Arkansas State Parks Calendar of Events
Are you looking for fun activities during your visit to an Arkansas State Park? Our park interpreters routinely schedule fun, family-friendly programs that are designed to help you have a more meaningful park experience and make memories of a lifetime. We offer more than 50,000 activities each year, including guided hikes, lake tours on park boats, birding adventures, kayak tours, living history demonstrations, nature games, historic site tours, bald eagle watches, spring wildflower walks, campfires, outdoor skills workshops, A.D.E.-accredited teacher professional development, and much more — there’s something going on all the time.
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The dates, details, and admission prices in this calendar of events were submitted to the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and are accurate to the best of our knowledge. We recommend that you check with local sponsors before making a trip to any event.
Sunday, December 10, 2023
/ 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
The Plum Bayou Mounds site is one of the largest and most impressive archeological sites in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Occupied by American Indians from about 650 to 1050 AD, this site is…
Heart Healthy

Sunday, December 10, 2023
/ 2 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
One of the many wild animals that makes Lake Fort Smith State Park its home is the Eastern cottontail rabbit. Did you know there are also rabbits that live in the sky? Meet Park Interpreter…
Sunday, December 10, 2023
/ 2 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Join Park Interpreter Jake for an interesting walk among the giant sandstone boulders and slot canyons of the Bear Cave area. This is a relatively easy ¼-mile hike that is great for the…
Heart Healthy

Sunday, December 10, 2023
/ 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Looking for an adventure? Join a park interpreter for a
guided eagle-watching cruise on DeGray Lake. We will spend the hour searching
for wintering bald eagles, ospreys, loons,…
Heart Healthy

Sunday, December 10, 2023
/ 3 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
How much do you know about the plants, wildlife, and history of Rich Mountain? Meet in the Hearth Room to find out by playing a game of Jenga with a twist!
Sunday, December 10, 2023
/ 3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
The
choices you make when you are outside make a big difference. This is a great
program for all ages, but especially for young girls and boys who are just
beginning to experience…
Sunday, December 10, 2023
/ 3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
If Mount Magazine could speak, it would have many questions! With a park interpreter, unearth Mount Magazine’s unique historical and natural significance by answering “the mountain’s questions,”…
Sunday, December 10, 2023
/ 4 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Meet a park interpreter for a stroll through historic CCC structures. Along the way, we will talk about what life was like for the Civilian Conservation Corps workers and how their hard work is still…
Heart Healthy

Monday, December 11, 2023
/ 10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Meet a park interpreter in the Diamond Discovery Center to learn the tricks of the trade at this demonstration of diamond searching methods!
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
/ 11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
We have 8,000 gallons of aquariums, filled with many of the fish species found in Lake Dardanelle. Join park staff in the visitor center as they feed the fish live food. See for yourself, what’s for…
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
/ 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Lake Ouachita provides remarkable habitat for wintering bald eagles. Each year, juvenile and mature birds can be seen among the trees along the shoreline or flying high in the sky above during…
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
/ 10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Meet a park interpreter in the Diamond Discovery Center to learn the tricks of the trade at this demonstration of diamond searching methods!
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
/ 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Join Park Interpreter Mystina to play a fun game of nature bingo. As we play, we will discover more about the natural things found at Lake Fort Smith State Park.
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
/ 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal Project created work groups during the 1930s Great Depression Era, such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA built public…
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
/ 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
In this special showcase, local spinners will share how they craft fibers into yarn and lacemakers will exhibit the creation of handmade laces. They welcome all interested visitors to join them for an…
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
/ 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Lake Dardanelle State Park is proud to offer free winter lake cruises for the best chance of seeing our national symbol, the American bald eagle (weather permitting). Many other spectacular birds will…
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
/ 9 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Try
to catch a glimpse of a the Geminid meteor shower at its peak! Mount Magazine
State Park offers some of the darkest skies in Arkansas and is a great place
to experience this…
Thursday, December 14, 2023
/ 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

Thursday, December 14, 2023
/ 10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Meet a park interpreter in the Diamond Discovery Center to learn the tricks of the trade at this demonstration of diamond searching methods!
Thursday, December 14, 2023
/ 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Join Park Interpreter Mystina to put your sense of sight, touch, smell, and hearing to the test as you try to guess what some of the natural things are found in Lake Fort Smith State Park.