[Wes59]

We are heading up to NW Arkansas to spend the week during the Thanksgiving week. We should hit Fort Smith on mid-day of the 19th, and I have got to be back in Houston Sunday afternoon 27th.
Please list any ideas, towns, highways we can take up there that will sell my wife and I on moving there. We have to live for a couple of years in Fort Smith, but will retire elsewhere up there. Drawing a diagonal line from Hot Springs through Mountain View to the state line- we will be looking west of there. Bonus for mountain areas. Thanks.

[Luvvarkansas]

I49 is great between Van Buren and Fayetteville. If you want to go more slowly, take Hwy 71, which pretty much parallels I49. Both are beautiful drives.

Devil's Den State Park is a good side stop along there...not too far off I49, beautiful drive down in there, good hiking trail with waterfall.

[nmnita]

I would agree with Luvvarkansas completely. When you are in Benton or Washington county be sure and drive east as well. The only problem you have and it isn't really a problem, the trees will be missing their clothes. naked trees are not pretty like the one wearing green or bright colors.

[Wes59]

I know nmita. Jackie wants to find a place where we can either be uphill and look at the valley, or in a valley and look at mountains- whilst we sip our coffee in the morn. Having been in areas with no elevaton over about 100 feet, we are both looking for a change of place.

[Luvvarkansas]

Originally Posted by nmnita

The only problem you have and it isn't really a problem, the trees will be missing their clothes. naked trees are not pretty like the one wearing green or bright colors.

The upside to that is that you can see all the rocks, boulders, and streams better...also the long views from high places that would normally be covered by foliage. Another upside is the pretty green color of the rivers in the winter.

I love Arkansas in the winter....and spring, and fall. Summer -- not quite as much, but it's still beautiful.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Luvvarkansas

The upside to that is that you can see all the rocks, boulders, and streams better...also the long views from high places that would normally be covered by foliage. Another upside is the pretty green color of the rivers in the winter.

I love Arkansas in the winter....and spring, and fall. Summer -- not quite as much, but it's still beautiful.

I guess I never thought about it that way: I just love autumn so much and of course the beauty of all the new life in spring. Summer, even when hot is usually so green and lush. Other than living in Northern VA I can't remember even seeing anyplace that seems to take my breath away like living here. My daughter, after living here for about a year asked if she would ever get tired of looking at the birds and the rest of the wild life: my answer: nope, they are always exciting to watch.

[Wes59]

As I am siting here in 98 degree weather, and about 150% humidity, while dismissing students between two busses belching exhaust...

Jackie and I talk almost daily of the excitement we both are feeling to spend the week of Thanksgiving driving around just "window shopping" for areas. She cracked me up the other day, because she started out wanting this to be a look around just to see if we might. Then she went to a mood of moving and renting for a year then shopping for a house. Just a couple of days ago, she decides that we COULD rent and buy a fixer-upper, and spend several months getting it ready while we are up there, :-)

I think we will spend about 2 days in Fort Smith to look short term, then head North toward Fayetteville area and then East toward Flippin/Mountain Home. Instead of following the yellow brick road, will be following the mountain road.

I contacted Fort Smith schools and confirmed that they will give me 21 of my 24 years in experience (they max out at 21 on the payscale), so that is a strong pull to teach up there for at least a year- maybe more.

Any thoughts on scenic roads to take in this area please comment. Thanks. KW

[jimnelson1]

If you want more "big city" feel, then NWA is probably where you want to look. With Fort Smith being similar on a smaller scale. But if you're looking to escape all that, there are lots of places in AR to check out. A few of these would be the areas around ...

Murfreesboro
Glenwood
Mena
Hot Springs
Mt Ida
Paris
Mountain View
Jasper

There are also three "retirement" communities in Arkansas, I'd call them "resort" communities as things are changing and they are not exclusively for retirees, if they ever were.

Bella Vista
Cherokee Village
Hot Springs Village

[Hollynla]

I live in Jasper, and if you haven't been in Newton County yet, make sure to check it out. We are in the thick of the Ozarks here with the Arkansas grand canyon, the Elk in Boxley, the Buffalo Nt'l river, tons of hiking trails, waterfalls, caves, etc. There is always something to do here and it's always beautiful.

[explorearkansas]

Originally Posted by Wes59

We are heading up to NW Arkansas to spend the week during the Thanksgiving week. We should hit Fort Smith on mid-day of the 19th, and I have got to be back in Houston Sunday afternoon 27th.
Please list any ideas, towns, highways we can take up there that will sell my wife and I on moving there. We have to live for a couple of years in Fort Smith, but will retire elsewhere up there. Drawing a diagonal line from Hot Springs through Mountain View to the state line- we will be looking west of there. Bonus for mountain areas. Thanks.

Don't miss North AR. We did a trip from Mountain Home heading west along the northern border to Eureka Springs a few months back. Then South to the AR River and east till we arrived at Petit Jean State Park. Spent a day in Hot Springs and visited Heber Springs, Mountain View and many others I can't recall at this moment. We found places called Flippin and Toad Suck.

Next year we are returning to the Flippin/Yellville area to sit a spell and kill some fish.

Be careful trying to see too much. It gets overwhelming as there is more beauty in ten square miles of AR than many states have within their entire borders.

Be sure to post us of the treasure you discover.

K