Arkansas Culture?

ArkansasMom
Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:55:50 +0000

justcoffeeplease, congrats on your acceptance! I’m from Little Rock and will try to answer some of your questions.

The scenery is beautiful in many parts of the state, especially in the mountainous areas (the Ozarks in the northern part of AR and the Ouachitas around Hot Springs) which are great day-trip or weekend-trip destinations. The central AR area (LR/Conway) has hills (but only one mountain, Pinnacle, near LR) and lots of green. There are some nice lakes near Hot Springs and Arkadelphia. You will see definite seasonal changes here although the winters are very mild compared to states further north. Arkansas is known as “The Natural State” due to its multitude of outdoor/nature activities. There’s a state park not far from Conway called Woolly Hollow. Go to [Arkansas Tourism Official Site - Fun Affordable Family Vacations - State of Arkansas](http://www.arkansas.com) to check things out.

Overall, I think you will find Arkansans very friendly; although not part of the Deep South, most people here have “Southern Hospitality” as part of their genetic makeup. <g> The more rural parts of the state tend to be conservative, but the Little Rock area is more of a mix. I’m not sure there is much interaction between Hendrix students and Conway residents, as Hendrix tends to lean to the left and Conway to the right, but on the other hand there is no animosity - more like coexistence in separate but intersecting worlds. :-)</g>

The food at Hendrix is GREAT! The campus cafeteria has all kinds of offerings including vegan and everything is so good! Conway has some good restaurants, coffeehouses, etc. Little Rock (30 min. away) has numerous places to eat, including a few ethnic restaurants. One difference you may find in the food is that most southerners cook their veggies to death (we like 'em soggy <g>) whereas in the north veggies usually still have some crispness to them when served.</g>

There are a number of musical/cultural events on the Hendrix campus as well as the other major college in Conway, the University of Central Arkansas. Little Rock has several venues for live music popular with young adults: Vino’s, Juanita’s, Sticky Fingers, and others. There is a symphony orchestra in Little Rock. You can see live theater at The Arkansas Repertory Theater (“The Rep”), the Arkansas Arts Center, Murray’s Dinner Theater, and The Weekend Theater (all in Little Rock).

You may not find too many bohemian “hipsters” in Conway, but you should be completely at home in Hendrix!