Delve deeper into Arkansas’s storied past at these venues from across the state. Explore notable Civil War battlegrounds and Civil Rights exhibits or peruse Native American artifacts and museums of presidential proportions.

Central

Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum
120 Riverfront Park Drive, North Little Rock
(501) 371-8320
Home of the historic submarine USS Razorback (SS-394) as well as other vessels related to the state.

Arkansas National Guard Museum
Sixth & Missouri streets, Camp Robinson,
North Little Rock
(501) 212-5215
This museum tells the story of the Arkansas National Guard, from its militia roots to its participation in the current global war on terror.

Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame
3 Verizon Arena Way, North Little Rock
(501) 663-4328
This facility salutes more than 370 inductees and gives a historical look at sports in Arkansas.

Arkansas State Capitol
Woodlane & Capitol avenues, Little Rock
(501) 682-5080
The Arkansas State Capitol is the heart of the state’s government. Six of the seven constitutional offices are housed here, as well as the state legislature that meets annually.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies
401 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock
(501) 320-5700
The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies promotes a greater understanding and appreciation of Arkansas history, literature, art and culture.

EMOBA–The Museum of Black Arkansans & Performing Arts Theater
1208 Louisiana St., Little Rock
(501) 372-0018
EMOBA hosts changing exhibits that explore the African-American experience in Arkansas.

Heifer Village
1 World Ave., Little Rock
(501) 907-2697
Heifer Village introduces visitors to the possibility of a world free of hunger and poverty through inspiring exhibits.
                   
Historic Arkansas Museum
200 E. Third St., Little Rock
(501) 324-9351
Historic Arkansas Museum houses five galleries of Arkansas-made art and artifacts, including a Native American gallery and an interactive children’s gallery.

Jacksonville Museum of Military History
100 Veteran’s Circle, Jacksonville
(501) 241-1943
Located on the site of the Jacksonville Ordnance Plant during WWII, it includes many special exhibits and a museum store.

Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
2120 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive, Little Rock
(501) 374-1957
In September 1957, the desegregation of Central High School by the Little Rock Nine became a landmark event in the American Civil Rights Movement. Learn more about events that challenged the citizens of this nation to debate the meaning of equal rights.

MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History
503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock
(501) 376-4602
This museum interprets the state’s military heritage from its territorial period to the present through artifacts, photographs, weapons, documents, uniforms and other military items.

Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
501 W. Ninth St., Little Rock
(501) 683-3593
This state-of-the-art facility interprets African-American history, culture and community in Arkansas from 1870 to the present.

The Museum of Automobiles
8 Jones Lane, Morrilton
(501) 727-5427,
Founded by former Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, this museum houses more than 30 antique autos.

Museum of Discovery–Donald W. Reynolds Science Center
500 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock
(501) 537-3055
The Museum of Discovery’s interactive and dynamic exhibits engage visitors of all ages.

Old State House Museum
300 W. Markham St., Little Rock
(501) 324-9685
Built in 1836, the Old State House was the Arkansas Capitol until 1911. This National Historic Landmark, the oldest standing capitol building west of the Mississippi River, served as the backdrop for both of President Bill Clinton’s election night victory speeches.

Plantation Agriculture Museum State Park
4815 Arkansas Highway 161 S., Scott
(501) 961-1409
Plantation Agriculture Museum interprets the history of cotton agriculture from 1836 to WWII through exhibits and programs.

Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park
490 Toltec Mounds Road, Scott
(501) 961-9442
This National Historic Landmark site is all that remains of a ceremonial and governmental complex inhabited from A.D. 600–1050.

William J. Clinton Presidential Center
1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock
(501) 370-8000
The William J. Clinton Presidential Center encompasses a museum, presidential archives and educational and research facilities.

Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center
602 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock
(501) 907-0636
Exhibits showcase the role of fish and wildlife management, and the museum’s location on the Arkansas River allows visitors to see wildlife firsthand.

The Delta

Arkansas Post Museum State Park
5530 U.S. Highway 165 S., Gillett
(870) 548-2634
This complex of five buildings interprets the history of Arkansas’s Grand Praire and Delta.

Arkansas Post National Memorial
1741 Old Post Road, Gillett
(870) 548-2207
Established in 1686, Arkansas Post was the first European settlement in the lower Mississippi Valley.

