Little Rock's River Market entertainment district is the downtown gathering spot, complete with shops, restaurants and galleries. Not so long ago it was a practically empty, fairly forsaken warehouse area. It debuted as the place to be in July 5, 1996 with the opening of the River Market. Part of the 27-acre Riverfront Park and next to the Riverfest Amphitheatre, the River Market’s Ottenheimer Market Hall building is home to vendors who offer all sorts of really good fresh food even jaded gourmets can enjoy — freshly baked breads and pastries; freshly cut flowers; gourmet coffees and coffee drinks; groceries. You’ll stop, you’ll drift, you’ll be drawn to the likes of Scapetto's Italian Deli & Catering, The Stockpot and its fresh soups, fifth generation farmer Jody Hardin’s Hardin's River Mercantile and the fresh fruit tarts at the Community Bakery.

The River Market’s adjacent promenade is the site of special events, concerts (Event schedule? Click here.) and  the Farmers’ Market.

 If you like looking at vegetables, and floating around early with a panier on your arm, pinching eggplants,well, every Tuesday and Saturday morning,  local farmers pull their trucks up and out come those special local peaches, tomatoes, okra , red potatoes, peppers and  what's fresh from the fields. Other goodies might include, plums, berries, goat cheese, beets, cucumbers,  squash, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, cherries, and  lettuce as well as some exotic Asian produce— depending on the season.

Also lending some gravitas to River Market District are a state-of-the-art Main Branch of the Central Arkansas library system; the international headquarters of the 58 year-old Heifer International Organization; the President Clinton Presidential Library; and the Museum of Discovery.

The Old

Once the state’s first capitol building, The Old State House dating back to the 1840s, became a museum in 1947. Appropriately it focuses on history and politics.

Go inside and you'll find items from the museum's pottery, quilt and gown collections.  Turn a sharp right and you’ll find a Bill Clinton collection, including photos of those magic nights, snaps of America's High-IQ first family — Chelsea, Senator Hillary, and President Bill Clinton. Socks and Buddy are there, too, as is a pair of Bill's New Balance running shoes, and his saxophone, ever a scene-stealer.

On our first visit we peeked inside the gift shop and found the usual over-priced "shoppe"  souvenirs and irrelevancies, a postcard rack, half full, and no Clinton postcards for sale. No mugs. No T-shirts. No keychains. No posters. No photographs. You could buy a replica of his boyhood home in a plastic bag, or a bunch of old campaign buttons. That's it. 

So we wandered to the back of the old State House and asked the man who acted as if he were in charge where the Clinton memorabilia stuff for sale was.

"The State House is about more than just one president," he snapped. "If you want to buy Bill Clinton things, you can get them at the Clinton Library when it opens."

"Actually, the image of President Clinton in front of the State House on Election Night is the only image of Arkansas most of the world has, " we stammered. "If you didn't vote for him you could still be making beaucoup bucks for the restoration and upkeep of this building from Clinton souvenirs."

"They don't sell," he claimed. 

As it turns out, the Clinton Museum Store opened in 2004 with projections of doing $300 thousand worth of business in its first year. Instead, it chalked up $2.45 mil.

So Mom, if you do drop in to the State House, do ask the nice man for the Bill and Hillary souvenirs! For more information, click here300 W. Markham St. 501.324.9685  

Home of the Clinton Library and Museum, The William J. Clinton Presidential Center, a touchstone of history and challenge, is a mindblower. The center also encompasses the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, on the site of. the old 1899 structure of the Choctaw Station railroad passenger depot.

Created by architectural firm, New York-based Polshek Partnership, led by James Polshek, the center’s cantilevered main building juts out across the Arkansas River. This design ever so subtly evokes the “bridge to the 21^st century.” (This is a much more pleasant concept to contemplate than our current administration’s bridge to the Dark Ages.)

