Lake Dardanelle State Park sets on the lower bank of Lake Dardanelle, a 34,300-acre reservoir of the Arkansas River. Located in the river valley of West-Central Arkansas, Lake Dardanelle is a popular fishery for bass, catfish, and crappie. Lake Dardanelle State Park has a strong connection with its resource and serves to enrich the quality of life for both residents and visitors of the Arkansas River Valley through resource stewardship, recreation, interpretation, and protection. 

Escape to Lake Dardanelle State Park’s largest aquarium exhibit and see some of our native fish from a unique underwater perspective. Inside Lake Dardanelle State Park Visitor Center is 7,000 gallons of aquarium exhibits that provide an up-close connection with Lake Dardanelle’s native fish species.  

Join the largemouth bass, blue catfish, spotted gar, bowfin, freshwater drum, and a red-eared slider turtle in our largest aquarium. During your escape, you might imagine yourself snorkeling in Lake Dardanelle hovering above the fish.  Or you might even think of your own fish experiences. Perhaps a memory of fishing with family or friends, your first catch, a favorite fishing hole, or maybe even the time you caught that monster fish.   

Once you’ve had a brief escape, we invite you to make plans to visit Lake Dardanelle State Park to see all our aquarium exhibits. Watch the online program calendar for our “What’s for Lunch?” interpretive program led by park staff. “What’s for Lunch?” is an opportunity for visitors to observe the fish as they feed on natural, live food up-close. Please call our visitor center to confirm the hours of operation.  

Video Description: A 1-minute underwater video of Lake Dardanelle’s native fish species set inside Lake Dardanelle State Park’s largest aquarium. The ambient sound of water cascading mixing the water’s surface sets the mood while the fish roam about the aquarium’s habitat.