Unexpected Arkansas Adventure

Who knew there was a submarine in the middle of the nation? When my daughter called to see if I would go on a weekend road trip with her last fall, I was of course on board. She is working on her Master’s degree in history and is particularly interested in maritime and naval history, so when she told me we were going to see a submarine, I wasn’t necessarily surprised. I WAS surprised that we were going to North Little Rock, Arkansas! I mean, what is a submarine doing in North Little Rock, Arkansas?! 

Keeping in mind that we only had the weekend, we had to prioritize our activities. The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum was our #1 destination. I wanted to be sure to go to the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site to satisfy MY inner history nerd, so it became our #2 destination! But we also found a couple of outdoor sites that we were curious about: The Big Dam Bridge and a quirky little park with a historic old mill that has a tie to “Gone With the Wind.” And of course, one roadside stop on the way home at Pea Ridge National Military Park in Arkansas.

So, what IS a submarine doing in the middle of the country? Well, the USS Razorback, named after the whale and not the pig, has an interesting story. Commissioned in 1944, she saw action in World War II, including reconnaissance, sinking several ships, taking Japanese POWs, and rescuing downed pilots. She was also one of 12 submarines present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed their surrender. 

The USS Razorback was active during the Cold War performing surveillance and training missions. She was decommissioned in 1952 for conversion and upgrades and recommissioned in 1954. She was deployed to the western Pacific during Vietnam and received several service citations.

In 1970, the USS Razorback was decommissioned and transferred to the Turkish Navy. She was decommissioned by the Turkish Navy in 2001. In 2004 the USS Razorback was purchased from Turkey for $37,500 to exhibit at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. She was towed from Turkey to Gibraltar to Key West to New Orleans then up the Mississippi River to the Arkansas River to North Little Rock where she has been open to the public since 2005. 

An interesting fact about the USS Razorback is she is still 90% operational! The museum has also kept her authentic. This means that in order to access the tour, you climb down a ladder. So here is a tip – do not wear a skirt like my daughter did! You may end up sharing your business with a lot of other people. I had to go down ahead of her and up behind her each time. And, it makes things a little awkward for the tour guide who is supposed to be the first one down and the last one up – haha. 

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Our tour was very informative and our guide was knowledgeable. He was able to answer everyone’s questions very thoroughly whether they were about the history of the ship or the mechanics. We were able to see the crew quarters, the officer’s quarters, the galley and dining area, the engine room where they have part of the casing cut away so that you can actually see a large part of the engine, the “hospital” (fun fact – the only surgery ever performed there was pulling a tooth) the room where the communication and navigation takes place, and where the torpedoes are stored and launched from. 

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The other ship at the museum that you can board is the tugboat Hoga. She was commissioned in May 1941, and earned her claim to fame during Pearl Harbor. After the attack, the Hoga rescued sailors, fought fires, moved ships, and assisted with clean up. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994, and is currently being restored. 

The site also has a museum with plenty of artifacts, exhibits on the USS Arkansas (battleship) and USS Arkansas (missile cruiser), and memorials for two other submarines: the USS Snook & USS Scorpion.  It has a small gift shop, and there is a peace garden on the property, but I missed it somehow.

The museum is also available for birthday parties and other events, and what I thought was really cool – a sleepover on the submarine! We totally would have done the sleepover, but it is $40 per person with a 10 person minimum. Admission to the museum and submarine tour is VERY reasonable at $10 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and military, and $5.00 for children ages 5-12. Children under 5 are not allowed on the submarine, but admission to the museum only is $2 per person. 

Just across the river from the Maritime Museum, North Little Rock also has a neat River Market area with lots of restaurants and places to shop. Parking is kind of a pain, but we stopped here to grab a quick lunch. No time for shopping this trip – maybe next time. We ate at a place called David’s Burgers. It has a diner decor and a fast food feel. Our burgers were great though, and the fries are unlimited. The place was clean and the employees were friendly.  

Our next stop was the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. The Visitor Center has a small gift shop and has done an excellent job of presenting this sad part of American history. The exhibit is very thorough in explaining the events and attitudes leading up to desegregation. The exhibit also provides many heart-wrenching testimonies of the torment and terror the “Little Rock Nine” experienced as they bravely attended integrated public school. At the end of the exhibit, there are other groups mentioned who have faced discrimination Native Americans, women, and persons with disabilities. Admission is free. 

So what is the abbreviated history of the integration nightmare at Little Rock Central High School? It goes all the way back to the Constitution and the institution of slavery. The exhibit points out that “We the people” did not initially include ALL people (really only white males). Once slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment in 1864 and the Civil War ended in 1865, Reconstruction began, and failed, allowing Jim Crow Laws to enforce segregation and deny African Americans their equal protection under the 14th Amendment. In 1896, Supreme Court case Plessey v Ferguson established the “separate but equal” educational doctrine. Fast forward to 1954, and Supreme Court case Brown v Board of Education overturned the Plessy ruling, stating that separate is “inherently unequal” and thus mandating desegregation. 

The Arkansas governor in 1957 activated the National Guard to block nine African American students, who became known as the Little Rock Nine, from entering Little Rock Central High School “for their own safety.” This was in direct defiance of the Supreme Court ruling, and a federal judge ordered the Little Rock Police to protect these nine students. They were unable to maintain control and a riot broke out forcing the nine to be evacuated. Toward the end of September, President Eisenhower activated the National Guard and the 101st Airborne to escort the nine into the school.

At the end of the school year, the governor allowed citizens to vote on whether or not they would accept integration. They voted not to, which closed the schools for the 1958-1959 school year. This was later ruled unconstitutional and schools reopened  for the 1959-1960 school year. 

