Arkansas

My rivers wiggle and giggle in the warm sunshine. My mountains are like big, green blankets reaching up to tickle the clouds. Deep inside me, hidden in the quiet dark, shiny crystals sparkle like stars you can hold in your hand. I am a special place, full of beautiful things to see and wonderful secrets to find. I am Arkansas. Friends call me the Natural State because I love nature so much.

Long, long ago, my first friends lived here. The Quapaw, Caddo, and Osage people were my family. They loved my rivers and my green forests. They knew all my secret paths and sunny spots. Then, new friends came to visit from very far away. A man named Henri de Tonti built a little post where friends could meet in the year 1686. It was a happy, busy place. Many years later, in the year 1803, I joined a great big family called the United States. I felt so proud. And on a warm, sunny day, June 15th, 1836, I became a state. It was my very own special birthday, and I was so excited to be a grown-up part of the family.

Today, you can come visit me and have so much fun. We can play together. You can dig in the dirt at my Crater of Diamonds State Park and maybe find a real, sparkly diamond to take home. It’s like a treasure hunt. You can also splash in my warm, cozy waters at Hot Springs. The water feels like a gentle hug. I love it when families come to play in my forests and hike on my green mountains. I am a happy place for making wonderful memories. Come say hello. I can't wait to meet you.