Arkansas travelers choose from 31 Best Western hotels.

Little Rock Skyline

May 2012 brings the spotlight on the cultures of Little Rock and North Little Rock. On May 6th, join friends and family at the River Market Pavilions for the Jewish Food Festival. A showcase of Jewish culture and food, the Jewish Food Festival is an enjoyable day of performances, displays and food - sample Latkes, kugel and blintzes, among the delicacies. The Little Rock Greek community hosts the state’s largest ethnic festival May 18th through 20th. Little Rock's Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church hosts the 28th Annual International Greek Food Festival - summer is the season to enjoy the Little Rock region.

Spring brings the start of North Little Rock’s Certified Arkansas Farmers Market to the corner of 6th Street and Main across from the Argenta Market. The CAFM runs all summer, opening Saturdays from 7am to noon. There is plenty of parking, and the market is also for tiders on the River Rail Trolley route.

Little Rock signals the start of summer with Riverfest, traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend. The 2012 Riverfest is May 25th through 27th, filling downtown Little Rock with music and arts. Saturday night headliners include Lynard Skynyrd at the Miller Lite Amphitheatre Stage, followed by Boys II Men, and the Sunday night lineup includes Snoop Dogg on the Bud Light Stage. Start your Riverfest fun on Saturday at the 3rd Annual Rock-N-Stroll 5K Fun Run & Walk along the Northshore Riverwalk.

Fishermen get ready for the 2012 Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza. This is an amateur only event, held June 29th through July 1st. Stake-out your favorite spot along the Arkansas River and rise early for the 6am start. Organized by the Little Rock Arkansas Hospitality Association, the Big Big Bass Bonanza is America’s largest amateur fishing tournament, with $100,000 in prize money guaranteed. Release any fish less than 16 inches in length and enjoy summer fishing on the Arkansas River.

Keep pedaling your bicycles this summer, September brings the Arkansas Bike MS: Rock’n Hot Ride 2012. The two day ride follows a course from Little Rock to Hot Springs and back. Set your training for the 75-mile plus ride September 8th and 9th. The ride start and finish is at the beautiful Clinton Presidential Library with the course along the River Trail system traversing the Arkansas River three times. The 2012 ride is hosted by Toyota; enjoy central Arkansas’ scenery and outdoors, and all for a good cause.

Jacksonville, the northern suburb of Little Rock, is home of Little Rock Air Force Base. Jacksonville is conveniently located within 15 minutes of Little Rock and North Little Rock, offering visitors small town charm, along with LRAFB. A stop at the Splash Zone Water Park is ideal on a hot day, or escape the heat inside, at the Jacksonville Guitar Museum or Jacksonville Museum of Military History. Or load up the kids and the family dog for a visit to Dupree Park to enjoy your choice of outdoor recreation on the trails, lake and playground – there is an off-leash dog park for fido.

Haw Creek Falls
Ozark National Forest

It’s heating up in northern Arkansas. Home to the Ozark National Forest and charming cities like Conway, Bentonville, and Fayetteville, northern Arkansas is an ideal spring or summer getaway. This year, don’t miss one of the largest attended outdoor productions in the country: the Great Passion Play in historic Eureka Springs – home to the Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point Institute. Catch the famed Great Passion Play for a little taste of cultural Arkansas, or explore the Natural State with an adventurous motorcycle ride. This spring and summer, be sure to get into a Natural State of mind, and visit northern Arkansas.

Conway, set in north-central Arkansas 30 miles north of Little Rock, is a cultural city home to the Faulkner County Museum, some great sport fishing, and the 2012 Toad Suck Daze. Scheduled for early May, the 2012 Toad Suck Daze marks the 31st anniversary of this free, three-day festival. Take the family to Conway this May for live music, great food, a carnival, and crafts for show and sale. Don’t feel like partying? Head to Lake Conway – the site of the Arkansas Crappie Masters state tournament – for catfish, bass, and of course, crappie fishing.

Set in northwestern Arkansas, on the other side of the Ozark National Forest from Conway, Bentonville is home to the Walmart headquarters and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. A new museum for Bentonville, Crystal Bridges features permanent exhibits like Celebrating the American Spirit, Wonder World, and era collections like modern, 19th century, and contemporary. A fun activity for spring or summer, the 120-acre museum site offers nearly four miles of hiking paths, including the Art Trail, Crystal Bridges Trail, and Orchard Trail.

Just south of Bentonville, Fayetteville is another charming Arkansas town with plenty to do. Make your way to Dickson Street for boutique shops, eateries, and eventually the University of Arkansas. Want to make your own lunch, maybe for summer picnic’s sake? Visit Fayetteville’s Town Square for their seasonal Farmers Market starting in April and lasting throughout the summer until November.

A vacation to northern Arkansas always deserves a visit to the historic city of Eureka Springs. This year, make sure you head to town for the New Great Passion Play 2012 Season – especially for opening night on May 4th. New for the 2012 season, check out Top of the Mountain – a gospel music dinner theater – for comedy and live music from The Texans. The New Great Passion Play also features a number of on-site attractions like the Living Bible Tour, the Christ of The Ozarks Statue, and the Berlin Wall Exhibit – featuring an actual piece of the Berlin Wall. Don’t miss this unforgettable event in Eureka Springs – all part of the package on your summer trip to northern Arkansas.

