Arkansas holds a special place as our 25th state — the halfway point in our 50 in 5 travels. Leaving Memphis on the third day of our road trip, we drove straight into Arkansas and made our way to Little Rock.
Lunch in Little Rock
The weather was beautiful when we arrived in Little Rock. We parked by the Arkansas River and stopped at River Market for lunch. After we ate, we walked around the Junction Bridge and waterfront area. Brandon grabbed coffee at a nearby shop before we climbed back in the car to continue our journey across the state.
Evening in Greenwood
By late afternoon, we had arrived in Greenwood, Arkansas — a tiny town about 20 miles southeast of Forth Smith. I chose Greenwood to stop for the night because I found a cute and very affordable Airbnb.
There were a few restaurants to choose from in town, but we stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up groceries for dinner and breakfast the next morning. Most people avoid cooking on vacation, but I thought it would be a nice change of pace to stay in for the evening and have a simple meal. We also grabbed a couple of marshmallow roasting forks to use at the fire pit on the property. (Side note: My family called them marshmallow pokers when I was a kid, and I had no idea until today that nobody else did this.) Brandon was flummoxed to discover that Sebastian County is dry, so he couldn’t purchase beer to go with dinner. Our gracious Airbnb hosts brought over some excellent craft selections for him to try.
For dinner, we made grilled chicken, skillet macaroni and cheese, and opened a bagged salad. The simple meal matched the simple setting of the Airbnb, at the secluded end of a long gravel driveway. We explored the property as the sun went down, then built a fire in the pit to enjoy. We made s’mores and were enjoying our evening in peace and quiet, until we heard coyotes howling. We didn’t think much of it at first, because we hear coyotes at home from time to time. But after a period of quiet, one sharp howl sounded incredibly close to us! We both bolted up and out of our chairs as fast as lightning, and ran to the safety of the Airbnb porch. Brandon grabbed a flashlight and extinguished the fire, then we retired inside for the rest of the night.
Morning in Greenwood
The next morning, we discovered that in our haste to escape the coyote (noise), we broke both of our folding camping chairs! Luckily, they belonged to us and not to our Airbnb hosts. We made bacon and eggs for breakfast, then Brandon did a little catch and release fishing at the pond on property. It was the perfect slow start to our morning, and we both wished we could have stayed longer.
We rarely take slow and calm vacations. We’re always on the go, and I pack as much into our itineraries as possible. Our night in Arkansas was a nice opportunity to slow down and enjoy our time in a different way.
