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Little Rock, Arkansas: Bill Clinton rose to fame as the Governor of Arkansas, then as the 42nd President of the United States. Because of his fond memories as the state’s Governor he chose to have the $165 million William J. Clinton Library and Museum located in Little Rock.
Following the Clintonian theme of “building a bridge to the 21st century, the main building is a symbolic glass bridge extending toward the Arkansas River on 27 acres. Inside the dramatic structure is a 20,000-square-foot museum, replicas of the oval office and Cabinet Room, meeting rooms and an 80-seat theater and café. |
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With a collection of
more than 77 million pages of documents, two million photographs, 75,000
museum artifacts and 40 million e-mail messages, this is the largest of the
presidential libraries. The museum also includes gifts from admirers
including gold and silver ceremonial swords, crystal vases, a silver Buddha,
hand-carved jade sculptures, sculptures and antique religious paintings and
five saxophones. In addition to an Elvis collection, there are letters from
Whoopi Goldberg and Chevy Chase. There is even the bulletproof black
Cadillac limousine used by Clinton.
www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org Tel:
501-370-8000
The existence of the
center has already shown its ability to attract important development in the
area near the center. The Heifer International has purchased land adjacent
to the Clinton Center for its $13.9 million headquarters. Heifer
International is the 2004 recipient of Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian
million-dollar prize.
The conference on Ending
Hunger: Heifer at 60 had a banquet for 1,200 hosted by The Peabody Little
Rock and co-chaired by actors Ted Danson and Mary Stienburgen, residents of
Little Rock.
The mission of Heifer
International is to work with communities worldwide to end hunger and
poverty and care for the earth. Since 1944, Heifer has helped more than four
million people become self-reliant through the gift of farm animals and
training. The impact of each initial gift is multiplied as recipients agree
“to pass on the gift” by giving one or more of their offspring, or the
equivalent, to another in need.
Someday visitors will
travel to downtown Little Rock and see a South African village, an Indian
taxi and llamas grazing near an Ecuadorian hut. A 45-foot high man-made
mountain will rise near the banks of the Arkansas River and dozens of
animals ranging from cows to camels will be scattered about. That’s the
vision of Heifer International-an Arkansas non-profit has for its global
village, a massive attraction it hopes to construct as a neighbor to the
nearby Clinton Center.
As the city’s historical
importance grows, the impact of tourism assures its success, a factor that
The Peabody Little Rock Hotel recognizes. Just recently I joined other
guests of the Little Rock Peabody Alliance for the Arts and Culture for a
tour of Little Rock.
Historic Arkansas Museum
interprets Arkansas history and culture using artifacts, on-site four major
historic buildings and dependencies, including the oldest building in Little
Rock, Hinderliter Grog Shop, built in 1827. In 2001 a new 51,000 square-foot
museum center opened and houses paintings, furniture, weapons, pottery and
other decorative art created by local artists and artisans over the past 200
years.
www.arkansashistory.com Phone: 501-324-9351
Central High National
Historic Site opened in September 1997 to mark the 40th
anniversary of the high school’s desegregation, when nine African-American
students (Little Rock Nine) entered the all-white school under Federal troop
protection. In 1957 the school became a crucial battleground in the struggle
for civil rights. Located in a former Mobil Service Station across from the
same school is the visitor center containing the exhibit “All the World’s
Watching Us: Little Rock and the 1957 Crisis,” and a bookstore containing
educational materials.
www.nps.gov/chsg
www.home.swbell.net/chmuseum Tel: 501-374-1957
Arkansas Art Center is
the state’s largest cultural institution featuring two of the region’s
noteworthy museums. The Arkansas Museum of Art has a major collection of
drawings from the renaissance to the present. Housed in an 1840 mansion
nearby, the decorative Arts Museum focuses on contemporary crafts from
ceramics and baskets to jewelry, quilts and furniture.
www.arkarts.com Tel: 501-372-4000
Mac Arthur Museum of
Arkansas Military History is housed in the Tower building of the Little Rock
Arsenal, birthplace of General Douglas Mac Arthur. It chronicles the
contributions of the state armed forces military installation.
