City Guide to Little Rock

We love finding cities that are slightly off the radar, that haven’t been overrun by hipsters and man-buns that in turn make real estate prices and cost of living go sky high. Little Rock is just that, a best kept secret that Georgia got to dig into when planning this year’s Adventure Getaway. She turned over every rock and dug into every nook and cranny to plan the perfect trip and in the process, we were able to put together a stellar itinerary for this burgeoning city in our City Guide to Little Rock.

Here are our Eat, Drink, Stay, See, Acquire suggestions for Little Rock, so that you can take yourself on your own Adventure Getaway!

|City Guide to Little Rock|

Best time of Year

Fall weather in Little Rock is pretty dreamy. The weather has cooled down slightly, coupled with the colorful autumn leaves makes for a wonderful time of year to visit.

Recommended Number of Days

3 days is plenty of time to visit the city spots at a leisurely pace while also fitting in shopping and sight seeing.

Recommended Number of People

This is great for a solo trip or with a friend or two. It is an easy city to get around without a car, Uber is readily available. Or you could rent a car just for a day for trips to the outskirts.

Apps to Download

Google Maps – create a custom map ahead of time to mark your spots, then use it on your phone to help guide you along the way.

Eat, Drink, Stay, See, Acquire

Eat

South on Main has the perfect vibe, gourmet southern comfort food, and fabulous cocktails. Chef Matt Bell and his wife Amy are wonderful people investing in Little Rock in a big way. Be sure to tell them Georgia sent you! And try to make it on a night when they have a live music performance, there are great bands rolling through on a regular basis, sometimes even the Oxford American Magazine concert series, which shares the adjacent space

K Bird is an unassuming yellow house in a residential neighborhood called Hillcrest. Glasgow and Matt Clark have dedicated themselves to authentic thai food, uncompromising in their ingredients, regularly taking trips to Thailand to hone their craft. It is worth hunting this place down. When you walk in, you’ll immediately see that they aren’t too worried about ‘the restaurant business’ and care only about the work of producing great food, and that’s just fine by us

The Root has one of the best burgers we have ever tasted, and their brunch is always a fan favorite. We recommend going on off hours as the line and wait gets pretty tough, but it is worth trying their creative clean menu that celebrates only local growers.

The Corner Diner often has a little line around the corner but it moves fast. The food is just darn good, clean, and vibrant. And it’s right on the main strip downtown.

One Eleven is the formal restaurant at The Capital Hotel and is the place to go for an elegant dinner or ladies who lunch spot. They are always spot on and their pastry chef will knock your socks off (he made us sweet potato tarts for our desert during our Adventure Getaway this fall and we are still thinking about them!)

Raduno = wood fired pizzas, a great happy hour, and lovely outdoor seating deck on South Main has a great aesthetic. The shrimp and pine nut pizza and a glass of rose is pretty much the best way to end the day

Others We Like:

Mugs is a great go-to spot for breakfast, it is a great opportunity to experience the Argenta neighborhood, right across the bridge
District Fare for a delicious sandwich for lunch, they cure all of their artisan meats on site
Cajun Sno is the place to go for a fabulous snow cone in just about any flavor you can imagine. It is a small seasonal pop-up in a parking lot on 3000 Kavanaugh Blvd. Treat-yo-self!
K Hall and Sons for amazing burgers and pork chop sandwiches
Lassis Inn, serves buffalo ribs. As in the buffalo fish. They also sell 40oz beers! Bring cash
David’s Country Kitchen. Tricky hours but awesome breakfasts and plate lunches
Cece’s Chicken and Waffles in North Little Rock. Lunch only
BJ’s Market Cafe in North little rock. Plate lunches and great pies
Gadwalls Diner North Little Rock. Patty Melt is the go to, also have awesome cheese dip and white chili
Franke’s Cafeteria. Claims to be Arkansas’s oldest restaurant
Taqueria Guadalajara in North Little Rock. for tongue tacos!!!!
Rosalinda Honduran for papusas and fried plantains

Drink

Lost Forty Brewery is in the newly developed “East Village,” area. It is full of communal tables and serves up all of the wonderful beer next to their brewing facility along with amazing brunches and sharable smoky, meaty, pickled things. Also, a gal named Amber designs all of the art on their beer cans and she deserves a major award because they are collectors items.

