http://www.usresident.com/content/articles/us-travel-guides/arkansas/ Sat, 19 May 2012 19:09:43 +0000 43200 Articles nd travel guides about Arkansas http://www.usresident.com/content/articles/us-travel-guides/arkansas/diamond-hunting-in-murfreesboro-arkanasas-r146
In 1906, John Huddleston plucked two diamonds out of the kimberlite soil on his farm. When word got out, diamond fever ran rampant. Though interest in the diamond field has decreased, the park is a great experience for both adults and children.

During the years of diamond hysteria, thousands of diamonds were found on the farm. In 1956, Mrs. A.L. Parker of Dallas, Texas, found a diamond on the field after a heavy rain. It was a 15.33 carat white diamond, which brought another flood of fortune seekers to the park.

Thousands of people have visited the park over the years to dig and sift through the kimberlite soil. The largest recorded diamond find was a 40.23 carat diamond in 1924. In 1975, a 16/37 carat Armarillo Starlight diamond was unearthed.

For years the diamond crater was on publicly owned land, but in 1969, it was sold to a mining company. The State of Arkansas purchased the crater in 1972 and developed the eight hundred and eighty eight acre park, which is nestled between a hardwood and mixed pine forest on the banks of the Little Missouri River.

For a day of fun searching for diamonds, visit Crater of Diamonds Park. Take along a picnic or have lunch at the restaurant. If you’d like to extend your stay, there are more than sixty campsites available that give access to electricity and water. Drop by the visitor’s center, or hike on the 1.3 mile trail that has awesome scenic panoramas.

Crater of Diamonds Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas is a unique destination for either a day trip or an extended stay. You can be assured that a rich experience awaits you.]]> Wed, 12 Jan 2011 01:33:30 +0000 8a3363abe792db2d8761d6403605aeb7 http://www.usresident.com/content/articles/us-travel-guides/arkansas/the-best-of-best-western-hotels-mountain-home-arkansas-r145
Surrounded by lush landscaping, lavish gardens, and featuring a pool complete with fountains, Best Western has created a lovely atmosphere that we found both tranquil and romantic.

It is also very close to Lake Norfork, one of the most beautiful lakes in North Central Arkansas and is centrally located making other attractions easily accessible. When not enjoying our room or the gorgeous surroundings, we visited the lake, went antique shopping, and savored home cooking offered by local restaurants.

The rooms at Best Western are clean, comfortable, and reasonably priced. They provide cable television, offer a computer with high-speed access for guest's convenience, and offer a free Continental breakfast. The breakfast is typical fare for the most part, but they do offer freshly made Belgian waffles.

If you really want to pamper yourself, reserve the Jacuzzi Suite. For just $100.00 per night, you can unwind in the Jacuzzi after a long day and relish a restful nights sleep in the king size bed. The room also includes a mini refrigerator, so don't forget the champagne!

Best Western is located at 963 Highway 62 East (the main highway through the center of Mountain Home). Check in time is 3:00 p.m. and checkout is at 11:00 a.m. Call the toll free number, (877) 425-6001, to ask about special rates.]]> Wed, 12 Jan 2011 01:28:38 +0000 feab05aa91085b7a8012516bc3533958 http://www.usresident.com/content/articles/us-travel-guides/arkansas/fayetteville-arkansas-r144
At this point my friends and family are all wondering when I am going to get to the real reason I love Fayetteville so much. I am a Christmas fanatic, in fact you could say it is Christmas year round at my home. I collect all things Christmas! From November to January travel to Fayetteville and you will be surrounded by a Christmas feast for your eyes. Thousands and thousands of lights illuminate some 46 miles of city streets. Travel to Fayetteville square, where you can enjoy all types of Christmas entertainment. Contact the Chamber of Commerce to find out more about who is scheduled to perform.

The only other thing that gets me moving faster then Christmas is, as you all know, FOOD! I always make sure to find the best place to eat when ever I travel. If it is an out of the way place then thats even better. The Bean Palace fits both of those descriptions. It is located on the third floor of a gristmill on the banks of War Eagle Creek. This gristmill was built in 1973 but sits where the first gristmill set in the 1830's. You can feast on cornbread, cookies, and yeast bread all made from grain milled right on the site. What could go better with cornbread then a big old pot of beans? I recommend everything on the menu, give it all a try. They are located on War Eagle Rd in Rogers. 479-789-5343.

After that wonderful meal I am ready to plan my next travel USA adventure. How about you?]]> Wed, 12 Jan 2011 01:20:38 +0000 4588e674d3f0faf985047d4c3f13ed0d http://www.usresident.com/content/articles/us-travel-guides/arkansas/born-on-the-bayou-a-guide-to-devalls-bluff-arkansas-r19
Most people in this place have not been farther than Des Arc in most of their adult lives, hardly anyone has even thought of leaving the state. Despite the smallness of the DeValls Bluff world it tends to be quite self-sufficient. Most people who are born here, die here, and escape is always on the minds of the young.

This place is the context of many more stories than my own.


It was nothing more than a swamp when the first settlers arrived. It eventually became a bustling town centered around the river basin, which provided fish for market and muscle shells for the button factory. Then the Civil War came. The little burg of DeValls Bluff became the primary base of operations for the control of the river statewide. In just four years the town changed hands between Union and Confederate troops eight times, hundreds died fighting and thousands of disease over this little patch of swamp. DeValls Bluff has more cemeteries with more gravesites than many cities. Since then it has been in slow decline. Now there are fewer than seven hundred people living within city limits, even fewer on the outside.


This is the world into which I was born. As a youth I was moved around with my family as my father chased the oil industry from city to city, so I spent many years living in various parts of Texas. Yet we would always return to DeValls Bluff when things would go sour before striking out again, so it has always been home for all of us.


When I was fourteen my parents called it quits and moved back to DeValls Bluff permanently. They had tired of the rat race and were ready to settle down on the family farm. Now that we were back at the home place, I wanted to know everything. They proceeded to tell me about the history of DeValls Bluff. They told me about the old swamp witches that cured and cursed during my father’s youth. They told me about the Quapaw tribal burial grounds that lie on our land. They showed me the secret cemeteries in the swamps and told me about the ghosts of the war.


In the years to come I was mentored not by my parents, but by the place itself. My teachers were the animals, trees, swamps, and ghosts. That is perhaps one of the more unique qualities about most residents of DeValls Bluff, they all believe. Everyone knows about the outdoors, ghosts, and the things that hide in the swamps.


I escaped DeValls Bluff and its people during my college years, though thankfully without losing my connection to its history or spirits. I return now to those woods and that town not as an enemy, but as an old friend.]]> Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:02:25 +0000 07e1cd7dca89a1678042477183b7ac3f