African American activities/events in LR area (Little Rock, Hot Springs: job market, theater)
Little Rock - Conway areaPulaski, Faulkner, Grant, Lonoke, Perry, and Saline Counties
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Hello, Im in my 30's and relocating to the Little Rock area with my family and would like to know what is there to do in this area. I am moving from Atlanta where so many activities and social events are always going on. I have visited Arkansas and found myself a little bored. I am looking for night life as well as family events. Dont want anything wild...just a upscale lounge type setting where my husband and I can frequent, concerts, plays, and other mature adult events. I don't mind a mixed crowd!!! Please help as I am really worried that I will be bored out of my mind.
I'm an African-American college student and I'm not always out on the town so I may not be much help.
I would grab an issue of Sync magazine and look at the pictures they normally publish of different events in the city. A lot of times I see a bunch of African-American faces.
That can sort of give you an idea. They also tell you what events are going on around central Arkansas.
You'll definitely be scaling down your social activities here in Little Rock compared to Atlanta.
Philander Smith College hosts a Bless the Mic series and a lot of times I see a lot of professional African-Americans at these events. Maybe you can try to network there.
If you would have asked this question sooner, I would have suggested attending a Kwanzaa event my friend wanted me to attend. I went last year and noticed a lot of middle and upper class African-Americans.
If you don't mind my asking, what do you do for a living? You can DM me if you don't want to put it on the boards. Sometimes you can meet good people on the job.
Church is a big deal in the African-American community so I bet you can meet people at church (if you're religious) and they can direct you toward some events and places to have fun.
Hello, Im in my 30's and relocating to the Little Rock area with my family and would like to know what is there to do in this area. I am moving from Atlanta where so many activities and social events are always going on. I have visited Arkansas and found myself a little bored. I am looking for night life as well as family events. Dont want anything wild...just a upscale lounge type setting where my husband and I can frequent, concerts, plays, and other mature adult events. I don't mind a mixed crowd!!! Please help as I am really worried that I will be bored out of my mind.
Hi there-
I'm an AA female who recently moved back to LR to help with my family. In all honesty, you may be bored out of your mind. I relocated here from Chicago and I CANNOT wait to move to a larger city. The job market is not all that great here and I had to hunt for nine months to get a job.
While AR is a pretty state and is ok, LR somewhat lacks in culture and diversity (compared to a larger city). Most activities center around the AR Razorbacks (which is a college team) or football, there are few plays that come here and the night life is almost non-exsistent. It is a more conservative, religious city and more for those are ready to retire or settle down.
If you want something smaller than ATL, you may look into Dallas. PLEASE save yourself and not come here.
You will be bored. No doubt about that. I am form Chicago and moved to Arkansas from Atlanta(not by choice) and I HATE it!!! There is absolutely no diversity or culture! It's a small town with a small town mentality. The people in this state do not want change therefore diversity will NEVER come.
You will be bored. No doubt about that. I am form Chicago and moved to Arkansas from Atlanta(not by choice) and I HATE it!!! There is absolutely no diversity or culture! It's a small town with a small town mentality. The people in this state do not want change therefore diversity will NEVER come.
Well, this thread has been dormant for well over two years, so it's unlikely the o/p will ever read your opinion. I hope you're able to move elsewhere very soon since you're so unhappy.
do not want to be rude ! But save your money and move elsewhere when you can ! I recently moved here from greensboro, nc (which is not culturally diverse as atlanta) and I am extremely bored!! This entire state is small town minded. Good luck !
I don't know where some of you think you're living, but your posts don't paint anywhere close to an accurate image. First, Little Rock is not that large, and if you compare it to a major metro like Atlanta of course it is going to be lacking some of the things you are accustomed to. For a city of its size however, it actually is above average on the cultural options available (numerous museums, respectable live theater, worthwhile symphony, numerous concerts, major events like Riverfest, a nice little zoo, an enjoyable minor league baseball team, two good farmer's markets, numerous live music venues, great local restaurants, a truly excellent walking/biking/park trail network and loads of outdoor activities, etc.). Second, the demographics show that Little Rock is actually very diverse. It's about 49% white, about 42% African American, and has a decent sized Hispanic and Asian community. I can't imagine how anyone could say the city isn't diverse. There is a significant Indian community and a noticeable Jewish community. Go visit downtown, Hillcrest, Chenal, South Main, and Argenta and you'll see just how many different communities and kinds of people there are in Little Rock.
If you're bored that's one thing, but it's not because there are somehow less things to do here than cities of a similar size. Boredom often doesn't result from a lack of things to do, but rather a lack of interest in doing what's available. Little Rock is not lacking in culture, shopping, or activities compared to other cities this size. Maybe they're not the specific activities you enjoy, or maybe you're not aware of the activities available, and maybe you don't particularly like the feel of the city for some reason, but it's also certainly not because a city of a few hundred thousand people is somehow "small town minded", whatever that may mean. And I certainly wouldn't apply such a label to an entire state unless I had visited every part of that state. I've actually been able to travel over almost the entire state of Arkansas and it's really remarkable how different it is from one part to another. Little Rock seems (and looks) nothing like Northwest Arkansas, but I like both places a lot. Southern Arkansas feels totally different than northern Arkansas. Cities of the same size in different parts of the state feel like they couldn't possibly be a few hours apart. Then there are little gems like Hot Springs and Eureka Springs that are little slices of unexpected European feel.... My point is- even if you don't care for Little Rock or some of the people you've interacted with, there's no logic in claiming the whole state is a certain way.
Not picking on anyone in particular, but I moved to Little Rock with pretty low expectations and was surprised by how nice it actually is. I didn't expect the variety of museums and arts in the city, I didn't expect it to have people from so many different places, and I didn't expect it to have events and festivals that bring out so many people. I love the atmosphere of Hillcrest and the activity you can find downtown. I am impressed with the trails, the parks, and the efforts at continuing to revitalize the downtown areas and less affluent areas while improving their existing assets. Between the St. Patrick's Day parade, the Greek food festival, Riverfest, and Pops on the River I've seen that there are all kinds of different cultures and events that people really support and celebrate here. If you're bored in Little Rock or hate the city, I'll go out on a limb and say it has nothing to do with the city itself and more to do with the matter of fit. Some people just aren't going to be happy in a particular place and that's the way it is. Hopefully there is somewhere they would be happier, but this has nothing to do with the city being somehow lacking, because compared to its peers, Little Rock simply is not.
Last edited by thewizard16; 05-30-2012 at 09:41 PM..
Reason: spelling error, oops!
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