Park A Day: Historic Washington State Park

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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