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Does Little Rock capitalize on the abundance of Outdoor Activities?

Cru Jones

By Cru Jones
in Little Rock Coffee Shop

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Cru Jones Whistle-Stop

Cru Jones

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Little Rock and the surrounding area offers a great deal of outdoor "adventure" sports such as Kayaking, Mtn. Biking, Climbing, Hiking/Camping, Wakeboarding/Skiing, Boating, etc. etc. We also have a climate that is condusive to most of these activities 9 months out of the year.

There are very few cities that offer the outdoor recreation that Little Rock does. My friends that come to visit from out of town are always surprised at the variety of outdoor activities here, and half of my friends in Little Rock don't even know all of the opportunities available. IMO, Little Rock needs to do a better job of capitalizing on this. Certain regions of the country have really used their geography to the fullest and reaped the rewards (Boise, ID - Salt Lake City - Colorado - Asheville, NC - Madison, WI)

A lot of these places are known as destinations for adventure seekers and the city/region thrives on the additional revenue. I'd like to see Little Rock take advantage of the entertainment that nature provides in addition to the movie theaters, restaurants, museums, bars, etc.

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turboturtle Hamlet

turboturtle

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Little Rock and the surrounding area offers a great deal of outdoor "adventure" sports such as Kayaking, Mtn. Biking, Climbing, Hiking/Camping, Wakeboarding/Skiing, Boating, etc. etc. We also have a climate that is condusive to most of these activities 9 months out of the year.

There are very few cities that offer the outdoor recreation that Little Rock does. My friends that come to visit from out of town are always surprised at the variety of outdoor activities here, and half of my friends in Little Rock don't even know all of the opportunities available. IMO, Little Rock needs to do a better job of capitalizing on this. Certain regions of the country have really used their geography to the fullest and reaped the rewards (Boise, ID - Salt Lake City - Colorado - Asheville, NC - Madison, WI)

A lot of these places are known as destinations for adventure seekers and the city/region thrives on the additional revenue. I'd like to see Little Rock take advantage of the entertainment that nature provides in addition to the movie theaters, restaurants, museums, bars, etc.

My bachelors is from the University of Utah. I understand the role of natural environment and outdoor adventure. I also spent my pre-fatherhood years working in outdoor retail in Little Rock. Keep in mind that, though we do have some nice features, the geologic landmarks in and around Little Rock are not on the same scale as the the features in the cities you mentioned above. To develop outdoor adventure opportunities to a critical mass in and around Little Rock, it takes people like you to participate and take risks to start something new.

Do any of these interest you as an adventure seeker?

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmas..._majors_legends

http://www.raidtherock.com/

http://www.ozarkchallenge.com/index.html

http://www.ar-raceforthecure.org/

http://www.bigdambridge.com/

http://www.fourchecreek.org/con_index.asp?...id=41&ID=41

http://www.gmsc.org/

http://affonline.com/index.php?option=com_...ge&Itemid=1

http://www.arkansascanoeclub.com/

http://www.ozarksociety.net/

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johnnydr87 Burg

johnnydr87

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Like Turbo said, Little Rock has some nice features, but none of the stuff on the same scale as those other cities.

Now if you're willing to travel 2 hours or so, then you can start hitting up some really nice areas. Again, they're not the Rockies.

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Cru Jones Whistle-Stop

Cru Jones

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You guys are right that Little Rock doesn't offer Mountains like the Rockies, and I did use bad examples. I wasn't trying to suggest that we have a single activity that is world class like Colorado does, but we do have several good outdoor activities. Little Rock does have the terrain to make beautiful Mountain Biking Trials that are destinations in and of themselves. You can go no further than Outside Magazine to discover that good Mtn. Biking trails are worthy of national attention. LR offers very good kayak touring/camping with decent whitewater less than an hour away (although the better whitewater is closer to 2 hours away). Wakeboarding/Skiing etc.

In other words, I'm not suggesting that Little Rock is a destination for just one world class activity like Salt Lake's Skiing. It's a destination for adventure seekers looking for a variety of good outdoor activities in one place. In a one week period of time a visitor could spend Day 1 & 2 -Mountain Biking an Epic MB Trail. Day 3/4 - Kayak and camp along the Arkansas River. Day 5 - Rock Climbing. Day 6 - Wakeboarding/Waterskiing or Jetskiing.

I don't think we'd be able to draw a national audience, but we could definatly draw a regional one.

Maybe I'm the only one that thinks this is appealing. If so, I'll gladly ride this topic into the sunset. I do appreciate the feedback though.

Turbo, I do appreciate the links you provided. I'm involved in several of them, but was unaware of a few also. I'll check them out.

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Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

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While I agree that Arkansas doesn't have the Rockies or Appalachians, it's tough to find another place with so many opportunities so close by. Pinnacle isn't Pike's Peak but it is 15 min from the center of LR, something you can't beat. The Arkansas River and Lake Maumelle also offer ridiculously easy access.

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turboturtle Hamlet

turboturtle

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There was a great report in the High Profile section of the the DOG Sunday. It features Tony Karklins, and his success in the bicycling industry. It is a great read. Even if you are not a Central alum, fans of this forum should be pleased, as he has not only contributed to a great local retail establishment, but he made NLR, specifically Argenta, the Orbea-USA headquarters. All Orbea bikes sold in the United States pass through North Little Rock.

