Arkansas's natural beauty and its history are showcased and preserved in the 52 Arkansas parks and museums of the Arkansas State Parks system, in seven National Park Service sites, in three national forests covering more than 2.9 million acres of Arkansas, plus more than 200 Arkansas camping sites and recreational areas.
Arkansas parks are scattered across the state, from its highest peaks to the shores of lakes and streams. Overnight accommodations available in recreational parks include lodges, cabins, campgrounds with modern conveniences and even rental teepees and yurts.
Aerial of Queen Wilhelmina State Park, Mena
Many of the recreational parks also offer restaurants, snack bars, hiking trails, pavilions, picnic areas, playgrounds and numerous interpretive programs. Some also feature marinas, swimming pools, tennis courts and boat ramps. One even features the world's only site where members of the public can search for keeper diamonds where the gems naturally occur.
Among the state's historical and cultural parks is a cultural center that preserves traditional Ozark Mountain folk music, dance, and crafts; four Civil War battlefields and a restoration town that once served as Arkansas's Confederate capital; two Native American mound sites; and a museum that tells the story of South Arkansas's oil boom.
Village Creek State Park, Wynne
The Ozark, St. Francis and Ouachita national forests are filled with recreational opportunities that include camping; hiking, horse, ATV and cycling trails; fishing; hunting; scenic driving; and wildlife observation. Other federally operated leisure facilities in Arkansas include numerous U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation areas located on lakes and rivers and limited camping areas in three national wildlife refuges.