Arkansas State University Museum
320 W. University Loop Circle, Jonesboro
(870) 972-2074
The ASU Museum features exhibits on the natural history and cultural heritage of the Mississippi River Delta region.

Central Delta Depot Museum
100 W. Cypress St., Brinkley
(870) 589-2124,
The museum contains exhibits focusing on the Louisiana Purchase survey of 1815 and on area railroads and other facets of local history.

Delta Cultural Center
141 Cherry St., Helena
(870) 338-4350
The museum interprets the history of the Delta through exhibits, educational programs, annual events and guided tours.

Hampson Archeological Museum State Park
2 Lake Drive, Wilson, (870) 655-8622
This museum exhibits a nationally renowned artifact collection from a 15-acre village that thrived between A.D. 1400 and1650 on a meander bend of the Mississippi River.

Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum & Educational Center
1021 W. Cherry St., Piggott
(870) 598-3487,
The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum is a barn studio where American author Ernest Hemingway composed portions of “A Farewell to Arms.”

Lakeport Plantation
601 Arkansas Highway 142, Lake Village
(870) 265-6031
Lakeport Plantation offers a glimpse of antebellum plantation life in Arkansas.

Lower White River Museum State Park
2009 Main St., Des Arc
(870) 256-3711
This museum features many exhibits and artifacts, including a replica of a late 1800s dogtrot log cabin.

Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie
921 E. Fourth St., Stuttgart
(870) 673-7001
This museum showcases the history of agriculture and pioneers who farmed the Grand Prairie, waterfowlers, the history of rice milling, crop dusting and fish farming.

Parkin Archeological State Park
U.S. 64 & Arkansas Highway 184 N., Parkin
(870) 755-2500
This park is the site of northeast Arkansas’s only remaining large platform mound from the American Indians between A.D. 1000 to 1550.

Southern Tenant Farmers Museum
117 Main St., Tyronza
(870) 487-2909
Exhibits focus on the South’s farm labor movement and the tenant farming and sharecropping system of agriculture.

World War II Japanese American Internment Museum
100 S. Railroad St., McGehee
(870) 222-9168,
The museum highlights the history of the two Arkansas relocation centers, Jerome and Rohwer, which were home to 17,000 Japanese Americans during WWII.

The Ouachitas

The Gangster Museum of America
510 Central Ave., Hot Springs
(501) 318-1717
Relive the days when some of the most infamous criminals in America coexisted with the quaint population of Hot Springs.

Garvan Woodland Gardens
550 Arkridge Road, Hot Springs
(501) 262-9300
Garvan Woodland Gardens features 210 acres of woodland gardens surrounded by 5 miles of Lake Hamilton.

Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center in Fordyce Bathhouse
369 Central Ave., Hot Springs
(501) 620-6715
Tour an elegantly restored turn-of-the-century bathhouse that features more than 20 refurbished rooms.

Mena Depot Center
524 Sherwood Ave., Mena
(479) 394-2912,
This restored train depot now serves as a museum highlighting the history of Mena and the surrounding area.

Mid-America Science Museum
500 Mid America Blvd., Hot Springs
(501) 767-3461
Science comes to life with more than 100 hands-on, interactive exhibits

The Ozarks

Arkansas Air & Military Museum
4290 S. School Ave., Fayetteville
(479) 521-4947
Housed in one of the nation’s former aviator training posts during WWII, the Arkansas Air & Military Museum displays exhibits that range from the golden age of aviation to the jet age.

Clinton House Museum
930 W. Clinton Drive, Fayetteville
(479) 444-0066
This 1930s English-style bungalow listed on the National Register of Historic Places was the first home of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Daisy Airgun Museum
202 W. Walnut, Rogers
(479) 986-6873
Daisy Airgun collectors can walk through a chronological presentation of Daisy history.

Eureka Springs Historical Museum
95 S. Main St., Eureka Springs
(479) 253-9417
The museum houses a fascinating collection of papers, photographs, mementos, official documents, home furnishings and other artifacts.

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park
506 E. Douglas St., Prairie Grove
(479) 846-2990
The site of the last major Civil War engagement in northwest Arkansas allows visitors to tour the valley where the heaviest fighting took place.

The Civil War Trail
An interactive peek into Arkansas’s Civil War past

Arkansas was the site of more than 750 military actions between 1861 and 1865. After Arkansas seceded from the Union in 1861, it became a strategic target for both North and South because of its location on the Mississippi River and its role as a gateway to the Southwest.

