enjoy El Dorado's unique downtown and discover the largest oxbow lake in North America.

2. Swim. Arkansas summers are hot, so finding a way to keep cool is key. Check out some of the fantastic new water parks that have come about in the past year, including Parrot Island in Fort Smith; Crenshaw Springs in White Hall and Holiday Springs in Texarkana. Or enjoy an old standby such as Crystal Falls at Magic Springs in Hot Springs and Wild River Country in North Little Rock. More water parks and pads here.

3. Float. Whether you're an avid kayaker or a weekend float-tripper, you'll find places to bob on the water all over Arkansas.  Here's a handy site that shows where to go.

Hunter trout fishing at Bear Creek Springs.

4. Fish. This should be a no-brainer, but my partner Grav has his own idea of the perfect fishing trip - midnight catfishing. If you're not scared of the dark, put in on a river or lake and take advantage of clear, cool nights... you won't get a sunburn, that's for sure! Make sure your Arkansas fishing license is up to date.

5. Mini-golf. No, really. The once cute and relaxing game has returned to sites all over Arkansas. You'll find miniature links in Little Rock at the Big Rock Fun Park, at Pirate's Cove in Hot Springs, Putt-N-Putt in Batesville, Diamond-In-The-Hole in Murfreesboro, T-Rex Jurassic Golf in Hot Springs (it even has an indoor course!), Woodlands Mini Golf at Fairfield Bay, Cabot Mini Golf, Fun City Pizza in Springdale, Safari Falls at FunTrackers Family Park in Hot Springs, a covered course at Best Western Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs... and many more. Find more Arkansas mini-golf courses here.

Hunter sculpts terrain at Mid America
Science Museum.

6. Be amazed. Yes, I've talked about this already, but you really, REALLY need to check out Mid America Science Museum. The renovation has completely changed the game, with dozens of new features and an unparalleled Skywalk you're going to adore. Take your camera.

7. Be merry. Have you heard about the Fayetteville Ale Trail? This collection of breweries dotting northwest Arkansas is growing rapidly. Pick up a passport and sample your share... fill that passport with stamps and you'll receive a free bottle opener. The folks at Hogshead Tours will even act as your designated driver with behind-the-scenes tours at several of those such establishments.

8. Satisfy your appetite. A lazy day in summer is a great time to head to Blytheville and sample half a dozen remarkable barbecue restaurants, or to wander Fort Smith for the best bowl of pho. Whether you dig fried chicken or fried pickles or fried pies, you can head out on your own culinary tour of The Natural State.

Renewed Wonder at Mid America Science Museum.

 Hunter and I are exploring Scenic Arkansas Highway 7 from end-to-end this week. Watch my Twitterfeed @TieDyeTravels for updates each day on where we've been and where we're headed.

Like thousands of other Arkansas children, I grew up with the really cool place, the Mid America Science Museum.  Field trips and summer visits offered a world of wonder and lots of chances to play.

Even as an adult, I visited many times.  Over the years, some of the things became routine, but it was always still a great stop.  

A few weeks ago, the newly remodeled museum reopened.  Hunter and I planned a visit for our spring break road trip.  After visiting the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources the day before and having the place to ourselves, we didn't expect all that many people out for the mid-week stop.  Imagine our surprise when we arrived to find people parked all along the road leading to the museum, and a full parking lot as well.  Take a look at all the cool stuff we found inside.

She was excited from the moment we arrived.  Before, even.

On the outside, it doesn't look all that different.

But on the inside, it's a different story.

Right inside the front door, there's a neat video project where kids can hula hoop
or play ball or dance, and it'll loop and reverse.  Notice the difference in Hunter
on the screen and Hunter on the floor.

Could packing peanuts and a trampoline ever be quite this fun?

A lot of the old attractions and experiments are still there, such as this metal
funnel.

Some of the attractions make a lot of noise.

The old skybridge is now called the Light Bridge, and you can see the new
Skywalk from there.  It's unique!

There are a lot of different pieces on the light walk.

This is a frame full of different prismatic glass pieces that distort what lies beyond.

Hunter enjoyed playing with the different colored cels to create different colors.

A two story structure just inside the main building uses water to propel balls
up and down.  It requires a little kid participation.

As you see, that's not a problem.

Hunter launched balls from this contraption up into that spring overhead...

which spun down into this water funnel.  Kids below grabbed balls and put them
on tracks to launch them back up to the top.

Sometimes the balls escape, but that's all right.  There's help getting those back, too.

As you can see, there are a lot of changes to the main area of the museum,

And there were plenty of people there to enjoy all of it.

Without a doubt, Hunter's favorite thing at the museum is this structure.

Here, rubber pieces are piled up and knocked down to create mountains and rivers.

When you hold your hand over it, it rains.

The mastadon is still there...

As is this giant lump of quartz crystal.

You can see what you look like in infrared.

Or check out this ice coil!

The Gyroid is a neat climbing contraption for the kids. Hunter had to get her
shoes off immediately to tackle this.

She never made it to the top, but she sure tried!

Those fabulous Rowland Emmett machines are still on display throughout
the museum.

Hunter got a real shock out of this contraption.

She rather enjoyed connecting circuits in the Tinkering Studio.

We went out on the Skywalk.  It was an adventure... a musical one. 

There were a lot of people out.

Hunter loved the kaleidoscope.

Here's what it looked like inside.

This giant trampoline was the center of attention.

Hunter was far more interested in the tightrope... but after this run, she said never again.

The cafe is still located on the bottom floor of the entry building.

Here's a carbon atom display.

And here's another one of those amazing machines.

There's even a machine to break rocks.  Which is genius, since this allows the kids
to make gravel for the paths... KIDDING...

And of course, we had to check out the gift shop.

If you'd like to learn more about the Mid America Science Museum, check out the website.