Little Rock, Arkansas - A City Full of Surprises

I'll be the first to admit that this wonderful city surprised me. I did not expect to find the beauty that I found there. Little Rock is full of quirky little restaurants, lovely parks, fascinating history, and a museum in a league of its own.

My mom and I arrived late Thursday night and left Sunday evening, and in the span of 3 days, we experienced some really neat and unique places. We got to eat at an one-of-a-kind Italian pizza place (they had awesome pizza and an awesome staff), stuff our faces with ice cream from a quaint little vegetarian shop, and we did so. much. walking.

While I was primarily there for the Great Escape Publishing Travel Writer's Conference (AMAZING), I got to spend a lot of good quality time with my mom touring the city in a different lens. I wasn't just a tourist there. I was an investigator, daring, and open to so many new things that I would have probably never said yes to - like climbing 14 feet down into a massive WW2 submarine. Talk about close quarters.

That submarine opened my eyes to so many different aspects of the reality of war and just how living during those times must have been, as well as the danger they constantly faced. I would most definitely suggest that everyone go to that maritime museum in Little Rock. I mean, it's not hard to find. Just look for the 633 ft long submarine in the river and you're good to go!

The Marriott was incredible and comfortable. Our room was cool, had a wonderful view of the city - with good sunrise and sunset positions. The staff was helpful and nice and made us not worry about our safety or not being able to find anything. In fact, some of the staff gave us directions on where to go during nighttime so we would travel the safest route. So that was very nice of them.

For three days we scoured the lower half of downtown Little Rock, going from Peabody Park to the submarine, to crossing two different bridges and passing by a quaint little playground, and then finding tons of interesting places to eat all along the same street.

We didn't get through all of downtown Little Rock either. There was still so much to see and so much to do. The city surprised me. When I first knew I was going to Little Rock, I was skeptical. I had no idea what the city would be like. I didn't know if there would be anything to do. But lo and behold, Little Rock fosters amazing sites for tourists, food enthusiasts, and veterans alike. And that's just on one part of downtown.

I would go back to Little Rock and explore even more than I did (and yes, that means I would be willing to walk more). I would even go back to the maritime museum and check out what a submarine feels like in winter. Well, depends on how cold that steel trap gets inside during the cold season.

The conference, however, was the main focus of my trip. Great Escape Publishing put on an incredible workshop and conference. The editors I met were down to earth, easy to approach, and very forthcoming with their experience. We got to hear truth and learn real lessons and tactics that are learned in the travel writing world. I made a lot of new friends, heard great stories, and wrote down notes about experiences I heard from the ones who were older and more successful than I am. I felt like I made good connections with the speakers, editors, and fellow travel writers there. I can't wait to see how everybody does and I definitely can't wait to hear from them.

Little Rock is a place that can easily be explored for weeks and not have every little treasure discovered. I've been blessed with what I uncovered during my short three days there. My recommendation for Little Rock is to go when you have time to walk, roam, and search for things you don't usually do. If someone had told me the day before I'd be going into a submarine, I'd have laughed in their face. But it was so different seeing it on the river. It wasn't just that I wanted to go, I HAD to go. It was an once in a lifetime moment that I'll treasure forever. And guess what? Those treasures can easily be yours!

If you ever find time to go to Little Rock, share that experience. The city surprised me and grew on me more than I thought it would. I hope to go back one day. And if you've already been to Little Rock, tell me what you experienced! I'd love to talk about our shared adventures - completely different, I know - of the same city.