Your Guide to Adventure in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
ARKANSAS
KOA camping in Arkansas
Hot Springs
America's oldest national park, Hot Springs is 40 years older than Yellowstone. (Who knew?) "America's Spa"-not to be confused with Canyon Ranch, but nevertheless intriguing-encompasses eight historic bathhouses plus 47 hot springs and their watershed. Tour Bathhouse Row, hike along the forested Ouachita Mountains, and drive to the observation tower atop Hot Springs Mountain. Sit (and sizzle) in a thermal bath, operated by park concessioners.
Little Rock
Little Rock's Aerospace Education Center is a must-see for aviation mavens. Among the cool aircraft suspended from the ceiling here: the humpbacked Sopwith Camel F-1, the most successful combat aircraft of WWI; an exact replica of the Apollo Command and Service Module; and a full-scale replica of the flying machine that started it all, Orville and Wilbur Wright's 1902 Wright Flyer. Save time to take in a show at the IMAX theater.
Murfreesboro
You might say Crater of Diamonds State Park is a real gem-visitors can prospect for, and keep, real diamonds. Diamonds were first discovered here in 1906, and more than 70,000 have been unearthed since then. The whopper: the 40.23-carat "Uncle Sam" diamond. Other gems are also mined here, including opal, amethyst, and garnet. Park interpreters help you identify what you find.
LOUISIANA
KOA camping in Louisiana
Baton Rouge
Fans of R&B music are richly rewarded here; Baton Rouge grooves to the blues. Baton Rouge Blues Week brings live performances and cultural events; year-round, catch great blues acts and up-and-comers at local clubs such as The Varsity, Chelsea's, and The Bayou. Best place to hear the hum of nature? Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, where boardwalk trails meander through a cypress-tupelo swamp and magnolia beech forest.
New Orleans
Voodoo tours and cemetery visits are among the excursions with a distinctly "Big Easy" vibe. And where else but in Cajun Country would you expect to find the McIlhenny's Tabasco Sauce factory? Join the lively tour, complete with palette-searing samples. How to blend in with local folk: heat up the floor with zydeco dancing, and devour mounds of spicy crawfish.
OKLAHOMA
KOA camping in Oklahoma
Oklahoma City
OKC, as the local folk call it, still retains a dash of cowboy character. Just the right setting for the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, where Western art and cowboy poetry celebrate the lives of those who rode the range. To get the full story, include the Red Earth Indian Center on your itinerary.
TEXAS
KOA camping in Texas
Fredericksburg
There is no place like Texas Hill Country in the spring, when Texas bluebonnets and range-red Indian paintbrush wildflowers set the hillsides ablaze with color. Fredericksburg is the heart of the region, offering old-fashioned German charm, wineries, a butterfly ranch, and the Nimitz Museum (great for WWII buffs, unexpectedly interesting to those who are not).
Lake Corpus Christi/Mathis
This is best of all worlds, you might say. There's a good-size lake right here, and the Gulf of Mexico is a hop and a skip away. Nearby Port Aransas and Rockport are delightful, low-key fishing villages and a mecca for birders along the Texas birding trail. Boat tours take enthusiasts to look for the endangered whooping crane. The big little city of Corpus Christi offers the Texas State Aquarium and great seaside dining, serving as a gateway to Padre Island National Seashore.
San Antonio
As family-friendly cities go, this one's tough to beat. Seems there's always a street fair going on. San Antonio's famed River Walk is especially enticing after dark, via water taxi, when thousands of twinkling lights add a festive air. By day, visit the Alamo, the Mexican marketplace, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, a rollicking amusement park.
Houston / Lake Livingston
Framed by pine-oak woodlands, Lake Livingston is a 93,000-acre "Water Wonderland” with some of the best fishing in the state of Texas. In addition to outstanding water recreation possibilities, it is bird watcher's paradise. Horseback or mountain bike along well-marked area trails. Hike through Big Thicket National Preserve. Add to the list, cowboy stories and living history at George Ranch Historical Park, terrific shows and thrilling roller coasters at Astro World and cuddly koalas at the Houston Zoo. It’s all in one fabulous location - Houston.
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