Crowley’s Ridge State Park {Arkansas}

After spending one day at Silver Dollar City, the next day we were on the road again back to home. On the way back, we decided to take a different way home so we could go through Arkansas. I have never been to Arkansas before, and truthfully I have actually given very little thought to this state, which is sad since this is where Brad grew up. But it made the idea of driving through this state all the more appealing. It didn’t take long before I realized why Arkansas is considered ‘The Natural State’ because everywhere I looked I was met with beautiful views of farmlands and groves of trees. We stopped by the Arkansas Welcome Center near the border to the state to stretch our legs and came out with a handful of magazines and brochures about all there is to do in the state, including the Arkansas State Parks Passport book. We lamented a little bit about how we haven’t gotten one of these for Tennessee since we’ve been working on seeing all of the state parks, but I guess we will just have to go back and see them all again with the book in hand.

We’ve learned on long road trips that it is so important to have a mid-point stop somewhere, not just a stop to get gas or use the restroom, but somewhere to really get out and walk around. I think this is especially true when traveling with kids. So with our newly acquired state parks passport, we found a state park that would be our mid-point stop and decided on visiting Crowley’s Ridge State Park. This park is known for the rustic warmth of the log bridge and the log building that overlooks the lake. This park is not large, but perfect for a day outside. We walked around the lake, passing people swimming and paddle boating, before stopping by the playground for a little while. The lake is lovely, but what made it all the more lovely was the millions of bright orange day lilies that were blooming near the water. After our walk, we made our way to the visitor center so we could get our fist stamp in our Arkansas passport book.

In the last three days we have driven through four states making a loop through Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas. We were pretty road weary by the time we made it home, but glad to have spent a day at the park and some time exploring a new state.

If you want to know more on Crowley’s Ridge State Park, check out: arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crowleys-ridge-state-park