Semi-trucks. Warehouses. A single Pentecostal church. That was all my road trip partner Katie and I had seen for at least 20 miles as we cruised down Interstate 40 en route to Little Rock, Ark.
Our GPS showed that we were set to arrive at our hotel in just five minutes. This seemed odd, as I was under the impression that our lodging was in downtown Little Rock, and we seemed to be on the roadway embodiment of a liminal space. Just as we both began to silently panic that we had typed the wrong address into Google Maps, the small but mighty Little Rock skyline came into view, appearing like an oasis after a long trek across the desert.
Melodrama aside, here’s our exploration into Little Rock’s history (aside from being the political birthplace of the Clintons), as well as its punk pizza scene, a vintage purse collection and the city’s Malört cocktail offerings.
Stay
For lodging, we opted for the downtown Hampton Inn & Suites, one of the cheaper options that was still located in the heart of the city and walkable from a few of our must-see destinations. Plus, it’s hard to beat the continental breakfast. More refined boutique hotel options include the Capital Hotel and the AC Hotel by Marriott. Plentiful options remain for short-term rentals and bed-and-breakfast inns, like The Empress of Little Rock.
Do
One of the first things we did was walk from our hotel to the city’s namesake, the “Little Rock.” To my surprise, it wasn’t all that little — it’s actually more of a sandstone rock formation located on the bank of the Arkansas River. The rock got its name in 1722 when French explorer Jean-Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe traveled along the river and named the bluff “la petite roche” — the little rock. If you’re not all that excited about geology or history, visiting the rock still provides a beautiful view of the river, along with access to a walking trail and pedestrian bridge stretching into North Little Rock (which I learned is a different municipality from Little Rock proper). We strolled around downtown, where I snagged a copy of the Arkansas Times, a fellow alt-weekly.
ESSE Purse Museum
Perhaps the highlight of our trip was our visit to the ESSE Purse Museum, featuring a display of women’s bags and their contents from 1900 through 1999. ESSE is one of two purse museums in the world, the other located in Amsterdam. Beaded coin purses, straw totes, leather handbags and snakeskin clutches filled with sunglasses, address books, mints and other items showcase not only the craftsmanship behind the purses, but how the history of the purse is intertwined with the advancement of women’s rights in the U.S. and beyond.
As one museum placard puts it beautifully: “Not an accessory but an extension of her ‘self,’ a woman’s purse is the container of her essence, the sacred, private space that holds her identity, her valuables, her memories, her dreams, her mystery. Always within reach, her purse is personal space, not a possession but a hallowed repository of the things that make her ‘her.’”
The political journalist in me made time for a stop to check out the Arkansas State Capitol, along with Little Rock Central High School, where the Little Rock Nine integrated Arkansas schools in the 1950s, playing a major role in the civil rights movement.
We also explored the Arkansas antiquing scene, heading to Midtown Vintage Market and South Main Creative, the latter located in Little Rock’s eclectic SoMa neighborhood. You could spend hours rifling through items at each of the shops, which had no shortage of Clinton-era memorabilia.
Four Quarter Bar
We made sure to allot plenty of time to check out the city’s food scene. We first arrived in Little Rock after dark and with an appetite, so we headed to Four Quarter Bar for a drink and a late-night snack. The dive bar in North Little Rock’s Argenta Historic District has plenty of options when it comes to delightfully greasy food. We chowed down on poutine and a delicious Spam, egg and cheese sandwich. I discovered you can order an entire six-pack of Miller High Life ponies — unopened — to drink throughout the night or take home. As someone with a deep adoration for cheap, cold beer, I found this to be the obvious choice. It was at Four Quarter that we struck up a conversation about Malört (after seeing a parody voting sticker that said “I Malörted”) with a friendly bartender named Andy, who gave us a slew of dining recommendations around Little Rock.
George's
This led us to George’s, an Italian-inspired fine-dining eatery where we had a phenomenal pasta dish with duck, short-rib bolognese bucatini, and peach bruschetta with stracciatella, cucumber and prosciutto — all paired with a bottle of pinot grigio that was worth the pretty penny. Attached to George’s was Barnaby, a speakeasy where I enjoyed a cocktail called the Chicago Greyhound made with vodka, Campari, lime, grapefruit and, yes, Jeppson’s Barrel Aged Malört. (Consider this the Little Rock sequel to the Malört Report I wrote for the Scene’s Drinking Issue in July.) Another recommendation of Andy’s was Vino’s, a perfectly weathered spot that offers New York-style pizza by the slice and serves as a music venue and hub of the city’s punk music scene, having hosted performances from Green Day, Fugazi and Little Rock-born Evanescence. We also enjoyed coffee and cinnamon rolls at The Root Cafe, as well as a wide array of beer selections at Lost Forty Brewing, where we met several other out-of-towners exploring the area.
When first roaming around Little Rock, it felt like an eerily quiet city. But once we discovered the lively and welcoming people and places at its core, it became easy to understand the appeal behind the charming state capital and its rich history. Even if I never go back, I can finally say yes to Johnny Cash’s question of “Have You Ever Been to Little Rock?”
From Asheville and Highlands to Little Rock and beyond, here are our recommendations for late-summer getaways
Sponsored by
