Quote:
Originally Posted by dannyo
Well, VS, I hadn't given direction much thought yet; however, going from Crater of Diamonds to Mount Magazine makes sense. We will definitely be going to Little Rock, so I'll give you a shout. What is there to do in Hot Springs? From everything I've read, it really doesn't seem all that exciting. The Abbey looks like it could be really neat. Also, any cool breweries around there? I just can't wait to hit the road and go to the Natural State. One thing I am trying to avoid is returning the same way I went. I would like to form a loop of some sort if at all possible. Leaving Austin, going thru LA, AR, OK. Thanks again for the input, everyone.
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Hi again,
I’ll have to admit, I’ve only spent a couple afternoons in Hot Springs for leisure. Toured a bathhouse, pretty stained glass of which I am a fan. On another occasion I went to Oaklawn, a horse track that sees a lot of races for potential Kentucky Derby horses (Good Rubens, but Katz’s on 6th in Austin should serve that need for you). HS has other good dining, but it is not a destination for me.
The area around Mount Magazine is not brewery country but Arkansas’ wine country. There is one winery in Paris:
Cowie Wine Cellars, and three in Altus north of I 40:
Wiederkehr Wine Cellars, Inc.,
Post Familie Vineyards, and
Mount Bethel Winery. Of course there are wineries located close to you too. I have worked a crush at
Wimberley Valley Winery. I lived very close to it and bicycled by it often.
When you get to Little Rock, there are a couple of breweries you may want to consider. Diamond Bear (
Welcome to Diamond Bear Brewery) bottles a local brew and sells it to other retailers. Vino’s (
http://www.vinosbrewpub.com/) is a microbrewery that serves pizza by the slice and calzones. The restaurant portion in front is family friendly and popular, while the bar section in back is a popular alternative music scene. This makes Vino’s an excellent location for exotic wildlife spotting. On a weekend night you can definitely up your tat, Mohawk, and piercing count as you watch band members walk through. The pie is good in a thin crust kind of way and I recommend Lazy Boy Stout.
I understand the desire to see different things on the trip. Once when mom and dad were alive I made the trip from Driftwood to Paris entirely on two lane highways. No Airstream on this trip, just my ’72 Satellite Sebring.
I look forward to seeing all of you when you are here!