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Americana
Arkansas A Presidential Library, Elvis Presley, the Wild West, the USA’s most popular retail store and musical legends, ‘Americana’ abounds in Arkansas
Little Rock Central High school In the late-1950s the school played a central role in ending segregation between whites and AfricanAmericans in the U.S. education system. Still an active school, today over 53% of its student population is Afro-American, with classes taught in 40 languages. Visitors can visit the nearby museum, hear the story of Central High from a National Parks guide and, by appointment, tour the school itself. nps.gov/chsc
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3 waltON’s five & Dime
Clinton Presidential Centre Home to one of just 14 Presidential Libraries in the U.S., the centre tells the story of the Clinton Presidency (1993-2001) as well as documenting the key issues of the time. It is home to over 80 million ‘documents’ and 4,500 boxes of Presidential Papers. There’s a reproduction of the Cabinet Room, where you can sit in the President’s chair. Built next to the Arkansas River, it is the number one attraction in Arkansas, visited by over 300,000 each year. clintonpresidentialcenter.org
What could be more American than Walmart? The story of what is now the largest retailer in the world started in Arkansas in 1950 when Sam Walton opened Walton’s 5&10 on Bentonville’s downtown square. Today that original store features a museum that tells the Walmart tale through exhibits and artifacts, a candy store and The Spark Café Soda Fountain, a tribute to Sam’s love of ice cream. walmartmuseum.com
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johhny cash home Standing next to a field of white cotton is the childhood home of Country Music great, Johnny Cash. Dyess Colony, in northeast Arkansas, was a town created in 1934 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal to get the nation back to work – and Johnny’s parents were among its first residents. Take a guided tour of the simple wooden structure then visit the museum that tells the story of the Dyess settlers.
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dyessCash.Astate.edu/visit
EXPLORING ARKANSAS 2019 | ARKANSAS.COM
Arkansas - Top 10.indd 8
1/29/19 12:19 PM