Northwest Arkansas keeps growing like a weed, and with so many moving to that corner of the state, the region keeps offering additional amenities for them to enjoy. Millions of dollars are being pumped into bike trails, museum expansions and more.
One of the newest gems available to the public for the low cost of $0 is the Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale. It officially opened in December.
At 32,000 square feet, it's the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's largest nature center in the state. And we finally got a chance to check it out.
It seems kinda hidden at first. Although you can technically see it from Interstate 49, it's in far north Springdale, down 40th Street, not far from J.B. Hunt Park.
The nature center offers some neat exhibits inside (wear a mask), nature trails, and the original reason we came: an outdoor archery course.
You show up with your bow, walk down the longest sidewalk in existence, and then come upon a pavilion with tables and benches. From there, you can see a kind of boardwalk with several little piers to shoot into a patch of trees filled with animal targets.
There are deer, foxes, turkeys, and for some reason a giant mosquito-looking thing. We shot that one quite a few times, as if it were a way to get revenge on the bloodsucking beasts.
Now that all the snow in northwest Arkansas is melted, we imagine it'll be nice to get back out to the nature center again. It boasts a peaceful wide-open space spread across 61 acres.
The center is closed on Mondays, but even on days it's open we're not sure how many know about it. There's never a crowd when we visit. Here's hoping more visitors discover the latest gem of our state.
Should you be curious, you can find more information here: http://tiny.cc/oqiotz. Keep in mind that because of the pandemic you need to reserve tickets to get in, but like we said, it's free. Our grandfather always said that's the one price that can't be beat.