Uh oh...
It appears that you're using a severely outdated version of Safari on Windows. Many features won't work correctly, and functionality can't be guaranteed. Please try viewing this website in Edge, Mozilla, Chrome, or another modern browser. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!
Read More about this safari issue.
Happy Thanksgiving weekend! We hope you enjoy a weekend filled with feelings of gratitude for living in this great state! After you’ve enjoyed the turkey and trimmings, check out one of these activities to finish out your weekend.
Mountain Rendezvous (Petit Jean State Park)
Head to Petit Jean State Park this weekend and join the park interpreters to experience the life of a frontier family in Arkansas. You are invited to take a step back in time to the early 1800s. During the rendezvous, you’ll get a look at life during the 1830s, as well as a chance to visit with re-enactors portraying that period. There will be a demonstration of how a muzzleloader works, a look inside of a trading tent, discover how gunpowder is made, touch some wild animal furs, as well as more events and activities. At the end of the program, there will be a competition to decide who the best frontier family is through some Pioneer games! This program is great for the whole family.
Venue: Petit Jean State Park
Date: November 29- December 1
Time: Contact the Park for a Detailed Schedule
Admission: Free
Contact: petitjean@arkansas.com or call (501) 727-5441
Ozark Holidays Craft Show (Mountain View)
Get away from the fuss and flurry of the modern city and come to where holidays are about people and craftsmanship is done by hand. The Ozark Folk Center State Park is holding its Ozark Holidays Craft Show in conjunction with the award-winning Skillet Restaurant Thanksgiving Buffet on Thanksgiving Thursday and the Friday afterward. There will be demonstrating craftspeople in their workshops in the Craft Village and visiting artisans in the Administration Building. More than 30 juried artisans will offer heirloom-quality weavings, glasswork, leatherwork, wood carvings, basketry, metalwork, and more, each piece is unique and each one made by the person selling it.
Venue: Ozark Folk Center
Date: November 29
Time: 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Admission: Free
Contact: Click Here
Wings Over the Prairie Festival (Stuttgart)
Stuttgart annually hosts the World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest & Wings Over the Prairie Festival. The festival is the largest outdoor expo in the Mid-South promoting the sport of duck hunting. This weekend is full of several fun activities for the whole family. Check it out!
Venue: 507 S Main (Stuttgart)
Date: November 23rd- November 30th
Time: Click Here for Schedule of Events
Admission: Free
Contact: Click Here
Christmas in Greenwood (Greenwood)
Christmas in Greenwood begins November 29 at Bell Park on North Main Street with the Focus on Greenwood Trail of Lights, 5:30 — 9 p.m. Dozens of lighted displays will adorn the 38-acre hilltop park. At sundown, visitors can drive through and tune their radios to FM 103.1 to hear holiday music and watch some lights dance to the music. Visitors are invited to park and walk through the Winter Wonderland or stroll through arched lights along the Promenade. Both provide fabulous photo opportunities. Kids can share cookies and cocoa with Santa on November 30.
Venue: Greenwood Bell Park
Date: Starts on November 29
Time: Click Here for Event Schedule
Admission: Free (Donations Accepted)
Contact: Click Here
Christmas on the Creek (Springdale)
Always the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Christmas on the Creek is Springdale’s holiday family tradition. There will be live music, the lighting of the region’s largest live Christmas tree, and lots of family activities. This festival attracts thousands over the day and evening — as the celebration culminates in the passing through of the Christmas Parade of the Ozarks!
Venue: 106 W. Emma Ave. Springdale
Date: November 30
Time: 1 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Admission: Free
Contact: Click Here
Northern Lights Festival (North Little Rock)
The 2019 Northern Lights Festival is in downtown North Little Rock this weekend. This FREE holiday festival marks the grand opening of Argenta Plaza in the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock, a beautiful new community space for all of North Little Rock to enjoy. The lighting of North Little Rock’s brand new Christmas tree will take place, which is one of the tallest in the state! There will be live music, fireworks, food trucks, a holiday market, kids’ activities, and carriage rides. Don’t miss out on the fun!
Venue: Argenta Plaza (510 Main Street, North Little Rock)
Date: November 30
Time: 5 p.m. — 9 p.m.
Admission: Free
Contact: Click Here
Downtown Joyfest (Jonesboro)
Joyfest is a new Jonesboro tradition featuring fun events for the whole family. Head to Jonesboro and celebrate the holiday season and the holiday spirit in Downtown Jonesboro! The fun begins on Saturday, Nov. 30, from 5-9 p.m. You can enjoy the First Community Bank Skating Rink, the community Christmas tree lighting, downtown open houses and Christmas caroling all evening long!
Venue: Downtown Jonesboro
Date: November 30
Time: 5 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Admission: Free
Contact: Click Here
Chick-fil-A Illuminate: A Conway Christmas Tradition (Conway)
Chick-fil-A Illuminate is a monthlong Conway Christmas Tradition that kicks off the Saturday after Thanksgiving. On Small Business Saturday, spend the day in downtown Conway visiting unique boutiques and fabulous restaurants. During the afternoon and evening, spend time making memories with your Family at Chick-fil-A Illuminate. The event features pictures with Santa, Ferris wheel rides, horse and carriage rides, miniature train rides, interactive family-friendly crafts and games, and the lighting of Conway’s Christmas tree.
Venue: Downtown Conway
Date: November 30
Time: 3 p.m.- 8 p.m. (Click Here for Schedule of Events)
Admission: Free
Contact: Click Here
Batesville Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
The Batesville Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place this weekend in the Citizens Bank Pocket Park. The ceremony will feature local musicians & choirs. There will also be an individual reading of “The Night Before Christmas” by Gary Bridgman from White River Now. The “flipping of the switch” will occur at 5:30 p.m. Hot chocolate will be served. Everyone is encouraged to attend and participate in all of the related festivities happening downtown during the day.
Venue: Main Street Batesville
Date: November 30
Time: 5 p.m.
Admission: Free
Contact: Click Here
Arkansas’s Scenic Tourism Landscapes (Blytheville)
Experience The Natural State through the lens of Arkansas Tourism photographers in this new traveling exhibit that highlights the role visual images play in attracting visitors to the state.
Venue: Ritz Theatre (306 W. Main St. Blytheville)
Date: November- February
Contact: Contact the Ritz Theatre for details on when to view the exhibit. (870)- 623-8460
Also, if you are looking for more Christmas Lights to look at, there were several lighting ceremonies last weekend. Check this article out to find out what towns have already lit their square and are ready for visitors!
Header Photo Credit: Arkansas Parks & Tourism
We do the work.
You check your email.
Sign up for our weekly e-news.
Get stories sent straight to your inbox!
Like this story? Read more from Only in Arkansas
This Black History Month, we continue to pay tribute to the innumerable...
Harding University President David Burks has announced that the...
There is so much to do in Arkansas over the next few days! For hunting...
Join the Conversation
Leave a Comment