Nexus Coffee and Creative is one of the newest coffee shops in town right on the main drag downtown. It has a great vibe if you’re looking to mingle with other creatives and get some work done. They have a meeting room that can be rented out by the hour and locals playing chess. Also the strawberry water = yes.

Meteor Cafe. This is another new coffee spot attached to a wonderful bike shop between downtown and the Hillcrest neighborhood. The owner has a passion for bike riding and coffee and combined his loves! He brought a great design aesthetic with him which gives it high marks in our mind.

Mylo Coffee is a local favorite. If you get there in the morning in time get any of their baked goods it is so worth it. Did somebody say Scotch eggs??!

The Capital Bar is the more casual bar at The Capital Hotel. It has major history and is where all the good ‘ol boy deals get made. Be sure to get the “Debutante” cocktail, it’s stellar and who doesn’t love a marigold in their cocktail.

Late Night

White Water Tavern. Georgia just wrote a piece for Esquire in which she put this legendary spot on the list of Top 24 Bars in America. It is a slice of Americana that you just can’t make up, full of cheap drinks, and soulful music

Technicolor Bridges make up the Little Rock city skyline at night are fun to walk along or drive over to see the colorful view. The colors often change depending on a theme or event going on in town

Stay

The Capital Hotel. Really, truly it is the best place. You will feel like you’re a king or queen and it is southern hospitality at its finest. It is also an incredible value as far as hotels go

See

Pinnacle Mountain is an awesome place for a hike with a panoramic view. There is an “easy side” and a “hard side,” we recommend the easy side for your first time, it’s great for anyone… the other side however… is an experience

Dunbar Gardens is a beautiful urban garden and a model of what great things can be done to connect people to the land in a very urban area. Ask for Damian who is in charge and a wonderful guy

Little Rock Urban Farming has great workshops, including butchery, and is making it happen right in the middle of an urban area

Hillcrest Farmers Market is open until Noon on Saturdays and a great place to stroll with coffee in hand

The Clinton Museum, if you’re into presidential history and want to see an authentic replica of the oval office

The Violin Shop is a treasure that most people in town don’t know about. Even if you’re not in the market for wooden instrument repair it is still worth seeing this charming building and chatting with a local artisan

The Blacksmith at the Historical Arkansas Museum is not to be missed. His name is Lin and he is usually there on Tuesdays and a few other days and is a wonderful teacher. Call to find out his schedule for the week and pop in. Tell him Georgia sent you!

Acquire

Bella Vita Jewelry is owned by woman entrepreneur Brandy McNair and she will make beautiful commissioned pieces as well as pieces she has already designed in her beautiful shop in the historic Lafayette building. It is worth a special visit and only a couple of blocks walk from The Capital Hotel. Tell her Georgia sent you!

Beige. Not only is their style on point, their sale rack is outrageously wonderful with brand names you would never find on sale in bigger cities

Domestic, Domestic. They have a great online business as well and their philosophy is up our alley: “Well made objects made by people who live their dreams and whose passion for their craft is undeniable in everything they do.”

Electric Ghost. These two are the definition of couple goals and they have the most wonderful eclectic array of merch that will send you down a rabbit hole of intrigue. Also, you can pot a succulent and go home with it!

The Green Corner Store. We love it here because it is the perfect place for a gift made locally, from woodworking to kombucha to loofah seeds to grow your own loofah sponges! It shouldn’t be missed

Sweet Home, in the South Main district, is the most wonderful array of curated antiques and curiosities

The Southern Blonde is a truly unique experience. Sometimes when traveling, Georgia likes to get a spontaneous hair cut, it’s something she’s done for amusement and because it makes her feel fresh and new when returning from a trip. This is the spot if you need a little cut, color, facial or spa treatment. Step right into this vintage camper and be totally pampered. The owner will even bring her camper to you if you book a group event!

Izard Chocolate is a homemade chocolate factory in the Hillcrest district. The owner is a fascinating guy to chat with and it is worth a special visit, right around the corner from Mylo coffee

Dower is a local leather purse designer in Little Rock, and while he doesn’t have a store front, he occasionally does pop-ups and may take appointment requests if you tell him we sent you. He was recently featured in Garden & Gun magazine