Enjoying the Great Outdoors in the Natural State of Arkansas

I remember back when the Arkansas state legislature changed the state motto to "The Natural State." What a fitting phrase! There is oh so much to do on the natural side in Arkansas. Our great state is home to 51 state parks, 6 national parks, and 3 national forests. You'll find numerous ways to enjoy the great outdoors while you're in Arkansas. Here are just a few of your options:

* Dig for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. Murfreesboro, AR is home to the largest diamond-bearing surface area in the world and "is the only diamond site in the world open to the public. The gem-quality diamonds that have come from this site include many notable, celebrity gems. On average, two diamonds are found each day at the park." For a six doller fee you can dig all you want and keep what you find!

* Go hiking on one of Arkansas' over 100 trails that together total more than 300 scenic miles. And if you prefer a little less rustic hike, check out the Big Dam Bridge, the longest purpose-built pedestrian bridge in the US.

* Strike out like Lewis and Clark and visit the Louisiana Purchase National Historic Landmark "at the junction of Lee, Monroe and Phillips counties which preserves the initial point from which all surveys of the property acquired through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 initiated."

* Cycling is great here with paved trails for road bikes and great spaces for mountain bikes. Just google cycling arkansas for links, maps, and directions.

*The infamous thermal waters of the spa town, Hot Springs (http://hotsprings.org) lacks the strong sulphuric taste often associated with thermal springs. On Bathhouse row two small springs have been left open for viewing and there are plenty of fountains around to fill your plastic jugs. At the Buckstaff bathhouse (http://www.buckstaffbaths.com) you can get a Whirlpool Mineral bath and a Swedish massage for under $50. Hot Springs is only 45 minutes from Little Rock.

* Ohhh and the mountains. Arkansas has two: The Ozark Mountains in the north and the Ouachita Mountains in the west which are unique because they run east-west rather than north-south. Lots of good hiking, camping, swimming and sunning to be had.

* Every night of the week in Mountain View (sixty miles north of Little Rock), live folk music and story telling happens at the park in the state run Ozark Folk Center.

* Then there's Eureka Springs, said to be a bit kitschy in character with its own New Holy Land theme park. It's a scaled-down version of the Sea of Galilee, the River Jordan and Golgotha. The founder, Elna M. Smith was so worried that the holy sites of the Middle East would be destroyed by war that she decided to build replicas in the Ozarks, safe from Arab attacks, says the rough guide.