The 10 Best Things to do in Little Rock, Arkansas (AR)

Opened in 1977, the Pinnacle Mountain State Park serves as a center for education, recreation and preservation.

Visitors can tour this government building that sits on a knoll, overlooking downtown to the east and the Arkansas river to the north, and bears a striking resemblance to the U.S. Capitol building.

This National Park Service site encompasses the campus, but Central High is still an active high school. Visitors should park and begin their visit at the National Park Visitor Center, located diagonally across from the campus, at 2120 W. Daisy Gatson Bates Drive. Visitor entrance into the school is via free Ranger-led tours reserved in advance to guarantee participation. Interpreting the Civil Rights Movement with an emphasis on school integration, this National Historic Site focuses on the 1957 desegregation crisis that resulted when Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus ordered National Guard troops to prevent the first African American students, the "Little Rock Nine," from entering formerly all white Little Rock Central High School, leading to federal intervention by order of President Dwight Eisenhower.

The William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park, located on the banks of the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Arkansas, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world to its grounds each year. Opened in 2004, the Center is home to the Little Rock offices of the Clinton Foundation, the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, and the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.

Arkansas' first legal distillery since prohibition. Distiller of award winning hand crafted spirits. Tours six days a week. See our website for times and reservations.

Dedicated purse museums in the world are rare jewels of history: Amsterdam, Seoul and Little Rock claim the distinction of being home to the three brick-and-mortar galleries in existence. ESSE Purse Museum at 1510 Main in the SoMa district of Little Rock opened its doors in late June 2013 to share what's inside the fabulous exhibit featuring over 500 artifacts. More than a fashion history, the museum showcases a compelling narrative of the 20th-century American woman - decade by decade - through the bags she carried and the contents within. The delightful displays of purses are complemented by carefully selected items women from each era carried - true history held in a handbag. Small photos in the displays and enormous backlit photos on the north wall show real women with their personal bags. Three cozy dioramas - "Nothing's More Natural Than Skin," "By Land, Sea or Air" and "A Night on the Town" - feature specialty purses, and a large, whimsical art installation addresses the essence of a woman, her handbag and the contents within. ESSE, which grew out of a traveling exhibit selected from owner Anita Davis' extensive collection of bags, is a privately-owned museum housed in a historic building in an up-and-coming, hip neighborhood, close to other world famous attractions like Central High School (the only school that is a national park) and the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park. More than just a trip down memory lane or history lesson, ESSE Purse Museum is a don't-miss experience. Museum hours are 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $10, $8 for students (6-18), seniors (60 and up) and military. Children 5 and younger are free. Call for group rates and special tours.

Taste your way through this year-round, indoor market encompassing 10,000 square feet of owner-operated shops, stalls and tables that sell food and unique products.