Visit Arkansas for a ‘Billgrimage’

Clinton House Museum

If you watched the Democratic Convention this summer, you might remember former Pres. Bill Clinton talking about his early days in Arkansas and meeting and marrying Hillary in Fayetteville. In fact, the couple was married in the living room of that bungalow near the University of Arkansas, where both taught law. 
The former Clinton residence is now open as the Clinton House Museum and includes photos, campaign materials and other memorabilia from when the Clintons resided there. The home, which is listed on the National Historic Registry, is located at 930 W. Clinton Drive in Fayetteville.

But that’s only one of the many sites throughout Arkansas that honor the Clintons. Here are the others for what tourism folks call a “Billgrimage,” since most have to do with Bill Clinton, the 42nd U.S. president and former governor of Arkansas (except for the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock).

Hot Springs, Arkansas

The two-story white frame house at 117 S. Hervey in the small town of Hope in Southwest Arkansas was the birthplace of William Jefferson Clinton, now a National Historic Site. The house belonged to Clinton's grandparents and is where he lived the first four years of his life. Near the home is the Hope Visitor Center and Museum, located in the former Union Pacific Railroad Depot at South Main and Division streets. Exhibits and videos on the history of the town and Clinton's connection to Hope can be seen here. A hand-carved wooden sign honoring Clinton is located in a park adjacent to the visitor center.

Clinton's childhood home on Park Avenue in Hot Springs is close to schools he attended and his favorite hangouts. A hand-carved sign honoring him is located in the Hill Wheatley Plaza on Central Avenue downtown. Be sure to stop by McClard's Bar-B-Q Restaurant, a favorite of Bill’s and a host of others; the barbecue is to die for!

            After Bill and Hillary were married in Fayetteville, Bill became governor and the couple lived in various residences in Little Rock, including the Arkansas Governor's Mansion at 18th and Center streets. A bronze bust of Bill Clinton can be seen on the grounds of the mansion. Also in Little Rock, Bill Clinton announced his bid for the presidency in 1991 at the Old State House Museum at 300 W. Markham St., which once served as the first state capitol and is now a museum of Arkansas history.

Oval Office replica at William J. Clinton Presidential Library

             The William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, located at 1200 E. President Clinton Ave. in Little Rock, houses the largest collection of presidential papers and artifacts in the U.S. Visitors may learn of Bill Clinton and his years in the White House, plus his family life and post-presidential work. There is a replica of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room (left) that’s a favorite among visitors (check out the goofy photo below of me enjoying the presidential moment).

The Clinton Presidential Park Bridge, which is part of the Arkansas River Trail, is a ramped pedestrian pathway located next to the presidential center. Also adjacent to the center is the Presidential Park Wetlands that contains 13 acres of wetlands along the Arkansas River that’s perfect for a stroll after a visit to the presidential library. Next door is the historic Choctaw Station, which was built in 1899 and is now the home of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.

            For more information about Clinton sites in Arkansas, visit www.Arkansas.com/things-to-do/arts/clinton-library.

Cheré Dastugue Coen is a food and travel writer living in South Louisiana. She is also the author of several Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire and the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

Ozark Guinness World Record chimes are gone, but unique Quigley Castle still attracting tourists

You can’t claim to have the world’s largest tuned wind chimes and not have me dropping at your doorstep. I turned on to Highway 23 south of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, to catch this site, listed as tops in the world by the Guinness Book of World's Records in 2006.

Alas, the chimes were gone, the store and gallery closed but the gazebo that once supported the chimes was still there, as was an unusual decorated station wagon and colorful kayak (I think it's a kayak) that appears to be a shrine of some kind. 

Apparently the wind chimes were part of the Celestial Windz Harmonic Bizaar and consisted of six tuned pipes that stretched almost 36 feet high and weighed 782 pounds. They were created by Ranaga Farbiarz, according to RoadsideAmerica.com.  

