Amanda's Little Rock Blog

Today through Labor Day, the Little Rock Zoo is letting all kids twelve and under get in free. If you haven't been to the zoo in a while, now is the perfect time to check it out again. There have been many new exhibits in the past few years including Lorikeet Landing, the new rhino overlooks, Cafe Africa, the largest snake in Arkansas and the carousel. If you haven't been in a while, even the entrance and gift shop are different.

Cafe Africa is also having a promotion. Hot dogs are just $1, making a day at the zoo even more economical.

Regular adult admission is $8 and there must be one adult for every 10 kids admitted. Regular children's admission is $6.

This park is located in northern Arkansas in Huntsville, which is about 3 hours away from Little Rock. The park is in the middle of the Ozark mountains and War Eagle Creek.

The park's most prominent feature is the warm spring (Withrow Spring), The spring is fifty-four degrees year round and named for Richard Withrow who homesteaded much of the surrounding area. The spring flows from a cave at the foot of a bluff and flows into War Eagle Creek. Those interested can venture inside the cave, or you can just walk along the creek.

The park is perfect for fishing for catfish, bream, perch, or bass. They have picnic sites, pavillions and baseball and softball fields.

I featured this park today because this weekend, there are a lot of fun things going on. They have some cave tours, a GPS tutorial, some fun arts and crafts for kids. It seems like a great place to camp this weekend! Check out their events and plan your day.

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Since we're wrapping up the park a day series, I thought I'd hit some good parks I hadn't hit yet instead of doing the "this day in history" theme I've been doing. Plantation Agriculture Museum is a park close to Arkansas' heart and close to the capitol city. It's about a 30 minute drive from Little Rock.

Our history, the good and the bad, was centered around cotton. The museum interprets what life was like on a cotton plantation. Families can learn how cotton was "ginned" and learn how the cotton gin really changed the landscape of Arkansas farms. You get to see a real cotton gin. It is the only one known to exist in the continental United States. There are also cotton bales, plows, fertilizers, planters, cultivators, a blacksmith shop, a old fashioned kitchen and store and more. If you have young boys into tractors and agriculture (or old boys) this is a great place to bring them. With all the antique farming equipment, it's a really cool place for farm fans.

They do have group tours for schools and groups. Admission for a self-guided tour is $3. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., but please call 501-961-1409 for details.

The museum is at the junction of U.S. 165 and Ark. 161 in Scott. Take Exit #7 off I-440 and go south on U.S. 165 five miles to the museum. (Google Map)

Ninjapoodles has some great photos of some of the farm equipment on her Flickr feed. Check it out!

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Devil's Den is a popular spot for underground exploration here in Arkansas, but this weekend it was the site for an underground rescue. On Friday, a 17-year old girl, Bianca Calloway, who was exploring the cave lost her footing, slipped and became trapped inside the rock work in the cave.

Unlike Blanchard Springs, Devil's Den is really not modified to make it easy for tourist to explore. It is a more primitive cave experience. However, it is generally safe with relatively few problems being reported each year.

It looks like the main fear of rescuers, despite the 100 degree weather outside, was hypothermia. The temperature is below 50 degree inside the caves at night. It's reported that Calloway needed a hair dryer and blankets to keep her warm.

Crews had to drill holes in the rock throughout the Devil's Maze section of the cave to remove parts of the area that Calloway was stuck in with chisels and hammers. She was removed safely and will have no permanent effects from her adventure.

This weekend, Woolly Hollow State Park is going to have a Star Party at Lake Bennett Beach from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Volunteers from the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society will set up telescopes for you to view the different celestial bodies and be on hand to answer your questions. Admission is free. Woolly Hollow has great, clear skies for viewing because of Lake Bennett.

Woolly Hollow State Park is located in Greenbrier and has over 40-acres of water for you to swim, boat and fish. There are campsites and the park rents canoes, kayaks, pedal boats and other water vehicles. The lake does not allow gas-powered boats, and if you want to fish you need to bring your own gear because there is no bait shop nearby, but there are great fishing opportunities. Woolly Hollow has picnic areas, a snack bar, a pavillion and a historic cabin you can visit.

