Little Rock, AR - 4,225 Miles

We drove into Little Rock from Toad Suck Park 2 times. The first day we saw the State Capitol, the Central High School Museum, Mt Holly Cemetery, and the Governor's Mansion. The second day we stopped at the Old State House Museum, the Historic Arkansas Museum, and took a ride on the trolley.

The 4 drives from Toad Suck into Little Rock and back involved 3 traffic jams on I-40. 1 out of 4 ain't bad as they say.

We enjoyed our tour of the State Capitol. Tours of such buildings seem to be always available. The question is who to ask about them. We have lucked out several times and have received great tours. Most tour guides know a lot about the building and are eager to share interesting tidbits about the building's history. It always makes me feel a little sad to see a building like the Arkansas State Capitol building and its towering dome because the Arizona State Capitol Building's dome is really small. It is entirely made out of copper but still it is almost invisible except to the practiced eye.

We were told by someone we ran across that the governor's mansion was in a 'bad' neighborhood and that a few years ago someone ran and promised to move it to a better location. All the historical societies rose up and screamed bloody murder and the guy wasn't elected. It is not in a bad neighbor but in what I'd call a transitional neighborhood. On the street behind the mansion there are some really modest houses with protective bars on their windows. In the front yard there was a play house that was a scaled down version of the mansion. We thought it was a play house for Chelsea Clinton when she lived there. We happened to see a guy with a backpack and camo pants walking by so we asked him it was Chelsea's. He said 'who knows and who cares?' with a big smile on his face. We all laughed. Most of the people we met in Little Rock had little use for President Clinton.

The Historic Arkansas Museum tour took us through buildings restored to what they look like during the 1800's. It was really interesting. One building was sort of a pioneer Motel 6. Another had a printing press and another contained the kitchen. Our guide was very good and friendly and the exhibits were very interesting. The museum also contained an exhibit of purses that were from a local woman's collection. It was amazing. A photographer and his assistants were there photographing purses for a magazine. He refused my offer to swap cameras with him.

The Old State House Museum was located in the building that once served as the state capitol building. The building is a testament to doing things on the cheap. The original plans for the building were pretty extragavent in the opinion of the people at the time and were cut back. Way back. As a result the building has had to go through many renovations to keep it from falling down. President Clinton had a big party in the front yard on election night in 2000 when he was elected the first time. There are two Clinton rooms in the museum - one just for Bill and the other that includes other governor's wives but is dominated by Hillary. Neither mention his impeachment. Clinton may not be the most popular person in Little Rock but he certainly brings in the tourist dollars.

The Central High School Museum is located in a restored gas station across from Central High School which is still in use. The museum recounts the time in 1957 when Federal Courts forced the integration of the school. Federal troops from the 82nd Airborne Division were called in to restore order since Gov Faulbus used the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the black students from entering the school. 9 brave kids, accompanied by armed soldiers, eventually entered the school. There is a new museum under construction across the street. I was about the same age as the Central High Nine and remember the news stories on TV very well.