Interestingly enough, the school is still open and a functioning high school. It is the only school in the nation designated as a National Historic Site! Amazingly, tours of the inside of the school are still offered on select weekdays at 9:00AM and 1:00PM. You can also take a guided tour of the outside only on select weekend at 9:00AM and 1:00PM. In order to take either of the tours, you have to have a reservation, and the National Park website recommends calling at least one month in advance. Needless to say we were unable to take the tour as we were there on a weekend and the trip was a last minute getaway. Maybe next time! We were able to walk around on our own outside the school.

The following day, we slept and got a late start. Our first stop was actually lunch at a place called Tortas Mexico. Ok, so it likely wasn’t in the best neighborhood as indicated by the bars on the windows, but we really wanted some authentic Mexican food, and it was on the way to our first actual stop of the day, The Old Mill. So, we ended up at Tortas Mexico. The food did not disappoint! It was delish! And we had leftovers for later. 

The Old Mill is actually located in T. R. Pugh Memorial Park in North Little Rock. The mill is a replica of an 1800s water powered grist mill. There are several interesting bridges, seats, and other sculptures in the park made of concrete but designed to look like wood or metal. It truly is a unique place! It would be an amazing location for a photo shoot or an outdoor wedding. You can spend as much or as little time as you want wandering the footpaths. The claim to fame for the Old Mill, however, is its appearance in the opening credits of “Gone With the Wind” in 1939. Google it up or you can check it out here on this Youtube video (not mine) – it’s about a minute and a half in! 

Our last stop in North Little Rock was the Big Dam Bridge. We really just went there because the name was funny (and it was a nice day so we wanted to be outdoors). This place would be more interesting to an engineer, I think. It was just OK for me. It is a pedestrian bridge built over the Murray Lock and Dam across the Arkansas River. It claims to be the longest pedestrian bridge in North America. It is paved, so you could walk it or bike it, and there was what appeared to be some sort of a paved trail system leading to it. Did I mention that it was paved? And that it was a nice sunny (warm) day? The trail is paved, so it was HOT!  We ended up going halfway across and then coming back. It does have some great views of the river, and some signage that talks about the construction.

So that was our North Little Rock adventure minus the one stop we made on the way home, but more on that in a minute. Things I am adding to my list for “next time” would be to plan ahead enough to take a tour of Little Rock Central High School, spend some more time exploring the River Market area, maybe do some hiking at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, and possible visit the Presidential Library and the Old State House – the oldest surviving capitol building west of the Mississippi!

The hotel we stayed at was the Best Western Plus JFK Inn & Suites. It was inexpensive, and it had a pool and a hot tub and decent reviews so we booked it. I am not a hotel snob, I just want a clean affordable place to stay (and a hot tub is always great), but my first impression when we got there was not great.The furniture in the lobby was WAY outdated and worn – to the point the arms of the chairs were ripped, and I thought uh-oh. However, our room was clean, and so was the pool and hot tub. Breakfast was also decent. The location is right off of the interstate, so that was convenient, however, there was not a lot around to choose from for food. Luckily, there is always pizza delivery and door dash, so that is what we did for dinner. 

Once we headed toward home, we made one last stop at Pea Ridge National Park. There is a $20 per vehicle entrance fee to access any part of the park , even just the Visitor Center. The Park Visitor Center has a small gift shop and an excellent museum exhibit. There are all kinds of interactive stations! The history teacher in me LOVED this museum. It had some great critical thinking questions, like “what would you do if” type questions on plaques that you could then lift to tell you what really happened. They of course have a short video you can watch that summarizes the battle and exposes you to some of the personal testimonies and primary sources. 

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Pea Ridge National Park is just south of the Arkansas-Missouri border in Arkansas. The Civil War battle was fought in March of 1862. It was one of the most significant battles in the Western Theater, because as a Union victory it solidified Missouri as a Union border state rather than a Confederate state. The battlefield tour is your typical drive through with stops along the way. I thought it was interesting that the Trail of Tears went through the park as well. There is signage that shows you where. The park itself is full of canons and split rail fences as are many others. However there is the restored Elkhorn Tavern (yes – there are elk horns on the roof) where most of the fighting was centered that is unique to this battlefield. 

Other features unique to this battlefield are the West and  East overlooks. The West Overlook sits on top of Pea Ridge, and gives you an idea of the distances involved in troop movements. There are plaques that tell you what you are looking at in the distance. The East Overlook is A VERY short walk from the parking area and is well worth it! It has a pavilion which provides a spectacular view of the battlefield. There are also interpretive signs to tell you what you are looking at – what occurred where and when. 

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Across the highway from the main park, there is a much smaller piece of park property that contains quite a few trenches. We must have done something wrong in getting there, because we ended up on a gravel road that took us to the middle of nowhere. The park map is NOT to scale for this part! We did FINALLY get to the parking/pull out for the trenches, but it really looked sketchy – overgrown and the sign was all faded. And someone cruised by slowly, stopped, backed up, pulled into the pull out next to us, and then drove off when we didn’t get out of the car. We were weirded out – like seriously a Deliverance or serial killer-vibe weirded out! I did get out to find the trenches so I could take a few photos, but my daughter stayed in the car (with the doors locked). I am generally not a chicken, but I do believe in trusting your gut, so I didn’t get very far before I turned around and went back to the car. 

The way we left wasn’t nearly as creepy as the way we came in, so maybe I will get my trench pics next time! If you decide to go look for the trenches, once you leave the main park, take the second left that is shown on the park map, NOT the first one (Telegraph Road). Or maybe we missed the turn and ended up on some other back road? Regardless, leave the main park, pass by Highway 72 on your right, and then look for the road on the left to find the trenches. One last  fun fact for any Civil War battlefield junkies, according to the National Park Service, Pea Ridge is one of the “most intact” Civil War battlefields in the country!