Arkansas Roadie

[gblowfish]

My mom is going to be 85 in a couple months, and she's getting very frail, so I'm doing a quick drive down to see her on Sunday. Leave tomorrow, come back Monday.

I'm going down I-49 from KC to Ft. Smith, then US 71 to US 270 to Hot Springs, then Arkansas 5 to Benton, AR.

I've been through NW Arkansas and Hot Springs many many times. For you guys who hang out down there, any places I should check out to take a quick break off the road, or have a meal at a can't miss kind of place?

I'll go from Bella Vista all the way to Ft. Smith during lunchtime. Over to around Hot Springs for dinner time.

Any recommendations? I go past Lake Nimrod, so I can look for Nimrods while I'm there....

[TribalElder]

It’s a BYOB State as I remember so if you wanted to take a drink don’t count on ark having it

Also, don’t forget to take an Arkansas toothpick

[saphojunkie]

Opened thread to see if you could legally have a beer open while driving in Arkansas.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by TribalElder

It’s a BYOB State as I remember so if you wanted to take a drink don’t count on ark having it

Also, don’t forget to take an Arkansas toothpick

There are some dry counties still, but there are fewer and fewer these days. Even a lot of the formerly dry Bible Belt counties have liquor by the glass at restaurants now.

[gblowfish]

I'm back from my trip. Did almost 1000 total miles in less than 72 hours. Anyway, the highlights:

1. I did not buy an Arkansas Toothpick, but had the opportunity at a knife factory in Springdale.

2. Fred and Red's Chili in Joplin is open again. Places like that have been in business since the 1920's are community jewels and need to be preserved.

3. Penguin Ed's BBQ in Fayetteville was perhaps the worst BBQ meal I've ever had. The brisket may have been actual Penguin.

4. McClard's BBQ is still going strong in Hot Springs. Food there is decent, puts Penguin Ed to shame.

5. I got Abita Beer from New Orleans, Cheerwine Cherry Soda from North Carolina, Corky's and Rendevous BBQ sauce from Memphis all at the local Kroger. Struck out on Goo Goo clusters from Nashville. Damn.

6. Best road tunes while travelling: "Born to Wander: by Rare Earth and "Chicken Train" by Ozark Mountain Daredevils while I was following a Tyson Chicken Truck full of live chickens.

7. Hot Springs Village is like Republican Heaven. It's the largest private gated community in the USA, more than 20,000 residents. Everyone is rich. Everyone's house is perfect. There's a Baptist Church; a Methodist Church; a Presbyterian Church. And the only liquor is at the marina clubhouse.

8. I saw several statues to the Confederacy and lots of houses that were still flying the Stars and Bars. It's just a different world down there.

9. I stopped to stretch at the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage. If I ever decide to eat magic mushrooms again, that's where I'm going to do them.

10. Went into a sports bar in Benton, AR during the KU/Duke game. They were playing Tennessee-Alabama SEC Baseball game on all the big screens. Nobody cared about basketball. At All. I get home Monday Night, all anybody wanted to talk about was KU Basketball. I'm definitely home.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

I'm back from my trip. Did almost 1000 total miles in less than 72 hours. Anyway, the highlights:

1. I did not buy an Arkansas Toothpick, but had the opportunity at a knife factory in Springdale.

2. Fred and Red's Chili in Joplin is open again. Places like that have been in business since the 1920's are community jewels and need to be preserved.

3. Penguin Ed's BBQ in Fayetteville was perhaps the worst BBQ meal I've ever had. The brisket may have been actual Penguin.

4. McClard's BBQ is still going strong in Hot Springs. Food there is decent, puts Penguin Ed to shame.

5. I got Abita Beer from New Orleans, Cheerwine Cherry Soda from North Carolina, Corky's and Rendevous BBQ sauce from Memphis all at the local Kroger. Struck out on Goo Goo clusters from Nashville. Damn.

6. Best road tunes while travelling: "Born to Wander: by Rare Earth and "Chicken Train" by Ozark Mountain Daredevils while I was following a Tyson Chicken Truck full of live chickens.

7. Hot Springs Village is like Republican Heaven. It's the largest private gated community in the USA, more than 20,000 residents. Everyone is rich. Everyone's house is perfect. There's a Baptist Church; a Methodist Church; a Presbyterian Church. And the only liquor is at the marina clubhouse.

8. I saw several statues to the Confederacy and lots of houses that were still flying the Stars and Bars. It's just a different world down there.

9. I stopped to stretch at the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage. If I ever decide to eat magic mushrooms again, that's where I'm going to do them.

10. Went into a sports bar in Benton, AR during the KU/Duke game. They were playing Tennessee-Alabama SEC Baseball game on all the big screens. Nobody cared about basketball. At All. I get home Monday Night, all anybody wanted to talk about was KU Basketball. I'm definitely home.

Why in the hell did you go to Penguin Ed's? I really, really hope you didn't have ribs there as they don't remove the membranes.

We actually have a couple of good BBQ places in NWA these days, the best of which is Wright's BBQ in Johnson. It's really fantastic (albeit, predominantly Texas/Austin style Q).

[gblowfish]

Penguin Ed's was a recommendation from a local. Yeah, it was really bad. The brisket was perhaps the worst treatment of a brisket I'd ever seen. It's like they boiled it. It had no smoke ring. It was rubbery. And, then they warmed it up in a microwave before they served it. It smelled bad. And the sausage was like a Johnsonville Polish sausage that was cut in half and put under a broiler. It was burnt weenie. The sides were OK, but man, all the meats were total suckage. The BBQ I get out of my Weber GSM would blow that crap off the map. I don't know how they stay in business, really. I had one rib, and it was fatty and under cooked. I could tell it had been actually smoked, but needed to have been left in the smoker for another two or three hours. Paid about $13 for lunch. Also they had no tap beers. Just had a Shiner Bock because I knew it would be OK.

[Flying High D]

Them there are some bass turds, for serving GB that BS.