www.arkmilitaryheritage.com Tel: 501-376-4602
At Museum of Discovery,
Arkansas Museum of Science and history, you can explore the wonders of
nature, science technology and history. Changing exhibits make each visit a
new experience.
www.amod.org
TRAVEL GUIDE
Accommodations: The
Peabody Little Rock Telephone: 1- 800-PEABODY
City Information:
www.littlerock.com
(After the museum tour
we decided to detour to a few spas outside of Little Rock, so here are some
suggestions the next time you’re in town and have some time to spare for
some R&R)
Arkansas has a
reputation for having world-famous spas, which happen to be north of Little
Rock. The most enjoyable drive through forests is an added enticement. Hot
Springs and Eureka Springs have spas that attract visitors from around the
world. You owe it to yourself to get some skilled pampering and
garden-spawned food to recharge and relax the body and spirit.
In the Ouachita National
Forest, Mount Ida is on beautiful Lake Ouachita where we stopped for our
first spa experience at the Turtle Cove Spa in the Mountain Harbor Resort,
78 miles from Little Rock. The full service spa features a secluded open-air
pavilion overlooking the lake that allows for outdoor massages for
individuals and couples, and its most outstanding treatment is crystal
energy therapy using crystals that are mined in Montgomery County, where spa
resides.
The spa lodging packages
are popular because people want to take the entire natural experience
including hikes, cruise lake looking for eagles and yoga.
www.turtlecovespa.com Tel: 870-867-1220 Mountain Harbor resort
www.mountainharborresort.com
Hot Springs was 23 miles
away and we set out for Arlington Hotel located on a street that looked like
it was from the 50’s. The hotel was built in the 19th century and
had so much historic qualities and personality
Visitors from all over
the world have received beneficial results from the natural Hot Spring
waters of Hot Spring National Park. A hot bath was quite a relaxing
experience at Arlington Hotel, where guests soak in individual large tubs
(98-102F.) An optional scrub and/or massage is the ideal way to finish the
treatment.
The Historic 1886
Crescent Hotel and Spa exudes Victorian elegance and castle-like grandeur
and houses the New Moon Spa which provides a uniquely serene setting for
incredible spa treatments.
The specialty at New
Moon Spa are Exclusive Water Therapies designed to promote relaxation and
detoxification. The Hydrotone Therapy Tub has 89 jets of air and water
playing a medley upon your body. Dead Sea Salts, candlelight and essential
oils combine to make the ultimately relaxing experience. Vichy Shower is a
European water massage with six rotating heads raining down on the body as
you comfortably recline. You are left to rest in the gentle rain, followed
by a remoisterizing oil spritz.
These spa experiences
helped relieve my tension and stress and some consider it a natural
tranquilizer. Good-by stress…Hello happiness!
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Clinton
said, “I think I owed my native state. I wanted to make a contribution to
the development of Little Rock that I love so much.” Thirty thousand
visitors are expected, the beginning of what Little Rock leaders hope will
be decades and millions of dollars of economic benefits.
They
made sure we enjoyed our visit that included the Historic Arkansas Museum,
Central High National Historic Site, Arkansas Arts Center, Mac Arthur Museum
of Arkansas Military History, Old Statehouse Museum, Clinton Presidential
Center and Library, River Market, Museum of Discovery, USS Razorback
Submarine Inland Marine Museum, as well as Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
masterworks performance 501-666-1761 and “The Sleeper” at Arkansas Repertory
Theater
www.therep.org 866-684-3737.
The
imposing Greek Revival-style Old Statehouse Museum was Arkansas’ first
capitol from 1836-1911 and it houses period rooms and multimedia exhibits on
regional history. It’s also where the Clintons partied during both
inaugurations. 501-324-9351
The
USS Razorback Museum Inland Marine Museum has the USS Razorback submarine
that was commissioned in 1944. It took part in the formal surrender of Japan
in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, officially ending WWII.
www.northlittlerock.ar.govnlrvb Tel: 501-758-1424