Downtown Little Rock, AR

A true getaway awaits in the Natural State. So many cities are bursting with activity and adventure in central and southern Arkansas thanks to national and state parks, scenic byways, and the beauty of the Ouachita National Forest. Explore central and southern Arkansas with an adventurous motorcycle ride along the National Scenic 7 Byway, or head to Hot Springs for a scenic trek along West Mountain Drive. Found in the northern part of the city of Hot Springs, Hot Springs National Park features 26 miles of hiking trails, picnic spots along Gulpha Creek, and the main attraction, Bathhouse Row. Things are about to heat up in central and southern Arkansas.

As you plan a 2012 vacation, you may look forward to some relaxing, natural hot springs. You’re first stop at the Hot Springs National Park: The historic Fordyce Bathhouse visitor center. Find information on the area, plus exhibits on the oldest Federal Reserve – Hot Springs National Park. Now make your way to Bathhouse Row – a National Historic Landmark District with eight historic bathhouses. Enjoy a tub soak at Buckstaff Baths, or have a seat in the spring water jacuzzis of Quapaw Baths. Don’t forget to bottle some water from the springs – it makes the perfect memento of your time at Hot Springs National Park.

Outdoor activity awaits this spring and summer in Arkadelphia. Whether you’re roaring into town on a Harley Davidson along the National Scenic 7 Byway, or in the middle of a family road trip, Arkadelphia visitors are rewarded with plenty of hiking, fishing and sunshine. Take the 7 to the nearby DeGray Lake Resort State Park and cast out for bream and catfish on the 13,800-acre DeGray Lake, or try the fairways at the 18-hole DeGray Lake Golf Course. Spend another day at the park for horseback riding, stretching out on the Caddo Bend, and quick hikes along the Island Trail or the Towering Pines Trail. Finally, unwind with a massage at the DeGray Day Spa, enjoy a family picnic by the lake, and rest up for another warm day in Arkansas at the Best Western hotel in Arkadelphia.

For more fishing, golf, or just outdoor fun, head to the central Arkansas city of Pine Bluff – set less than an hour south of Little Rock. Nicknamed the Bass Capital of the World, Pine Bluff plays host to some excellent bass fishing in the Arkansas River in the northeast part of town. Home to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, this scenic city is also ideal for the history buff, thanks to the Arkansas Railroad Museum and downtown’s many murals showcasing Pine Bluff’s beginnings. Don’t miss “Live at Five” at the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, and enjoy the rest of your vacation during Arkansas’ warmer days.

Hernando deSoto Bridge

There’s plenty to do on the Mississippi River Delta as the weather warms up. Pay a visit to adventurous Arkansas towns like Blytheville, Forrest City, and West Memphis for spring and summer festivals, kids’ activities and a little culture. Explore eastern Arkansas by motorcycle along the Crowley’s Ridge Parkway, or let your interest perk in nearby museums with a focus on natural history, Arkansas’ past, and even Ernest Hemingway. Stop in Blytheville for the Thunder Bayou Golf Links – a stop along the Natural State Golf Trail – and visit Village Creek State Park near Forrest City, or Main Street in West Memphis. It’s all here on the Delta.

Set in northeaster Arkansas, Blytheville is a charming city with plenty of quirky finds for its visitors. Browse through That Bookstore in Blytheville – a Main Street-bookshop established in 1976. Encompassing more than 2,400-square-feet and over 25,000 titles, That Bookstore in Blytheville features autographed and first editions, staff picks, and Arkansas Delta Made crafts for sale. For a better look into Blytheville’s backstory, check out the Blytheville Heritage Museum, or stop by the Great River Heritage Museum.

If those Blytheville suggestions got your motor running, then you’re going to love the nearby Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center – a haven for museums hoppers and literature lovers. Found in nearby Piggott, the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum – the site where Hemingway wrote A Farewell to Arms – is listed on the National Historic Register.

Blytheville is 60 miles north of West Memphis, a suburb of Memphis found on the western banks of the Mississippi River. Check out the 2012 Memphis Music and Heritage Festival this Labor Day weekend in Memphis, or head to historic Beale Street for great eateries, live music, and boutique shopping. Stick to the west side of the Mississippi for shopping in downtown West Memphis, also known as the Broadway district, and attend the 2012 Blues on Broadway festivity in early May. West Memphis is the birthplace of B.B. King, you know. Visiting later in the summer? Don’t miss 2012's Taste of the Town, also along Main Street West Memphis, for traditional Arkansas fare – now 10 years running.

Further along the Crowley’s Ridge Parkway, Forrest City is another active town known as the Jewel of the Delta. Here you can get in some outdoor activity at the nearby Village Creek State Park during your spring or summer in eastern Arkansas. Visitors to this state park set on the Mississippi Alluvial Plain may fish for bass, bream, and catfish in Lake Austell and Lake Dunn, or take advantage of more than 25 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. The Village Creek State Park 18-hole golf course – Ridges at Village Creek – reopens to the public in May; so don’t miss the fun this summer in Arkansas’ largest state park.