Arkansas is a landmark state for the civil rights movement and African-American heritage. A brief driving tour of Little Rock shows the vital role the city and state played in the quest of equal rights.

A centerpiece of the civil rights movement, Central High School, 1500 S. Park St., stands as a reminder of the South’s history and a tribute to its progress. It was at Central High where Gov. Orval Faubus denied enrollment to nine black students in 1957, and President Dwight Eisenhower dispatched federal troops to protect the students upon their entry a few weeks later. Across the street from the school, the Central High School National Historic Site contains clippings, photographs and other items chronicling the events and lives of the students. Admission is free. 

From Central High, travel east by car on 13th Street until you reach the campus of Philander Smith College at 1 Trudy Kibbe Reed Drive. Philander Smith is one of the oldest African-American colleges in the Southwest, founded in 1877 by the Methodist Episcopal Church. Graduates include former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders and former Harlem Globetrotter Hubert “Geese” Ausby.

South of Philander Smith at 1500 Ringo St. is the Alpha House. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Alpha House was built in 1926 by the Mosaic Templars, one of the largest African-American-owned business enterprises of its time. 

Also significant is the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center at Ninth and Broadway streets north of Interstate 630.

Across the river, visitors are welcome to view memorabilia from the days prior to school integration at the Jones High School Alumni Association, 1400 Pine St., North Little Rock.

Little Rock is an up-and-coming city, but it still possesses a small-town feel, where it’s never hard to strike up a conversation with a stranger, become active in a cause or just borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbor. 

Nowhere is that more evident than the city's thriving River Market District, which sits on the Arkansas River, teems with restaurants, nightspots, shops and museums. It is the epicenter of the city's dining, cultural and entertainment renaissance. 

Across the river sits Verizon Arena, which holds up to 18,000 people for concerts, sports events and more. The Clinton Presidential Library is just down the street and east of the River Market District. 

The culturally-minded can explore the city's Main Library.

The River Market overlooks the coursing Arkansas River, whose banks have become the site of two popular public parks, the Julius Breckling Riverfront Park in Little Rock, headquarters for Memorial Day weekend's Riverfest; and the North Shore Riverfront Park in North Little Rock, a stone's throw from Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. The arena hosts concerts, ranging from Norah Jones, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen to sports events.

A River Rail Street Car system connects the River Market with its neighbors across the river.