Tammy and I had visited Arkansas a few years ago and hiked while there, in Mountain View, but this time we traveled to Little Rock as a quick weekend getaway and to complete the cycling part of the duo. Alex and I had been to Little Rock for a concert a couple of years ago, and I knew I had to bring Tammy back to experience the town by the river and ride our bikes on the greenways that line both sides of the river.

Since this was a somewhat close city to Nashville, we drove there, which meant we got to take our own bikes instead of renting. We made the road trip fun with a couple of coffee and drink stops to go along with the snacks Tammy had packed. We arrived after dark to our Airbnb, a quaint little one-room guest cottage behind the main house in a neighborhood just outside of downtown. We had just begun to settle in for the night when we saw a bug scurry across the countertop… Not good, as it seemed to be some sort of roach based on Google. After quickly packing up, we headed to the downtown Hampton Inn, not as cute as the cottage but definitely bug-free. First time having this issue with an Airbnb, but we wanted no part of it nonetheless.

As this was the fall of the year, we knew our warm weather was going to be short-lived, so we took the next day’s best temps to head out on the bikes. Although a bit chilly in the shade, it was otherwise perfectly clear and sunny. The Hampton was only a block from the river, so we were on the Arkansas River Trail quickly. The path took us across the river, and once we circled around, we were heading north to the Big Dam Bridge. What a view from there, could see for miles, and we continued on up the river a bit more. Had it been warmer, we could have gone further, but it was finally time to turn back.

After getting back and cleaned up, we enjoyed dinner with live music at Stickyz and explored more of downtown Little Rock, including an old railroad bridge that had been converted to a walking path that took us to the other side, where we enjoyed an awesome sunset over the skyline and river.

The next day was colder, but we still explored. There is a free trolley, the Rock Region Streetcar, that we hopped onto to get out of the cold but still explore the city. The conductors are really knowledgeable with many interesting historical happenings of the city. This trolley took us across the river to North Little Rock as well, where we hopped off and ventured in and out of various shops, including a vintage shop with a life-sized Elvis!!!

After returning to the south side, we found a spot for one of our favorite treats, doughnuts. If you check out the photos, you will see why this treat was blog-worthy; they were huge and awesomely decorated. We spoke to a truck driver who was ordering there too; it seems he makes a point to stop into Hurts Doughnuts when cities have them; it’s a thing. And yes, we had treats of doughnuts before dinner; it was a weekend getaway, so why not?

One of the stops the trolley conductor said we must see was the Capitol Hotel, and it didn’t disappoint. Such an elegant hotel, with marble and painted ceilings, even the lobby restrooms had marble floor to ceiling. Definitely a high-class hotel that we were underdressed for.

The drive home was another beautiful sunny day, and passing through Memphis, we made a stop at IKEA, found some items for Christmas gifts and some for ourselves. Dinner was at a place we hadn’t heard of, Waldo’s Chicken. Tasty food at reasonable prices, and humorous decor, and sure enough, we have one in Nashville we will have to visit.

Full album of pictures: https://photos.destinationsawait.com/A-Little-Rock–and-A-Little-Roll