The war’s largest battle west of the Mississippi was fought at Pea Ridge in March 1862 and included about 26,000 soldiers. This Union victory dashed Confederate hopes of occupying Missouri. By the time the dust settled, the war touched every community and county in Arkansas.

To memorialize the Civil War’s marked impact on the state, many of the sites are open to visitors as national, state or local parks and museums.

And while this history is fascinating no matter how you get there, the Department of Arkansas Heritage and Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism created the engaging Civil War Trail, which includes eight scenic routes for motorcyclists and road trippers with notable Civil War markers and sites to explore.

More info: Get a trail map and learn more here.

Be one of the first 1,000 riders to complete all eight Civil War trails and receive your own commemorative patch. Submit at least one photo from each route to GroupTravel@Arkansas.com to qualify.

150 Years of History
The Civil War in Arkansas recently marked its 150th anniversary — the sesquicentennial. For more information about Arkansas Civil War battles and life in Arkansas during the war, visit www.ArkansasCivilWar150.com.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
118 W Johnson Ave., Springdale
(479) 750-8165
The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History is a regional history museum focusing on the Northwest Arkansas Ozarks.

Walmart Visitors Center
105 N. Main St., Bentonville
(479) 273-1329
The Walmart Visitors Center features exhibits that trace the formation and growth of Walmart stores.

War Eagle Mill
11045 War Eagle Road, Rogers
(479) 789-5343,
War Eagle Mill is a fully operating grist mill powered by an 18-foot cypress water wheel.

The River Valley

Fort Chaffee Barbershop Museum
7313 Terry St., Fort Smith
(479) 452-4554
This is the historic site where Elvis Presley received his much publicized GI haircut in 1958 when he entered the Army.

Fort Smith Museum of History
320 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith
(479) 783-7841
The Fort Smith Museum of History showcases the city’s rich history.

Fort Smith National Historic Site
301 Parker Ave., Fort Smith
(479) 783-3961
Explore life on the edge of Indian Territory through the stories of soldiers, dangerous outlaws and the brave lawmen who pursued them.

Heifer Learning Center at Heifer Ranch
55 Heifer Road, Perryville
(501) 889-5124
Heifer Ranch introduces visitors to the idea that one person can make a difference in ending hunger and poverty with programs ranging from day tours to multi-night programs.

Potts Inn Museum
15 Second St., Pottsville
(479) 968-8369
One of the best-preserved stagecoach stations on the Butterfield Overland mail route between Memphis and Fort Smith.

UAFS Drennen-Scott Historic Site Museum
222 N. Third St., Van Buren
(479) 262-6020
Overlooking the Arkansas River, the Drennen-Scott House is linked to the Trail of Tears, the Underground Railroad and the Civil War.

The Timberlands

Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame
1 Convention Center Plaza, Pine Bluff
(870) 536-7600
Trace the careers of some of Arkansas’s best-known performers at the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame.

Arkansas Railroad Museum
1700 Port Road, Pine Bluff
(870) 535-8819
The museum houses diesel locomotives, cabooses and baggage cars — all restored to their original splendor, as well as many artifacts used in railroading.

Four States Auto Museum
217 Laurel St., Texarkana
(870) 772-2886
The collection of artifacts includes automobiles and auto equipment, archival materials and objects related to autos and automotive history.

Grant County Museum & Heritage Square
521 Shackleford Road, Sheridan
(870) 942-4496
This local history museum traces Grant County’s economic and social development from prehistoric to present times.

Historic Washington State Park
100 S.W. Morrison St., Washington
(870) 983-2660
Washington is home to more than 30 restored historic structures, including the B. W. Edwards Weapons Museum and the historic Blacksmith Shop.

Paul W. Klipsch Museum
200 E. Division St., Hope
(870) 777-8200
The museum, located inside a restored Cairo-Fulton Railroad Depot, is dedicated to the life and achievements of the late Paul W. Klipsch, a Hope resident and an audio engineer who manufactured his world-famous loudspeakers there.

President Bill Clinton’s First Home Museum & Exhibit Center
117 S. Hervey St., Hope
(870) 777-4455
Guests can visit President Bill Clinton’s first home, which is now a National Historic Site restored to depict Clinton’s life as a child.

Texarkana Museum of Regional History
219 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana
(903) 793-4831
Housed in the town’s oldest brick building, the exhibits tell the region’s history including agriculture, early industry, civil rights and World War II.