Arkansas-Little Rock

Little Rock - Small Name, Big Heart

by Debbie Stock

Don’t judge a city by the size of its name, especially when it’s called Little Rock. From the moment you arrive and hear a welcoming “hello” (usually spoken with a Southern drawl,) you have a new friend in Arkansas. Southern comfort and charm meet up with a huge dose of hospitality to create a tourist-friendly destination that would make Bill Clinton proud.

Locals remember the former U.S. president and governor of their state fondly—and they know he’ll be back. Returning from time to time, he stays at the penthouse atop one of Little Rock’s shining stars, its Clinton Presidential Library and Museum located in William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park.

For those who miss Bill too much, there’s comfort in a bust of Clinton that sits on the gated lawn of the Governor’s Mansion, or car bumper stickers seen around town that say, “I Miss Bill”. While the state of Arkansas has four Clinton museum attractions, the Presidential Library is the largest private sector construction project, costing $165 million. Opened in 2004, the 150,000-square-foot glass and steel structure overlooking the Arkansas River includes replicas of the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room. Exhibits of White House gifts, clothing, and nearly 2 million photographs, plus 75,000 museum artifacts appear in rotating exhibits, and are archived for scholars to access in research projects.

“The Clinton library has been instrumental in boosting tourism,” said Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) CEO, Dan O’Byrne. “While it gets travelers to our city, once they’re in Central Arkansas they discover what makes us so special are the people.” For those who’ve done and seen everything, the heart and soul of Little Rock are its folks, he said. O’Byrne hopes that the word will spread about the hospitality that embodies Little Rock.

For a relatively small city (less than 200,000), it’s clear to see that Little Rock has a big heart. You’re seldom far from information and assistance when you wander and explore its historic neighborhoods, high-rise buildings, public trolley, presidential library, Central High School where the Civil Rights movement made history, and Riverfront Park with festivals and free summer concerts along the banks of the Arkansas River.

When strolling along a three-block stretch of The River Market District recently, I learned firsthand that people are sincere, helpful and nice. At the reception desk of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, I was greeted by a transplant from Connecticut who moved to Little Rock because it was such a friendly place. She spent well over 10 minutes helping me find literature I sought. Next, I went into The Peabody Hotel gift shop where I met a sales clerk from Sri Lanka who didn’t have what I needed, but helped me find a shop that would. As I exited the lobby, the hotel bell from San Francisco who opened the door was as friendly as the others I’d met. He directed me a block away to the Made in Arkansas store. And once there, the clerk would not let another customer interrupt until our transaction was completed.

“I’m helping this lady first and will be right with you, m’am,” he said politely, yet firmly, to another woman who entered the store. I was amazed by his focus and manners, and knew that it was how things should be in a perfect world. Not a normal experience in my realm, I liked it a lot!

“Why are people so nice?” I later asked a security guard at the Presidential Library who told me to watch my step as I neared an escalator. Without stopping to think about my question, he shot back with a smile, “It’s pretty easy. You just have to like people.”

If you like people and courtesy comes naturally, you’ll feel right at home in Little Rock. If not, you may be in for a shock. Either way, it’s 99.9% likely that your heart will be pumping to a friendlier beat in Little Rock, the city with a small name and big heart.

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