A guide to Little Rock, Arkansas
Dave and I headed to Little Rock, Arkansas this weekend to cross another state off our 50 states list. If you’ve read any other posts on this blog, you’ve probably noticed we don’t always get the best weather. It rained most of the day Saturday making the day feel like two completely separate days. We spent the morning inside and even made it to brunch! Okay . . . I lied about quitting. After the rain dried up, we headed outside to make the most of it!
As always, we had an excellent trip. If you ever get a chance to visit, here’s a list of the best ways to spend your time:
Brunch
We forgot all of our past brunch fails and decided to give it another go. I shouldn’t have been surprised when the thunderstorms caused flash floods, and we couldn’t make it to our first choice, Cathead’s Diner (FYI: the place gets its name from the cat-head sized biscuits they make). As it turns out, we realized later that their brunch is buffet style and kind of pricy, so maybe it was for the best that we ended up not making it there.
Instead, we went to @thecorner. We got there just in time as the line quickly grew to wrap around the restaurant. You order at the counter and then get seated by the staff. The restaurant has a regular menu but occasionally hosts themed additions to the list as well. This weekend was a squash brunch. We ordered biscuits and gravy and the breakfast poutine. Squash is too healthy for brunch…
We stopped at EJ’s Eats and Drinks for breakfast on our way out of town. This is more of a classic diner. The food was good, the staff friendly, and we didn’t have to wait for a table!
Things to do while it’s raining
Is there a better rainy day activity than bowling? We made our way to Dust Bowl Lanes and Lounge to dry off. At $20/hour, it was a little pricier than I remember as a kid, but included food and drink service. They have a full bar if you’re interested, and the food smelled/looked fantastic.
The River Market District can be found on nearly every Little Rock must-do list. Let me tell you: it’s even better if it’s raining. Especially because it’s empty! The actual River Market Hall is covered and hosts a farmers market during the warmer months. Here you can find vendors selling local produce and crafts. The Museum of Discovery, Ron Robinson Theater, and the Library are all nearby.
If you’re not interested in any of these things, the city of Arkansas offers a free streetcar which allows you to hop on and off. It makes stops at several areas around the city including Heifer International (a nonprofit working towards ending hunger and poverty using sustainable resources), the Historic Arkansas Museum, and even crosses the Arkansas River to visit the North Little Rock Argenta District. The operators are pretty funny, knowledgeable about the city’s history, and overall give a pretty good tour.
People lived in this cabin without electricy or water until the 1960s 
We were lucky enough to run into a couple who donated this barn to the state of Arkansas
Also found near the River Market District is Riverside Park. Here you can find the beginning of the Arkansas River Trail, a 14-mile loop for biking or walking, Peabody Park, filled with beautiful sculptures, and the Arkansas Maritime Museum, just across the Junction Bridge. All these things are great for drier weather!
Breweries
We found a really cool $15 Airbnb experience where you bring/rent a bike, and a tour guide brings you to four different breweries (you can choose which ones you go to) and drink (not included in the price). Although this sounded great, we skipped the bikes and did our own walking tour.
Flyaway Brewing was my favorite of the breweries we visited. Although the outside looked a little rundown, the inside was new and modern. They had an interesting take on food and excellent beer. If giant pretzels and sliders are your thing, this is your stop.
Stone’s Throw Brewing was Dave’s favorite. It had a “this is where the locals go” feel. There were picnic tables in an outside seating area, as well as a taproom inside. And some pretty cool gear too if you’re into that sort of thing!
Flying Saucer Draught Emporium: Although it’s not a brewery, the emporium boasts over 200 beers with around 75 on tap. The bartenders are great at making suggestions since the list can be a bit overwhelming. Although the other places all had food, this is the only one where we ate. I highly recommend the Hippie Hollow with jalapeno vinaigrette. There are several locations. You can join the club and get a saucer on the wall when you taste 200 beers. Good luck!
If you don’t find anything you like on this list, have no fear! There are plenty of other breweries. We didn’t even make a dent. There is also Lost Forty, Diamond Bear, and Rebel Kettle just to name a few.
Food
I know we’ve already talked about food a lot. . . And there are many restaurants inside the River Market Hall, but Dave and I decided to branch out. My favorite meal of the weekend came from Three Fold Noodles and Dumpling Co. Although the menu is small and simple, the food was so good! I enjoyed a dumpling plate with spicy chili oil while Dave ate a noodle bowl. It took all of my efforts not to get three extra orders to go. Seriously. . . sooo good.
While walking around town, we received several recommendations for Soul Fish Cafe (southern food), Samantha’s Taproom & Wood Grill, and Bruno’s Little Italy. Although we didn’t eat at any of them, word on the street (literally!) is you should add them to your list.
Hurts Donut. Delicious donuts. That’s all you need to know.
Finally, while researching for this trip I kept coming across something called a chocolate sack: A MUST-HAVE while visiting Little Rock. Since our birthdays are both coming up soon, we decided to #treatyoself. Found at SO Restaurant and Bar (fine dining), this thing was incredible. I’m not even sure that’s a strong enough descriptor. It was Belgian chocolate formed into the shape of a small paper sack stuffed with chocolate cake, raspberry preserves, and vanilla icecream. Phenomenal. The restaurant was a little out of our style, but for dessert and wine, it was worth it. I’m pretty sure the waitress could tell we were out of our element. She was lovely, though.
The number of steps we walked nearly balanced out all the food we ate. At least that’s what I tell myself! Hahah! Little Rock was quite a pleasant surprise, and we can scratch another state off our #placeswevebeen map!
August 27, 2019 @ 1:15 am
Thanks for this one I am taking note while I am reading your post as I am preparing for our road trip to Texas next year. Arkansas is in our route and will be spending some time in there too. Great article.
