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HOTTEST NEIGHBORHOODS! DOWNTOWN HOT SPOTS
Little Rock’s downtown neighborhoods, defying the national trend toward dormancy, are alive with things to see and do. Where once there were only office buildings and the occasional surviving eatery, downtown Little Rock has welcomed an influx of new restaurants, bars and cultural venues. The Arkansas Repertory Theatre showed the way when it moved to Main Street in 1988. In anticipation of the 2004 opening of the Clinton Presidential Center east of Interstate 30, the River Market District east of Cumberland and the old commercial district defined by Main Street and streets running east and west began to blossom. Culture bookends the heart of downtown, with The Rep and Ballet Arkansas studios on Main and the 2,222-seat Robinson Center at Markham and Broadway. In between, new restaurants, condos and apartments have awakened its once sleepy streets. The East Village is the latest area to be revitalized, with investment in new places to eat, drink and meet. n
THE EAST VILLAGE SEE & DO
If the name is good enough for New York, it’s good enough for Little Rock, right? The East Village is a relatively new moniker for the old commercial district east of Interstate 30, first enlivened by the Clinton Presidential Center and Park. The architecture of the long, sleek Clinton Center was designed to hearken to Clinton’s call for a “Bridge to the 21st Century”; inside, its permanent exhibits elaborate on Clinton’s eight years in office, with displays based on policy initiatives and a replica of the Oval Office. Firstrate changing exhibitions are varied; the past has featured such shows as Chihuly glass, dinosaurs, sculptures made from detritus polluting the oceans, and the art of Africa. The multimedia “Women’s Voices, Women’s Rights, Women’s Votes” will be on display through mid-2023.
The park’s grassy slopes and the William E. Clark Wetlands draw picnickers and pedestrians; a former railroad bridge connects cyclists and walkers to North Little Rock. The Clinton School of Public Service, in a former railway station, offers a top-notch schedule of speakers.
Sixth Street, south of the Clinton Center, is where you’ll find brew, barbecue, coffee and event spaces. Cruise by construction on the Artspace Windgate Campus, a $36 million mixed-use project for artists with studios, living space and galleries that will open in 2024.
The Southeast Bike and Pedestrian Trail runs through the area, which means you’ll see cyclists stopping for refreshment — or you can get there yourself on a bike.
EAT & DRINK
The Clinton Center offers fine dining at 42 Bar & Table, a farm-to-table restaurant with riverfront views. For some down-to-earth eating and beering, head to Sixth Street to find the state’s largest beer crafter, Lost Forty Brewing. A long and creative beer list, from Punchy Bing Bing Black Cherry to Rooster IPA, joins jazzed up burgers, pizzas and more. Keep traveling to The Rail Yard beer garden, which features food trucks and music; Count Porkula has the barbecue. Next door, sober up or start the day at Fidel & Co. coffee shop. The Fidel & Co. team is working across the street to open Sterling Market, which will feature a bakery, butcher shop, pizzeria and a “greens/sandwich” shop.
Folks in the know will head to the hole-in-the-wall Rosie’s Pot and Kettle Café on Bond Street for home cooking and desserts. n
THE RIVER MARKET SEE & DO
If you’ve been to Beale Street in Memphis, you’ll get a feeling of déjà vu as you stroll the River Market District, Little Rock’s entertainment district. President Clinton Avenue’s late-night music venues — Willy D’s Dueling Piano Bar, the Rev Room, Stickyz Rock’n’Roll Chicken Shack, The Library Kitchen and Lounge, Cannibal and Craft, the Bayou VIP Lounge — make for a couple of blocks of good times.
It’s not all drinking and dancing: The Ron Robinson Theater, part of the Central Arkansas Library System’s Main Library complex, screens independent films and hosts concerts and author readings. CALS also hosts the yearly Six Bridges Book Festival in venues on its campus and in the neighborhood.
The First Security Amphitheater brings big acts and free movies to the open-air venue. Quieter times can be had along Riverfront Park behind the businesses along Clinton, where the remains of La Petite Roche (the little rock that gives the city its name) can be found. Children will enjoy the Witt Stephens Nature Center, operated by Arkansas Game & Fish Commission along the river, and the Museum of Discovery on Clinton, with its interactive science exhibits and new climbing tower.
EAT & DRINK
Restaurants from west to east: Diablos Tacos and Mezcaleria, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken; various eateries in the River Market’s Ottenheimer Hall; the Arkansas-based and butcher-shop-inspired David’s Burgers; the upscale Sonny Williams Steak Room; and Buenos Aires Argentinian on the north side. On the south, Nexus Coffee & Creative offers a meeting place and shop as well as eats, and past the aforementioned bar/restaurant/music venues find The Flying Fish, excellent seafood fare in rooms surrounded by Big Mouth Billy Bass mounts. n
