I Love Arkansas: Introduction and Giveaway Winner

First things first - the giveaway winner is Lucy Gaddy! Congrats, Lucy!! Okay. Let’s talk about Arkansas. Probably because I am about to move 2000+ miles away, this Arkansan has recently been quite nostalgic about my home state. There are so many things that I love about Arkansas and I will dearly miss living a 6-hour drive away from my family and some of my best friends. Thankfully, I was able to spend a week in Arkansas before the move to Oregon (I still cannot fully comprehend that in a matter of days I am moving halfway across the country. Alone).

During my trip, I had a conversation with my dad about a time when he was working in Little Rock with coworkers from out-of-state. He would suggest one of Little Rock’s many great restaurants and a delicious dinner would inevitably be followed with a comment such as, “That was a great restaurant…for Arkansas.” Always said with a slight tone of surprise, his co-workers comments suggested that Arkansas was not a place where one would expect great restaurants. This (il)logic would extend to other areas – Arkansas could not possibly have culture or history or nightlife or anything fun to do. And when such things would be encountered, as they of course would, they would be met with the surprise of surpassed expectations. Because I think it is a shame that the world at large expects so little from a place that I love, I am taking it upon myself to share some of the amazing things about Arkansas – the food, the outdoors, and other activities. Some of these are things I enjoyed during my recent trip, whereas others are activities or restaurants I have either experienced in the past or have always wanted to do. I am by no means an expert, but I want to share some of my favorite parts of a special corner of the world before (and while!) I move far away. So up next on the blog (on an as yet to be determined time frame contingent upon internet access during the move) will be some of the great things about Arkansas!