August 27, 2019 @ 9:43 pm
It was a really good stop. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Arkansas but was pleasantly surprised. There is also an area about an hour west of Little Rock called Hot Springs. They have a Science and Discovery Museum and Hot Springs National Park (with actual hot springs). It was on the list as a possibility, but we ran out of time.
How far will you travel on your road trip?
August 27, 2019 @ 1:15 am
I’m glad to see you made the best of your travels despite the weather. I found on our road trips that weather seems a little unpredictable as well. I live in Southern California so we have sun almost year round.
August 27, 2019 @ 11:23 pm
We have a wide variety of weather here so I’m sure it’s a much bigger change for you after experiencing sun year-round. It certainly keeps things interesting! What do you do when you run into less than favorable weather conditions? Especially if you’re traveling with your kids?
August 27, 2019 @ 4:53 am
We’ve not visited Little Rock yet but I’d love to do so someday, especially after reading this informative travel guide. I love exploring local markets during our travels so I’m sure I’ll be heading to River Market District during our trip there. Great tip regarding visiting the Market on a rainy day when the crowds tend to be less. The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium sounds like a fun experience too – over 200 beers with 75 on the tap – wow!
August 27, 2019 @ 11:31 pm
So far my favorite market is the Milwaukee Public Market. This is one is on a much smaller scale, but still has a lot to see. The city was basically empty while it was raining.
I highly recommend the Flying Saucer. With that many options, there’s a beer there for everyone! They even tried to showcase a few of the local breweries which made me like it even more.
August 27, 2019 @ 7:44 am
The free streetcar looks so cool and it’s free, really?! And omg, the chocolate sack (not sure about the name being really appetising though!) – Belgian chocolate, raspberry and vanilla – absolutely to die for!
August 27, 2019 @ 11:19 pm
It really was free! I was suspicious of it myself, but when we got on the operator just welcomed us and kept moving. Depending on who is driving the tours can vary, but it was a very pleasant way to see the major parts of the area. You can always get off at a stop and get back on later.
We laughed about the name “chocolate sack” for about a week. It was a fine dining restaurant so I’m surprised they didn’t choose something a little more elegant, but it was, in its most basic form, chocolate formed into the shape of… a paper sack. hahah
August 27, 2019 @ 12:41 pm
Never been to Arkansas but looks like a fun place to visit!
August 27, 2019 @ 11:14 pm
This was our first time! I was sure what to expect, but we found a lot of cool activities!
August 27, 2019 @ 2:40 pm
Loved your post as it is all about food 😊. I would want to try the brunch you guyz had. My favourite part of the post was idea to keep the streets clean. It was indeed very smart.
August 27, 2019 @ 9:39 pm
I highly recommend the brunch! It was a nice treat. A little heavy for everyday dining though.
I was really impressed with the cleanliness of the city. They’re definitely doing something right!
August 27, 2019 @ 4:26 pm
It looks like you had a fun time, even if it was a bit soggy! I sometimes find the rainy days can be the best, because you expect less, but manage to do so much!
You have been making me drool with all that food. The chocolate sack sounds amazing (although it look super rich!) Out of curiosity, what made the restaurant seem not your style?
August 27, 2019 @ 9:38 pm
We usually try to power through the rain or at least take advantage and do some inside activities we maybe wouldn’t have gotten to. What are your favorite things to do when the rain rearranges your plans?
The chocolate sack was very rich and we were unable to finish the whole thing, but it was a cool opportunity. It was a fine dining establishment. We tend to stick to more casual dining restaurants and were clearly underdressed, but everybody was so nice.
August 27, 2019 @ 4:56 pm
The breweries must’ve been fun to visit (delicious, too!). Not really into the brunch, it seems really heave compared to what I’m used to having for brunch in local restaurants.
Bravo on the scratch map! And to many more. 😉
August 27, 2019 @ 9:33 pm
Breweries are one of our favorite stops during our travels! They usually have good food and really cool, laid back atmospheres. I agree that the brunch was really heavy. We don’t normally eat like that, but it felt like a “when in Rome” kind of scenario.
Thank you! 🙂
August 27, 2019 @ 7:26 pm
We didn’t have a lot of time but we actually spent most of it at the River Market District but we also took some time to visit the statue of the children near the capitol, the Clinton’s first stone house, and the Clinton Presidential Library.
August 27, 2019 @ 11:28 pm
How did you like the River Market? I enjoyed the outside farmers market more than the food shops inside the building. My boyfriend had been to a lot of the Clinton activities on a prior trip so we skipped them, but he seemed to enjoy them.
August 28, 2019 @ 1:51 am
I was totally sucked into this post just from reading about the cat head sized biscuits! The food all looks so yummy…trying to convince my wife to take a road trip from Chicago to Little Rock!
September 6, 2019 @ 2:31 am
Thank you so much! I hope you can convince her! There are plenty of other cool stops along the way. Let me know your favorite things if you do end up going!
August 28, 2019 @ 10:34 am
That cigarette bin is really clever! I wonder if anyone actually counts them and reports back on which superhero won 🙂 It upsets me when smokers throw the butts onto the ground, so anything to encourage them to actually throw them away gets my stamp of approval!
September 6, 2019 @ 2:29 am
I’m not sure! That would definitely be a dirty job. This seems like such a great idea and I’m surprised other cities don’t do it.
August 28, 2019 @ 12:04 pm
Well you definitely made the best of a bad weather day. Bowling is a great idea. So much yummy food. The Airbnb beer experience love it. The lights on junction bridge are amazing.
September 6, 2019 @ 3:13 am
Thank you!