Southeast Arkansas – Attractions and Travel Planning Guide

Southeast Arkansas is all about the Arkansas Delta. You’ll find blues in Helena, some great wildlife and the Arkansas Post Museum.

Wildlife and Nature

The delta region of Arkansas is rich with fish, birds, alligator, swamps and lakes. If you want a good look at an alligator, try Arkansas Post in Gillette. Arkansas Post was the first and most significant European establishment in Arkansas. The Delta Rivers Nature Centeris also a good place to spot wildlife. You can try the Louisiana State Purchase State Park in Brinkley, which features a pleasant boardwalk through an Arkansas swamp. Alligator have been spotted there. I doubt you’ll see one.

Felsenthal and Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuges are also in the area.

For fishing, try Lake Chicot State Park.

• Louisiana Purchase State Park in Brinkley
• Arkansas Post
• Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center

Blues and Entertainment

The home for blues in the Delta is Helena. Helena has a huge celebration every year called the Blues and Heritage Festival (formerly “King Biscuit Blues”) that attracts a worldwide audience. They are also the home of the Delta Cultural Center, which features some nice exhibits about Delta blues.

The Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame in Pine Bluff is home to another nice exhibit with an animatronic Johnny Cash and clothing, artifacts and photos of many famous Arkansans.

• Helena Blues
• The Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame

History and Museums

Arkansas Post was already mentioned, but it’s good enough to mention again. If you are a fan of Arkansas history, it’s a must-see.

Pine Bluff has the Arkansas Railroad Museum which houses a steam engine and railroad memorabilia. You’ll also find the Band Museum which houses 1,500 antique instruments.

History buffs should visit the Confederate cemetery in Helena too. The “Stonewall Jackson of the West” is buried there.

The Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie is in Stuttgart. They have many nice exhibits, including replicas of a prairie schoolhouse, church and house and a hand-cranked fire truck.

• Arkansas Railroad Museum
• The Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie

Local Festivals

Stuttgart hosts one of the oldest and most visited festivals in Arkansas. Every November, 60,000 people come out to call ducks and celebrate duck hunting at Wings Over the Prairie.

Helena offers the biggest blues festival in the Delta region every October.

• Wings Over the Prairie Festival and World Championship Duck Calling Contest
• King Biscuit Blues Festival