A bit disappointed but the day was young. Down the road was my second destination, Quigley’s Castle, dubbed “The Ozark’s Strangest Dwelling.” The story goes that Elise Fioravanti was an avid rock collector (a girl after my own heart) so when she married Albert Quigley, her rock assembly came with her. Quigley promised her not only a rose garden but a decent house crafted from the farm’s lumber. After several months, however, Elise got impatient living in the lumber shack and when Albert went to work on a June morning in 1943, Elise took her five children and they tore the house down.

They still had somewhere to live, however, since Elise and kids moved everything to the chicken house. As you can imagine, this got Albert on the move and he quickly began building Elise’s dream home.

Today, visitors can view what Elise had in mind at Quigley’s Castle — 28 windows that lets nature inside and walls filled with plants, some of which are now more than 65 years old, according to the web site. Remember those rocks? She covered the outside walls with them!

The house is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
       I arrived at Quigley’s Castle within the right time frame but never realizing they were closed on Thursday, so I went home doubly disappointed. But if you want a sneak peek at this creative home and the elaborate gardens Elise planted throughout the property, check out their web site and Facebook page, the latter of which contains remembrances from family members.

Cheré Coen is an award-winning travel writer specializing in the Deep South. She is the author of "Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History," "Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana" and "Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana" and co-author of "Magic's in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets." She also writes Louisiana romances under Cherie Claire, including "A Cajun Dream" and "The Letter." Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

Chuckwagon races Old West fun in Clinton, Arkansas

             Remember those silly commercials where dogs would chase tiny little chuckwagons around the kitchen, only to be disappointed that they vanished into a bag of Chuck Wagon instant dog food? OK, maybe we’re dating ourselves.

            We keep visualizing those scenes thinking about the National Championship Chuckwagon Races, to be held Friday through Sunday over Labor Day Weekend at the Eoff Ranch in Clinton, Arkansas. There will be about 150 teams competing in five different divisions for the title of National Champion, most likely shouting "Yaw, Yaw!"

            The idea for racing chuckwagons started with Dan and Peggy Eoff sitting around one Labor Day weekend thinking that a chuckwagon race would really take Labor Day up a notch. They started out small, but the word soon got out among chuckwagon professionals. Organizers estimate that about 20,000 to 30,000 people show up to watch the races in addition to the bronc fanning and the Snowy River Race, a horse race that includes two downhill runs and a plunge into the river, kinda like the dramatic scene in the “The Man From Snowy River” movie. Again, we’re dating ourselves because we loved that scene.

            There’s also live music and dances on Friday and Saturday evenings, a movie night, karaoke, vendors of western collectibles and other items at the Western Trade Show and Ozark Mountain trail rides beginning on Tuesday.

            But here’s what the chuckwagon winners take home — in each division silver belt buckles and more than $20,000 in prizes, which includes saddles, jackets and “Chuckwagon Bucks,” or prize money to be spent at the Trade Show.

            Want to see more? Check out this slideshow from the 2013 event.
            And if you don’t remember that chuckwagon commercial, check it out here.

Jamming possums in ‘Quartz Crystal Capital’

             Every Saturday evening from May through October folks gather in the Mt. Ida town square to enjoy free performances of bluegrass, gospel and country. This small Arkansas town known for its quartz crystals also attracts visitors for the weekly Frontporch Stage concerts.

            And then there’s the possum, the town animal so to speak.

            The Frontporch created “Possums Unlimited” wih possum products to help raise money for the non-profit that runs the show.

            “Possums Unlimited is sort of our version of Ducks Unlimited seein’s how we ain’t got no ducks,” the organizers explain on their web site.

            They also elect a possum queen and hold a coronation picnic. The only requirements are you must be a Montgomery County resident and have a good sense of humor.            

            Be sure and visit on Sept. 28 for the annual Possum Picnic with music by The Acousticatz with special guests from Texas.

            Mt. Ida is located about 35 miles west of Hot Springs on U.S. 270. In addition to the FrontPorch and possums, Mount Ida offers rocks shops and places to dig for its famous crystals, plus sits near the western end of the 40,000-acre Lake Ouachita and is surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest. The natural beauty of the surrounding mountains offers plenty of opportunities to swim, fish, sail, hike, bike and camp.

