Attractions along Crowley’s Ridge Parkway
Northeastern Arkansas
The counties of Clay, Greene, Craighead, Poinsett, and Cross comprise the upper two thirds of the Crowley's Ridge Parkway National Scenic Byway. Crowley's Ridge rises as much as 200 feet above the vast flatland of the Mississippi River Delta and is characterized by upland hardwood forests, farmland, orchards and a variety of recreational and historical resources. Four state parks lie along the parkway which passes through the St. Francis National Forest. Cultural attractions can be found in Jonesboro, home of Arkansas State University. Many of the regions communities are host to small museums that interprets the area’s history.
Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum
Piggott, Arkansas
Clay County
Arkansas
Clay County is the northern terminus of Arkansas’ Crowley's Ridge Parkway National Scenic Byway. Visitors to the region can explore what the area looked like before most of the region was turned into agricultural fields at Chalk Bluff Battlefield Park which also interprets a Civil War battle along a barrier free hiking trail. Another gem in the region is the combined site of the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center and Matilda & Karl Pfeiffer Museum & Study Center which explores aspects of culture, history and nature in northeast Arkansas.
Statue of Liberty replica
Paragould, Arkansas
Greene County
Arkansas
Paragould is the main community on Greene County and features a historic downtown district with distinctive preserved architecture, a historical museum, and a unique memorial to veterans of the First Word War. West of Paragould is Crowley’s Ridge State Park which offers hiking, boating, swimming, fishing, camping, interpretive programs, and more!
Arkansas State University Museum
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Craighead County
Arkansas
Jonesboro is the main community of Craighead County and is home to Arkansas State University. The university maintains both the Arkansas State University Museum and the Bradbury Gallery which are free and open to the public. On the southern edge of Jonesboro are Craighead Forest Park which features a fishing lake, camping facilities, hiking trails, bird watching opportunities, picnic sites, recreational fields, and ATV and mountain biking trails. The Forrest L. Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature Center is adjacent to the park and features three-story indoor facility, a 5.5-acre prairie, 2.5-acre pond, and approximately 100 acres in woodlands with 5 nature trails. North of Jonesboro is Lake Frierson State Park, which is best known for its wild dogwoods and a 335-acre fishing lake.
Lake Poinsett State Park
Harrisburg, Arkansas
Cross and Poinsett Counties
Arkansas
Poinsett and Cross Counties constitute the middle portion of the Crowley's Ridge Parkway National Scenic Byway region. The region has two excellent state parks with natural features to visit: Lake Poinsett State Park and Village Creek State Park. Other attractions in the area are Parkin Archeological State Park, which explores a Mississippi Period Native American village, the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, which interprets a farm labor movement that began during the Great Depression, and an interesting post office mural in Wynne.
