[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by Chris19

My guess is that the roads going south of Pine Bluff to I-20 is rural area.

Very rural. You will also run into 2 lane travel in a few spots as construction is still going on. The two little towns south of Pine Bluff (Gould and Grady) are speed traps.

If you need to stop and eat along the way, Leon's Catfish in Pine Bluff is a local favorite. There is nothing worth stopping for until you get to the Cow Pen/La Villa Cafe in Lake Village.

-Robert

[sloth777]

65 is a great highway. We travel it 4 times a year, to see family. But, small towns fill their bank accounts with fines from out of town speeders, so obey the signs. No dangerous towns from Branson to Conway. Mostly really friendly people. Conway is great stop for food. College town, lot of options for food.
Have fun.

[sloth777]

Oh, but DO NOT stop in Pine Bluff. Ghetto as hell. Dangerous place.

[Chris19]

Originally Posted by sloth777

Oh, but DO NOT stop in Pine Bluff. Ghetto as hell. Dangerous place.

Thank you for the tip. With Pine Bluff being iffy, I will just bypass it and fill up somewhere else either near Little Rock or a smaller town either before or after Pine Bluff. I have read on forums that Pine Bluff is not a very desirable place. Are there good towns to stop in between Little Rock and Vicksburg on US 65 (to stop at a convenience store)?

[Chris19]

Originally Posted by sloth777

65 is a great highway. We travel it 4 times a year, to see family. But, small towns fill their bank accounts with fines from out of town speeders, so obey the signs. No dangerous towns from Branson to Conway. Mostly really friendly people. Conway is great stop for food. College town, lot of options for food.
Have fun.

Will do. Depends on the timing and weather. If my main focus is on time and/or if weather was an issue, I would take the US-71/I-540 route. If I have time to spare, I would seriously consider US 65. Road construction is another factor to consider. I have about two months to decide.

[Chris19]

After giving it some though, where are good towns in SE Arkasas along US 65 (between Little Rock and Vicksburg, MS) to stop in to buy a soft drink, fill up, and strech for a little? I will most likely eat in or near Little Rock. Which towns should I avoid stopping in (other than Pine Bluff)? Should I worry too much about safety?

[Robert_J]

When you take the bypass around Pine Bluff you are no where near the city proper. I really suggest you take the exit to Camden. Turn right and then left into the first shopping center which is only about 100 yars from the interstate. Leon's Catfish is a great place in PB (one of the few we look forward to when visiting family).

South of PB there the next place to stop is Dumas and then McGehee, then Lake Village. All 3 are safe to stop and fill up at any store that is on the main road. After PB the only place I would recommend stopping to eat would be the LakeShore Cafe just south of Lake Village. It is only a couple of miles past the highway 65 turn to head towards Louisiana. When you go that way it is another couple of hours driving before getting to Lake Providence.

-Robert

[Stormcrow73]

IF you decide to take 65, make a short little pit stop in Leslie. We did that this weekend and I was astounded. I'm no stranger to Leslie but I honestly never went through town because it always had the reputation of being just a bunch of shacks more or less. Some townsfolk have been cleaning things up and reopening businesses in recent years. The little square was literally buzzing with activity with lots of people out walking, chatting, etc. Now again, Leslie's tiny so a "lot" of people is very relative (possibly around 20-30 people.) There's a little bakery, a coffee shop, several antique stores as well. They still have a ways to go to whip the town back into shape and there are still plenty of vacants in disrepair but I noted people in and actively working on most of those vacant structures!

[Chris19]

The catfish sounds good. I love to eat fish, breaded or non-breaded. Nice to try some local favorites. I will keep that into consideration. I am getting excited about roadtripping in about two months and hopefully the weather will be good and the trip goes well.

I would like to try eating some crawfish/crawdaddies. I guess that I will find that out when travelling through.

[psulions2007]

I'd just like to throw two other options out there:

1. Take 540 down to 40, but continue on US 71 (all of this, by the way, will eventually be part of Interstate 49)...this goes through an absolutely gorgeous area of the Ouachita Mountains. US 71 will merge on/off with a few other roads, but once you pass Texarkana, it becomes mostly freeway (but not all). You would take AR 549/US 71 S to Shreveport, LA, then Interstate 49 down to Lafayette. Take Interstate 10 east from Lafayette to Baton Rouge where you have two options....east on Interstate 12 to Hammond/Slidell (bypass of New Orleans)...or take Interstate 10/610 through New Orleans Metro (if you are interested in that sort of thing...the 10/610 route is about an hour or so longer. Once past Slidell, Interstate 10 continues to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Benefits: Beautiful drive through Ouachitas, more largerish cities, experience of cajun country, more freeway, casinos in Shreveport,...

Cons: A little bit longer, drive between Fort Smith and Texarkana can be very, very curvy.



Option 2: Similar to your 65 South except continue S on 65 after Vicksburg to Natchez, MS. Natchez is filled with history, antebellum homes, and is quite beautiful in general (they have a welcome center shortly after the bridge over the Mississippi where US 65 ends. After Natchez, continue east on US 84 (you'll merge with this on 65 in LA) until you get to US 98 (not far from Natchez). Continue on US 98 E to Hattiesburg, MS (in McComb, you'll have to briefly merge with Interstate 55, and in Hattiesburg you'll have to briefly merge with Interstate 59...just follow signs for E 98). After continuing east on US 98 after exiting from Interstate 59, US 49 will not be far...exit south on US 49 to Gulfport.


Benefits: Some extra history, and beautiful scenery on US 98 between Natchez and McComb.

Cons: Boring, Boring, Boring drive on US 65 from Pine Bluff to Lake Village, AR [it is in what is known as the Delta Region]. Less freeway, a little bit longer.

Enjoy your trip!