Take Exit #125 off I-40 at Conway to reach the park (Google Map). You can visit their website for more information.

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The land for Lake Chicot park in Lake Village, Arkansas was acquired on July 15, 1957. Lake Chicot is Arkansas largest natural lake. It's a 20-mile long oxbow lake. The park is known for great fishing and year-round bird watching. It is, like many of our parks, a great park for nature lovers.

The park is eight miles northeast of Lake Village on Ark. 144. There are pavilions, a playground, picnic tables, bicycle rentals, camping and boat rentals. For those of you like who high class accommodations, they also have cabins available for rental. More information.

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Blanchard Springs is not a state park, but it's still a great park to visit. It's part of the National Forestry Service. They have attempted to keep the caverns as close to natural conditions as possible. Handrails, lights, walkways and other features were added to make the caverns accessible, but they've tried very hard to make it look as natural as possible. You can even do a "wild cave" tour that takes you to the more natural looking areas of the caverns.

The part about the caverns that I really like is that in the middle of August, inside a cave is a nicer place to be than any air conditioning or swimming pool you can find. If you've never been, be sure to check them out!

They're located near near Mountain View. The title link takes you to more information.

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July 17 is the Little Rock Zookeeper Association's annual event for Rhino Conservation, Bowling For Rhinos. Bowling For Rhinos is part of a national zoo keeper effort to support wild rhinos. One hundred percent of the proceeds earned from zoos all the country goes to benefit the wild rhinos in Africa and Asia.

The event takes place at Millennium Bowl and admission is $25. That gets you two games, shoe rental and one door prize ticket. There is also a silent auction. I've been told that there are some great auction items up for bid and that there are more door prizes than ever.

This is a great year for the Little Rock Zoo's rhinos. Just a few weeks ago, the zoo got a new black rhino from Lincoln Park Zoo. Her name is Naivasha and she's a pretty girl . . . for a rhino! The zoo already has a male black rhino (Johari). Naivasha is meant to be a companion and possibly a mate for him.

You can visit the zoo's webpage or email littlerockbfr@yahoo.com for more information on Bowling For Rhinos.

Did you know that Arkansas supplied troops and rendezvous points in the Mexican-American War? The place that is now Historic Washington State Park was one of those points. On July 11 of 1846, volunteer troops met there to prepare to fight. Washington was also an important town in the American Civil War, and was the Confederate Capital of Arkansas from 1863-1865.

Historic Washington State Park is a living history park. Interpreters dress in period clothing and relive the 1860s. The entire town is restored and is a National Historical Landmark and a National Register of Historic Places site. They have living history performances for everything from dutch oven cooking to the Civil War. You can check out the park's schedule.

It's a fun park for history buffs, and it's not that far from Little Rock. Getting there will take you about 2 hours. That's much closer than Pennsylvania and some of the other historic destinations people often travel to. With money being tight, it's a fun way to bring some history to your family and you need a one tankful.

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I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone in Arkansas that former Razorback Matt Jones was arrested yesterday on a felony drug charge. Matt Jones currently plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the arrest took place in Fayetteville. He and two other men were caught cutting up cocaine with a credit card in a car.

KATV has posted his arrest report which includes all the gory details. I actually think it's kind of interesting to read the police report. One article I read yesterday made it sound like Jones was resisting arrest and that's why the officer withdrew his gun, however the arrest report (and later news reports) don't back that up.

Matt has not been performing very well this year and has been a disappointment to the Jacksonville Jaguars since he was drafted. He went from our star quarterback to their lackluster wide receiver. Could this be because of a drug problem? Do you think his career should be over or should he have a second chance?

I believe in second chances, but I do know he was a role model for lots of young men. Being a role model is probably something he never asked for, but I think that's an athletes most important job. I guess someone needs to tell that to all the Dennis Rodmans and Michael Vicks of professional sports.