6 Unpretentious Towns To Visit In Arkansas

As a whole, Arkansas is a pretty unpretentious place. In fact, it is the 40th-most-visited state in the US by overseas travelers, and it’s not even among the top half of states Americans visit most. Outside of a few well-known destinations, much of the state remains oriented toward everyday life rather than keeping up with the Joneses, especially the towns we’ll look at today.

The places on this list are all wonderful places to visit, and none of them mind whether or not the world knows about them. They embrace hundreds of years of traditions, support their quirks, stay quiet, and create a whole lot to love without any appearances of greater importance. While they might not be the biggest draws in the country, these towns have the biggest hearts.

Jasper

Jasper is in Newton County, Arkansas, is known as the Elk Capital of Arkansas. He said this because it's true. This area was chosen by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission as the best place in the state to reintroduce elk, which were once native to Arkansas. The species was brought back to the peaceful Buffalo National River Wilderness surrounding Jasper in 1981, and their population has slowly increased since.

The people of Jasper are encouraged by that same wilderness. This quiet town is all about encouraging access to the Buffalo National River. The city, with a full-time population of 500 residents, describes itself as a gateway to hiking, camping, and canoeing on the peaceful waters surrounding this humble town. The Little Buffalo River flows right through downtown, steps away from the Ozark Cafe, which has served as a central space in the local community since 1909. There is no bad time to stop by the cafe and plan a trip to Jasper, but there are a few especially beautiful times of year here. The fall brings elk at their peak during breeding season, as well as beautiful kaleidoscopes of changing leaves along the river. In the springtime, you can hike up the Round Top Mountain Trail and enjoy spring blooms, and every Summer, Jasper hosts the Buffalo River Elk Festival, a celebration of the region’s new elk herds.

Piggott

One of the last stops along the Crowley’s Ridge Parkway, a beautiful Arkansas Scenic Byway, a lot of visitors get off before making it all the way to Piggott, but those who make it here would pick it over anywhere else in the world, including Paris. Ernest Hemingway is one of those fortunate few. He once told Esquire Magazine that the only place he’d rather be than Paris was “Piggott, Arkansas, in the fall.” He even wrote parts of A Farewell to Arms in a quiet Piggott barn. You can go visit that very barn today. Arkansas State University converted the barn and the surrounding estate into the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center, dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the literature, agriculture, family lifestyles, and development of Northeast Arkansas during the 1930s.

Hemingway wasn’t the only person who realized there is a lot to love in quiet Piggott. After a Clay County judge waived the required 3-day waiting period for marriages, thousands of lovers flocked to Piggott to elope. The town enjoyed a magical period as a marriage mecca in the late 1940s and early 1950s. At its peak as an elopement destination, Piggott saw almost 6,000 marriages in a year. That’s a lot for a town with only 2,500 people in it at the time. Today, Piggott has roughly 3,500 residents, many of whom enjoy spending time at the Piggott City Market, a community-focused cafe offering baked goods and unique gifts.

Highland

Highland is a city in name only. This quiet town has only one stoplight and stands out as an especially unpretentious place to visit in a state full of hidden gems. Around here, it's all about getting outside. This 1,000-person city is home to three small lakes: Wild Plum Lake, Lake Mirandy, and Lake June. The busiest spot along the lake is Highland Park, which has a playground, basketball court, and picnic area in addition to a boat launch. All three of these lakes are public access, so you can wander along the water’s edge and find your own quiet place to fish.

The landlubber life in Highland revolves around Highway 62, where most of the town’s essential businesses are located. Stop by Davidson’s Drugs, which serves double duty as the town’s pharmacy and a unique gift shop.

Eureka Springs

Eureka Springs is the quirkiest little town in Arkansas. While it is a bit more famous and tourist-focused than some other towns on our list, Eureka Springs is worth a mention here because it has developed an unpretentious reputation over the decades. This small town with just under 2,000 residents was once the very definition of a fancy vacation destination. In the 1800s, investors marketed cold-water mineral baths near downtown Eureka Springs as magical healing sources, bottling up the stuff and selling it as “Dr. Jackson’s Eye Water.” The baths spurred a boomtown, and the population of Eureka Springs jumped up to over 10,000. Investors and healers flocked to Eureka Springs, where they developed Victorian-style resorts and spas. When the boom slowly faded, the crowds thinned, and the resorts left town, the grand buildings and flowing waters remained.

The Eureka Springs of today is much more lowkey than it was at its heyday. The town now has a population of around 2,000, many of whom are working artists and creatives. It’s developed a reputation as a quiet artist’s haven and peaceful sanctuary for folks of all walks of life. Time moves differently here, sometimes called “Eureka Time.” The springs still flow, especially at the Blue Spring Heritage Center, and the nearby Hobbs, Devil's Den, and Withrow Springs State Parks bring on an endless list of outdoor activities.

Altus

When you arrive in Altus, you're in the heart of Arkansas’s wine country. The area’s sandy soil and rolling terrain have proven perfect for growing grapes, and several vineyards have cultivated the land and produced wine for hundreds of years. The Post Winery and Wiederkehr Wine Cellars are the two most famous local wineries, harvesting fine local wines since the 1800s. Their sprawling vineyards, quaint cellars, and European-style dinner menus are all within an easy reach of Altus’ town square.

Downtown Altus is small and walkable, centered on Altus City Park, a block-long stretch of statues memorializing local soldiers and coal miners who built this town. Next door to the city park is the Altus Heritage House Museum, a German-American bank building that has been turned into an exhibition of early mining equipment. You can walk through all of Altus’ attractions in a few hours, but its prime location on the edge of the Ozark National Forest opens up thousands of additional acres of outdoor fun.

Murfreesboro

You might call Murfreesboro, Arkansas, a diamond in the rough. This town sits at the edge of the Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only diamond-digging site in the U.S. that’s open to the public. This state park is where the ‘Uncle Sam’ diamond was unearthed in 1924, which is still to this day the largest diamond ever found in the United States. As recently as 2021, people were still unearthing 2.2-carat diamonds here, and park rangers told the press that the public was finding 1-2 diamonds a day.

Just beyond this state park lies a charming small town that’s worth the trip, even if your gem mining leaves you empty-handed. Head directly to the roundabout in the center of Murfreesboro to check out Courthouse Square, the heart of downtown. Here you’ll find the Feed Bin Cafe, a coffee shop and full-service restaurant inside a building originally constructed in 1937, and if you’re not quite hungry yet, you'll also be close to the Town Square Gallery, chock full of handmade gems from local artists. On your way out of town, stop by the historic indian trading post and hunt for arrowheads at the Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village.

Meet Arkansas at Its Most Sincere

What stands out most in these towns is how little has been adjusted for appearance's sake. Historical buildings serve real purposes, unique attractions aren’t shoved down your throat, and nothing has been enlarged or stylized for effect. It’s a beautiful sight to see. All of these places have interesting attractions and genuine draws, but none of them have let their pitch to outsiders overwhelm their communities and turn them into something they’re not.

There are actual attractions everywhere, but in the case of these towns, they exist not because a tourism board planned them or because they photograph well. They exist because Arkansas is a beautiful place with beautiful people who found needs and filled them.