Arkansas: Your ‘Natural’ Choice for Great Meetings
Visit the That Natural State and you’ll find it exceptionally easy to satisfy your organization’s event-needs. Whether it’s a formal meeting for 5,000 people or a casual gathering of 25, Arkansas has the resources (both natural and practical) to please, from meeting spaces and lodging to off-site tours and special events. And with such a great central location, it’s ideal for people from all corners of the country. Scenic byways, newly refurbished highways and two major airports make travel easy and convenient.
And once in state, everything in Arkansas is close to where you’ll find yourself, so day trips and optional outings are distinctly appealing possibilities for your most active and ambitious members. Each city and town in Arkansas holds its own unique history and attractions. For day trip ideas, ArkansasGroupTravel.com offers sample itineraries.
One option is a visit to one of the 52 varied and glorious Arkansas State Parks, which offer lots of amenities for gatherings. Many of the parks have both outdoor camping and indoor lodging, multiple indoor and outdoor meeting areas and several serve the kind of food that will make anyone’s mouth water. You’ll find plenty of lodging options for your family reunion, school reunion or church group.
Large lakes provide fishing, skiing, scuba diving, sailing, pleasure boating and other water sports and are home to resorts, state parks and plenty of campgrounds. A wide selection of golf courses includes The Natural State Golf Trail. There are day-hiking, backpacking, horseback, ATV and mountain-bike trails as well. Hang-gliding, rock climbing and rappelling may appeal to your more adventurous attendees.
New attractions and destinations include the Big Dam Bridge pedestrian/bicycling bridge across the Arkansas River; the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and Dickey-Stephens Park – home of the Arkansas Travelers – in Little Rock; The Clinton House Museum in Hope; Pinnacle Hills Promenade shopping center; the Rice-Upshaw House in Randolph County; Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center at Fort Smith; and the Lakeport Plantation Museum near Lake Village.
On days where your organization needs to take care of business, you’ll find top rate facilities. For example, The Lodge at Mount Magazine is a $33-million resort and meeting facility located atop a scenic bluff on the state’s highest peak. Opened in May 2006, this center brings the best of rustic beauty to conferences, retreats and reunions without sacrificing modern amenities. The lodge’s 35,678-square-foot conference and meeting facility features a 3,772-square-foot conference/meeting space. The multi-functional space can be divided into three meeting rooms or, when opened, can accommodate banquet seating for up to 192 people.
Or, consider the John Q. Hammons Center, a $33-million convention center and hotel in Rogers. This facility boasts the largest “true ballroom” in the state, along with 78,000 square feet of elegantly appointed and flexible meeting space and 41 breakout and executive meeting rooms. Meeting planners from the education market will appreciate the center’s proximity to the University of Arkansas. Also nearby are the world headquarters of Wal-Mart, J.B. Hunt and Tyson. With more than 20 golf courses, numerous lakes and state parks in the surrounding areas, there’s definitely appeal to organizations of outdoor enthusiasts.
Planning your event in Arkansas couldn’t be easier. For reunion planners, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism offers free literature, help in planning and items for your registration bags. Just go to http://www.Reunions-101.com, where you’ll find pages with information specific to social, military, educational, religious or fraternal groups. You can also request a copy of the Arkansas Group Tour and Meeting Planners Directory, which lists lodging, dining and attraction resources. Just contact the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism group travel division at 1-800-872-1259.
Whatever type of event you have in mind, your group will appreciate the new memories you can make together in Arkansas, The Natural State.
http://www.arkansas.com/group-travel/
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