Quick Getaway to Fayetteville, Arkansas

Y’all! I am forever feeling blessed by friends who love adventure just as much as I do. Just last week, as we were walking out of bible study, Liz and I were chatting about wanting to go on a road-trip soon. Within the hour, we had a weekend picked and a destination. Typical. 😉

I had been hearing that Fayetteville was amazing from a few of my friends, so I figured we should give it a shot. Liz sums it up really well in the vid when she called it “half ridiculously hipster and half wilderness.”

We only stayed for one night, but we packed in as much as we could. Fitting for the town, there is a healthy mix of hikes and coffee shops in these recs. 😉

Highlight Video

Dickson Street

We had the most fun in the city when we were exploring Dickson street. There are tons of fun restaurants, shops, murals and places to grab drinks. (Coffee or beer, you decide ;)) While you are on Dickson street you have to check out the Dickson Street Bookstore. I am not even a huge reader, y’all, but this place is so cool. Books and books and books and books. Around every corner, from floor to ceiling, this place is packed to the rafters with books…

Tip: If you are traveling on the weekend, plan to do Dickson street on Saturday and hikes on Sunday. It’s the south, so most places are closed on Sunday’s.

Coffee Shops

My good ole pal, Jessica, made the suggestion for Fayetteville in the first place, because she had a wedding there last fall and loved it! She suggested that we go to Onyx Coffee and it did not disappoint. I am definitely not hipster enough to judge a cup of coffee, but this stuff was GOOD, y’all. Not to mention the atmosphere — It had such a cute setup and rad barista! We just stopped in for a cup, but If I was traveling here for a while, I would totally post up here for a work day.

The only other coffee shop we checked out was Puritan Coffee. Talk about a rad place. Coffee and beer and a huge space to work, chat, play trivia on Thursday nights. It’s the place to be y’all. (This one is on Dickson street.)

Hikes

If you didn’t know it, Northern Arkansas is an insanely beautiful area. My dad has been saying it for years, but I never paid much attention and let me tell ya, I should’ve. I told him when I get home that next time I get the inclination to travel to Colorado for a week, I am going to go to Arkansas instead and explore!

During the short time we were there, we went on 2 hikes: Yellowrock Overlook at Devil’s Den State Park and Whittaker Point in Ponca.

Devils Den State Park was only about 30 minutes from Fayetteville and was super awesome. There are plenty of trails that you can hike, creeks, waterfalls — it’s gorgeous. We told the park ranger we wanted to see an overlook and he pointed us towards Yellowrock. It was a short easy hike that didn’t disappoint. I mean, look…

Beautiful always, but imagine that in the fall, y’all! I promised myself that as soon as leaves start turning, I am going back!

Planning was minimal for this trip, but the one thing we did look up was Whittaker Point. A few friends of ours have been before so we knew it was beautiful. To get to the trailhead you have to go up a steep, curvy gravel road. We did it in a chevy Malibu, so it’s doable without 4 wheel drive, but look for potholes and drive slow. The hike itself is fairly short, but rewarding. The overlook is not far and so beautiful! If you are a St. Louisan, you should do this hike on your way home from Fayetteville.

On the drive home, in Ponca, we saw a heard of elk! As a kid of a former elk farmer, seeing elk is always special, especially so close to home. If you go, make sure you look for them!

I came home with a huge desire to go back. Soon. Basically as soon as stuff starts greening up, I am hoping to get back down there. My dad tells me the tallest waterfall in the midwest is in Ponca, Arkansas?? Yeah. Count me in.