The museum offers 20,000 square feet worth of audio/visual high-tech exhibits spread out over two floors. Central to the display is a  110-foot timeline that presents the Clinton Administration’s eight year tenure. Alcoves spread through the timeline offer information about various initiatives and challenges of the administration, 

Both the timeline and a copy of the White House Cabinet room are on the first floor. An exact size replica of the Oval Office is on the second floor. Look at the chairs and sofas and you can just imagine the visiting dignitaries who’ve sat down  with the President to hash out problems. And Clinton would point to an acrylic pyramid,  holding the moon rock Neil Armstrong brought back, and say, “You see this rock, it’s been here for 3.6 billion years, so let’s all calm down, We’re just passing through here and it’s going to be fine.”

History, public service, instructive, inspiring exhibits are all just fine — but what’s a museum without a gift shop. The Clinton Museum Store is a worthy member of the  museum shop community. Whether you are searching for fine items that feature the presidential seal or a bottle of MacClard’s (his fave) Bar-B-Q sauce, or a saxophone necktie, you will find a memorable souvenir of your visit. And don’t forget the “I Miss Bill” bumper stickers.” They're sellin' like crazy.
610 President Clinton Avenue  501.748.0400..

 And the Next

With flair and serendipitous steering from Director Bill Bradshaw, the Museum of Discovery packs a surprisingly savvy and surprising slew of scientific socko into a small space. This wonderful, petite musee is endlessly quirky and amusing.

Look---here's the chaotic pendulum, lots of robotics, smelling tests, experiments with shapes and light sand colours, trompe d'oeils---all hands-on.  There's the old gramophone, the old computer punch cards, the old fibre optics (hey---wait a minute!). And masses of blocks for budding architects to play with. It was all this reporter could do to not dive in and start nation building.

But the best part is how every exhibit showcases all the different ways of thinking. There's a whole section on inferences...with hands-on  experiments with mystery boxes to draw you in.

How do airplanes stay up? Bernoulli's Law, baby. Put the beachball in the Airstream.

Or try this "The Chinese scientists saw the Universe as a vast organism  that included living and non-living  parts...This allowed them to think differently from Europeans."  And then there's a Yin and Yang display.

Wish we'd had science teachers like that.

Try not to go mad in the gift shop. It's a good one.  
P.S. The Museum runs week-long day camps in the summers, where kids can get down with robotics  and other hot science. To learn more, click here.
 500 President Clinton Ave. Little Rock, AR. 72201 501.396.7050

A Civil Rights Shrine

In fact,  you can hate opera and still love the park. Music festivals typically include show music, chamber music, jazz, and country. Other audiences get to enjoy film, dance and the visual arts. .Moreover, you can even get hives from exposure to the arts and still love Wildwood. Forget the performances. In this paradise, you will find:

The Whole Hog Café is a no excuses barbecue joint. It’s ideal for when you want to reward your hopelessly cruel carnivorous friends. Be warned: The barbecue aromas are a bit too enticing. Six sauces sit on each table. They range from “sweet ,mild, molasses” through “rich mustard & vinegar.” You have to ask for “volcano” at the counter. The café, competing as the “southern  Gentleman’s  Culinary Society” has won many awards. Vegetarian sides — potato salad,  cole slaw and tossed salad— tasty but few.
2516 Cantrell  Rd. 501.664.5025. Click here.

Locals brag on Cajun’s Wharf, located in the city's Hillcrest/Heights section, as a landmark and source of pride (and a nice place to meet someone new). Traveler simply sees it is: an oasis for relaxation, spirits, (loud) music and perhaps even food. Go up on the deck. which overlooks the Arkansas River (see snap, above).

The back-story: Landry's, a Houston-based chain, acquired this local restaurant, a popular spot to drink up, hear live music and eat,   in the early ‘90s. The then new owner decided to make Cajun’s Wharf more of a family destination. Didn’t work. A local group bought the property in 1999 and there was and continues to be much joy.

It’s mainly a seafood restaurant-bar, and as such, you can’t expect many choices for vegetarians. What we had — salad, a cheese thing and French fries — worked. There also is pasta. And it is one hell of bar, with 15 house varieties of wine. They serve a wicked mixed drink, “Play-de-Do”. Cajun’s Wharf
2400 Cantrell Road (501) 375-5351