
Discover Events

Petit Jean State Parks
Arkansas State Parks Calendar of Events
Water Balloon Volleyball
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
What in the world is water balloon volleyball? Come find out! Be prepared to get wet!
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The Washington Evening News - 1832
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 2:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Travel back to 1832 for this live radio show
featuring bumbling news anchors reporting from Washington, Arkansas Territory.
Using real historical events as today's headlines, join…
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Knot Navigator
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
From tying your shoes to tying your boat so it doesn't float away, knots are necessary! Join a park interpreter to learn how to tie different types of knots. Appropriate for all ages.
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Apex Excitement: Bears and Baldies
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
At Magazine Mountain State Park, becoming acquainted with black bears makes one much more familiar with bald eagles, (and vice versa), and delivers nothing less than apex excitement! …
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Know Your State
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 3 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
How well do you know the history and folklore of Arkansas? Join a park interpreter at the amphitheater for this fun quiz game where teams will compete for prizes. All ages welcome!
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July 4th - Water Balloon Toss
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Partner up and be prepared to win or get wet!
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Dixie's Home Front
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
With their fathers, brothers, and husbands gone off to fight in the Civil War, Southern women had to do not only their own housework, but learn to take on the jobs of their male relatives, too! Join a…
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The Reading and Signing of the Declaration of Independence
Friday, July 04, 2025 - Sunday, July 06, 2025
/ 3:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Hear
the Declaration of Independence read, as was commonly done in the 19th century, at the 1874 Courthouse. Afterwards, sign your own "John Hancock" to a copy of the Declaration that you may take…
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Exploration Station: Skins, Skulls, and Scat
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Join
a park interpreter at the Exploration Station in Camp Area A to learn about the
local animals that call Lake Ouachita State Park home. Park interpreters will
have pelts, skulls, and tracks and…
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Ready, Aim, Fire!
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Cannons are an iconic part of the Civil War battlefield. Join a park interpreter to learn more about these explosive weapons of war, and go through the same drill soldiers would have learned in order…
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Mountain Songs at the Amphitheater
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 5 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Join a park interpreter and enjoy one of the most beautiful views in Arkansas, as well as a few original guitar songs that highlight some of the wonderful natural and cultural resources you might…
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In Search of the White River Monster
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
Join a park interpreter for a hike along the beach and learn about the history of White River Monster sightings while watching for items that may have been mistaken for this mythical monster in the…
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Frog Calls
Friday, July 04, 2025
/ 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Do you hear the frogs call? Have you ever seen a frog call? Join a park interpreter to listen to the frogs and discover what kinds of frogs are at Cane Creek State Park. Bring insect repellent and…
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Daybreak Diamond Tour
Saturday, July 05, 2025
/ 8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.
Join a park interpreter in the Diamond Discovery Center, lower level to walk through the search area and learn about the best places to search for diamonds. Along the way, you’ll hear stories of past…
Heart Healthy
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The Story of the Jackson Guards
Saturday, July 05, 2025
/ 9 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Made up of the best young men of Jackson County, the Jackson Guards, Company G, left Jacksonport with great fanfare May 5th, 1861, the day before Arkansas seceded from the Union. Young and…
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Legends of Petit Jean
Saturday, July 05, 2025
/ 9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Petit Jean, a strange and fascinating mountain with many natural wonders, but that isn’t all that is fascinating. Meet a park interpreter to discover some stories surrounding the naming of this…
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Prospector Trail Guided Hike
Saturday, July 05, 2025
/ 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Join a park interpreter at the Prospector trailhead, on the northwest side of the diamond search area, and experience Crater of Diamonds State Park like miners and geologists of the past!…
Heart Healthy
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Dragonfly Flyby
Saturday, July 05, 2025
/ 9 a.m. - 9:45 p.m.
What is there to know about these tiny aerial acrobats? Meet a park interpreter and discover it yourself! Be sure to wear clothes and shoes that can get wet and dirty. We will provide nets…
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T.R.A.I.L.S. Guided Hike
Saturday, July 05, 2025
/ 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
So, you've found yourself lost in the wilderness. Now what? Join a park interpreter on the Delta Woodlands Trail to learn the ABC's of what to do in this worst-case scenario. This is an easy, paved,…
Heart Healthy
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