Arkansas Business has a complementary report about the Big Damn Bridge and the new annual 100 mile race to coincide with its opening in a couple of weeks. In addition the article covera a nationally recognized top-tier mountain biking trail in NW Arkansas.

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Cru Jones Whistle-Stop

Cru Jones

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There was a great report in the High Profile section of the the DOG Sunday. It features Tony Karklins, and his success in the bicycling industry. It is a great read. Even if you are not a Central alum, fans of this forum should be pleased, as he has not only contributed to a great local retail establishment, but he made NLR, specifically Argenta, the Orbea-USA headquarters. All Orbea bikes sold in the United States pass through North Little Rock.

Arkansas Business has a complementary report about the Big Damn Bridge and the new annual 100 mile race to coincide with its opening in a couple of weeks. In addition the article covera a nationally recognized top-tier mountain biking trail in NW Arkansas.

That's some interesting stuff. Thanks for passing it along.

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Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

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There was a great report in the High Profile section of the the DOG Sunday. It features Tony Karklins, and his success in the bicycling industry. It is a great read. Even if you are not a Central alum, fans of this forum should be pleased, as he has not only contributed to a great local retail establishment, but he made NLR, specifically Argenta, the Orbea-USA headquarters. All Orbea bikes sold in the United States pass through North Little Rock.

Arkansas Business has a complementary report about the Big Damn Bridge and the new annual 100 mile race to coincide with its opening in a couple of weeks. In addition the article covera a nationally recognized top-tier mountain biking trail in NW Arkansas.

I think it's a great idea to have those bike races. Like the marathon they bring in lots of money to the community.

I know Schwinn Bicycles used to have a major facility in Little Rock that closed when the electricity prices soared and they moved to Tennessee where the TVA provided cheaper utlities.

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Nomadic Unincorporated Area

Nomadic

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If you guys are interested at all, I will be opening a new Action Sports Boutique in Lakewood Village October 2nd. We will be carrying mountain bikes, bmx bikes, and skateboards. We will also have a huge selection of apparel and shoes. Its called Kaos Kulture and is located right next to Saied Music. Come check it out, tell me what you think. I will only be there on Sundays as I have to run another location every day but Sunday.

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skirby Town

skirby

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If you guys are interested at all, I will be opening a new Action Sports Boutique in Lakewood Village October 2nd. We will be carrying mountain bikes, bmx bikes, and skateboards. We will also have a huge selection of apparel and shoes. Its called Kaos Kulture and is located right next to Saied Music. Come check it out, tell me what you think. I will only be there on Sundays as I have to run another location every day but Sunday.

Did you ever think about a store on Main St. in NLR? It would be close to the river trail and the skatepark. When they get the trail completed it looks like it would be a good place.

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Nomadic Unincorporated Area

Nomadic

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Did you ever think about a store on Main St. in NLR? It would be close to the river trail and the skatepark. When they get the trail completed it looks like it would be a good place.

I would love to place a store there. However they are pricing the area based on what it "might" become instead of what it currently is for retail.. So for the traffic it generates right now, its overpriced. It will definately be something I will look at in the future.

And, the majority of my demographic (skate kids) cant drive. In AR it seems to be out of the way for a parent to drive 5-10 minutes in my opinion. Crazy how its like that here. I wanted to be as close to the mall as possible to remain convenient for shopping trips.

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Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

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I would love to place a store there. However they are pricing the area based on what it "might" become instead of what it currently is for retail.. So for the traffic it generates right now, its overpriced. It will definately be something I will look at in the future.

And, the majority of my demographic (skate kids) cant drive. In AR it seems to be out of the way for a parent to drive 5-10 minutes in my opinion. Crazy how its like that here. I wanted to be as close to the mall as possible to remain convenient for shopping trips.

Didn't NLR build a skate park somewhere downtown or am I just imagining that?

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Rardy Burg

Rardy

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Every time I've hiked up Pinnacle Mountain, the parking lot has been full of cars with Tennessee plates (like mine). Central Arkansas is closer for Memphis than Middle Tennessee. I could visualize a marketing campaign being very effective in Memphis/West Tennessee/North Mississippi.

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Nomadic Unincorporated Area

Nomadic

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This part of the NLR skatepark cost around $250,000. There are plans for a second part to be built in future.

I have heard about that second phase forever but honestly dont believe it will ever happen. I think the spot the placed the NLR park was a poor decision and the skatepark should have been built inside of Burns Park, next to the BMX track in there. I would be suprised to see Parks and Recreation spend more money on the skatepark where it is at now, which is sad... Being that more was promised..

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Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

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I have heard about that second phase forever but honestly dont believe it will ever happen. I think the spot the placed the NLR park was a poor decision and the skatepark should have been built inside of Burns Park, next to the BMX track in there. I would be suprised to see Parks and Recreation spend more money on the skatepark where it is at now, which is sad... Being that more was promised..

I agree, Burns Park would've have been perfect. There's plenty of land over by the dirt bike course, rugby and soccer fields.

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