            Accommodations range from in-town motels like the affordable Royal Oak Inn to the nearby Mountain Harbor Resort & Spa that rents everything from full houses to motel rooms and offers a wide variety of amenities including water sports, houseboat rentals and the Turtle Cove Spa.

Arkansas offers art of nature, food and well, art!

             I visited Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark., just before its opening. I didn’t get a peek inside the Moshe Safdie-designed buildings over a nature spring but I did explore the 3.5-mile hiking trails surrounding the magnificent buildings, the sculpture garden and the Skyspace which changes color throughout the day with different degrees of sunlight.

             Recently, I had the chance to revisit Crystal Bridges and this time I witnessed the numerous galleries of American art collected by Alice Walton, daughter of Sam Walton, the father of Wal-Mart. There are more than 1,000 works of art housed here with about 450 on the floor at any time. Artwork includes Asher B. Durand’s “Kindred Spirits,” “Rosie the Riveter” by Norman Rockwell (shown here) and Andy Warhol’s “Dolly Parton.”

            Equally important as the art within is the structure with its curved beams and gallery walls, windows that allow nature inside, seating areas with massive art book libraries and an interactive children’s room. The architecture, winding nature trails, intricate interior design is as much something to see and cherish as the wide collection of American art. 

      Crystal Bridges is opening “American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell” March 9 through May 27, a fitting tribute to a popular American artist who may have been overlooked through the years because of his commercial appeal. On April 10 the museum will offer the special event “Norman Rockwell and Edible Culture” from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Museum’s Great Hall. Culinary Director Case Dighero will offer sample selections of food and drinks from the museum’s restaurant, Eleven, focusing on the Rockwell exhibition and Rockwell’s perspective of edible culture in the United States. Food images throughout the Rockwell exhibition will be discussed, reflected upon and tasted.

Tickets are $30. 

             For more information on the amazing museum — truly a coup for Southern art enthusiasts — visit http://crystalbridges.org/.

           Kat Robinson is a food and travel writer in addition to promoting Arkansas through its department of tourism. We met at a recent travel convention in Little Rock and I learned she had just authored a cookbook-travel guidebook titled “Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of the Natural State” (The History Press). Being a pie enthusiast, I just had to get my hands on one. 

Basin Park Huckleberry Pie

         What a fabulous idea for a book! Robinson takes readers on a culinary tour of the state, visiting diners, restaurants and bakeries to spotlight their trademark pies, everything from The Cliff House Inn’s Company Comin’ Pie to the fried pies of the Delta and the Ozarks. (I had a huckleberry fried pie at the Basin Park Hotel in Eureka Springs topped with huckleberry ice cream and it was so so good!) This book includes icebox pies, pecan pies like your mama’s, caramel apple pie, Toll House pie — you name it. 

             Now don’t you want to grab this book and eat your way up to Crystal Bridges? If you do, be sure and stop in Burge’s in Lewisville and sample their roasted turkey sandwich. Robinson recommended it to me for my drive from Little Rock to Lafayette and it was outstanding.

            Here’s a Robinson recipe for Arkansas Possum Pie, named so because it “plays possum,” or represents itself as something else. Robinson calls it a “pecan cream pie hybrid.”

Burge’s in Lewisville

Possum Pie

From “Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of the Natural State”

1 1/2 sticks butter

 2 cups flour

1 cups crushed pecans, separated

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

12 ounces Cool Whip divided

1 box milk chocolate instant pudding

1 box chocolate fudge instant pudding

3 cups milk

            Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butter into flour to make crumbly pastry dough. Add a cup crushed pecans. Press into two 8- or 9-inch pie pans or 13- by 9-inch casserole. Bake 15 minutes or until flour starts to brown. Remove and cool. Cream together cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar. Add six ounces of Cool Whip and beat until fluffy. Spread over bottom of both pies. Blend together both pudding mixes with milk. Pour in on top of the cream cheese mixture and allow to set. Spread remaining Cool Whip over the top of both pies and sprinkle with pecans. Makes two pies.