By: 
Meg Matthews
 Updated: 

This year join the thousands of folks who will opt to feast their eyes on Mother Nature’s cornucopia a day after feasting on Thanksgiving turkey instead of battling the madness at the malls. Green Friday is an antidote to Black Friday: the shop-til-you-drop onslaught that kicks off the holiday shopping season.

Green Friday programs will be offered at many Arkansas State Parks on November 28,2019. Visitors can participate in a guided tour or strike out on their own in order to swap the commercial buzz for the tranquility of nature. AAA Southern Traveler recognized Arkansas State Parks Green Friday as an official Southern Travel Treasure.

 

The idea of Green Friday began several years ago, when outdoor co-op REI shut their doors on Black Friday in order to encourage people to choose the outdoors over fighting it out in the aisles.  “Being outside makes us our best selves – healthier and happier, physically and mentally. We are doing this again to unite people and to find common ground in the outdoors,” said REI CEO Jerry Stritzke. “Right now, I think people are looking for a moment to take a breath, reground themselves and come together.”

Specific Green Friday Arkansas State Park events include:

Find even more fun ways to enjoy Green Friday by clicking on our “Events” tab at the top of the ArkansasStateParks.com. Also, let us know how you spent Green Friday on social media – tag us and use the hashtags #arstateparks, #greenfriday and #optoutside.