📍 Plan your own visit
Follow the family’s adventures at That Arkansas Dad
Guides are only half the story — the day-to-day chaos, reviews and road trips live on the main site and our socials.
Browse by Category
Fourteen ways to fill a Saturday. Every tile opens the full guide — map, prices, hours and drive times — filtered to that category.
☀️EverythingAll 105 places
🌲State Parks52 places
🔬Museums & Science9 places
🦁Zoos & Animals3 places
💦Water Fun2 places
🚂Trains & Rides1 places
🎳Indoor & Rainy Day3 places
🔭Sky & Stars5 places
🦇Caves6 places
🌿Nature Centers6 places
🎃Farms & U-pick6 places
⚾Ballgames3 places
🛝Playgrounds & Splash Pads4 places
📚Libraries3 places
🛠️Hands-on Making2 places
That Arkansas Dad Top 10
If you only do ten things in this guide, do these. Our family’s ranked list — every one of them earned its spot. Tap one to jump to its card.
1
Blanchard Springs Caverns
The state’s flagship show cave, run by the U.S. Forest Service near Fifty-Six — guided Dripstone and Discovery tours, with tickets sold in advance on Recreation.gov.
⚠️ Season note: the posted 2026 season ends Oct 31 — check the Forest Service page before you go.
2
Petit Jean State Park
Arkansas's first state park — Cedar Falls waterfall, Seven Hollows Trail and River Valley views.
3
War Eagle Cavern on Beaver Lake
Guided-only cavern on Beaver Lake — the Traditional Tour runs about an hour on paved walkways with no tight squeezes, at a steady 58°F. It’s stroller-accessible and pet-friendly.
4
Little Rock Zoo
500+ animals, penguins, the historic Over-the-Jumps carousel — and the zoo train looping the grounds (extra fee).
5
Museum of Discovery
Arkansas’s hands-on science center — a Guinness-record musical Tesla coil and a tornado theater kids never forget.
6
Magic Springs Theme and Water Park
Arkansas’s only theme + water park in one ticket — coasters, a full water park, and a summer concert series.
7
Devil's Den State Park
The CCC's Ozark showcase — caves, crevices, crevice trails and a mountain lake.
8
Scott Family Amazeum
A tinkering wonderland — water play, climbable structures and a working Hershey’s chocolate lab.
9
Buffalo National River — Dark Sky Park
Arkansas’s first International Dark Sky Park (designated 2019) — the darkest skies in the state along the Buffalo River, with ranger and astronomy-group night programs around Tyler Bend and Buffalo Point.
10
Mid-America Science Museum
DinoTrek dinosaur trail, a conical Tesla coil, and the elevated Science Skywalk through the pines.
📬 The Weekend Roundup
One short email every Friday: the weekend’s best family picks near your ZIP — fresh openings, can’t-miss events, and one worth-the-drive idea from across Arkansas. Tell us your ZIP and your Roundup only covers your part of the state.
One email a week, Fridays only. No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime. From That Arkansas Dad, a real dad in Conway, not a marketing company.
Family Stories
When we load up the kids and go somewhere in this guide, we write it up — what we loved, what we’d skip, and what it really costs a family. New story most weeks.