Little Rock, Ark.'s free attractions

With all the money saved enjoying Little Rock's free attractions, motorhomers will have more than enough of the green stuff left in their wallets for a nice lunch, dinner and fuel for their next destination.

View classic roadsters
Catch a Ride! Or at least admire a bevy of dream machines. From April through October, every third Thursday of the month from 6 to 9 p.m., more than 100 vintage, classic, and exotic cars, trucks and motorcycles gather under the River Market Pavilions in the River Market District for the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau's popular "Cruisin' in the Rock." These wheels can turn on a dime but it won't cost one to check them out.

Information: 501) 370-3201; www.bigcruisefest.com.

Enter a war zone
The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., in MacArthur Park, highlights the state's military heritage from Territorial days to the present.

The Tower Building of the old U.S. Arsenal where it resides has a rich history, too. It was completed in 1841 and was the birthplace of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1880. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Closed major holidays.

Information: (501) 376-4602; www.arkmilitaryheritage.com.

Tour the Capitol
No trip to Little Rock is complete without a stop at the State Capitol. Designed in the Neoclassical style, construction began in 1899 and was completed in 1915. Modeled after the nation's Capitol, the building features Arkansas granite and six bronze doors and three chandeliers crafted by Tiffany's of New York.

Free audio tours are available. Call weekdays to schedule free, guided tours. The Capitol is located at One Capitol Mall, Capitol Avenue and Woodlane.

Information: (501) 682-5080; www.sosweb.state.ar.us/virtual_tour_02.

Check out the view
The Big Dam Bridge is the world’s longest pedestrian and bicycle bridge built and designed specifically for that purpose. Located over Murray Lock and Dam, The Pulaski County Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge has a 14-foot wide deck that extends 3,463 feet across the Arkansas River.

The $12.5 million bridge ties together 17 miles of scenic river trails in Little Rock and North Little Rock and will eventually connect with 7,000 acres of various city, county, state and federal park land.

See Bill Clinton's Running Shoes and Saxophone
The newly renovated Old State House, 300 W. Markham St., is the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River. It houses a museum of Arkansas history. Bill Clinton announced his campaign for presidency and celebrated his victory, both in 1992 and in 1996, on election night in front of the Old State House.

Information: (501 324-9685; www.oldstatehouse.com.

Photograph the "Designing Women" facade
Snap a Shot with the Sugarbakers. Considered a local Little Rock landmark, the circa 1881 Villa Marre, a Second Empire/Italianate home, gained fame in the 1980s when TV producers used the home's exterior to depict the Sugarbaker design firm on the "Designing Women" TV show.

Formerly a house museum, the Villa Marre, 1321 S. Scott St., is now a private residence and no longer open for tours, but you can take of photo of its famous exterior.ke a picnic lunch for yourself when you go? 9th & Commerce Streets.

Visit the Peabody Ducks
Arkansas is known as a duck hunters' paradise but all you'll need is your camera for this free fun. Each day at 11 a.m., visitors watch the famous Peabody Ducks make their red carpet entrance from their Duck Palace to the fountain in the lobby of the Peabody Little Rock, Three Statehouse Plaza. They frolic there until 5 p.m. when they ceremoniously retire for the day.

Information: (501) 906-4000; visit www.peabodylittlerock.com.

Eat a Peach
Well, the peach will cost you; but not much. And a juicy farm-fresh Arkansas peach hand-selected at the Farmers' Market in the heat of the summer is well worth the pocket change!

The market is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays from late May through October, in the River Market District.

Information: (501) 375-2552; www.rivermarket.info.

See the Rock
You've got to see the landmark for which the city was named, La Petit Roche, at the north end of Rock Street in the History Pavilion in Riverfront Park.

This first outcropping of rock along the Arkansas River above its mouth was known to pioneers and early explorers traveling the river in the early 19th century as "La Petit Roche" to distinguish it from the big rock upstream. The little rock on the south bank marked the transition from level lands of the east to the rugged hills of the mountain ranges and offered a natural landing for those traveling by boat.

Just Mill Around
Remember the mill with its turning water wheel that appears during the opening credits of the 1936 movie Gone With the Wind? It's right here in central Arkansas.

The Old Mill, Lakeshore Drive & Fairway Avenue in North Little Rock, is a reproduction of an 1800s water-powered grist mill and was built in 1933 by Dionicio Rodriguez. This three-acre site, officially known as the T.R. Pugh Memorial Park and Pugh's Mill, is more commonly known as the Old Mill.

The mill appears in the opening scenes of the movie. The site is open from dawn to dusk.

Information: (501) 791-8537; www.northlr.org/attractions/old-mill.

Take a Hike! Murray Park, with its bike and jogging path wending around the banks of the Arkansas River, is a great place to take in a run or ride.

Information: (501) 371-4770; visit www.lrpr.org.

Have a Grave Experience
Mount Holly Cemetery, located at 12th and Broadway streets, was established in 1843 and features Victorian-era statuary ranging from the more common angels and cherubs to a unique pair of two young girls memorializing two sisters who died in childhood and are buried there.

Those buried in Mount Holly include at least 10 Arkansas governors and three U.S. senators, five Confederate generals, 20 Little Rock mayors, composers, newspaper editors. Open daily.

Go Exploring
Check out the Museum of Discovery, 500 President Clinton Ave., in the River Market District. Admission is free from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. the first Friday of every month. The museum features a collection of hands-on exhibits focusing on robotics, exploration and telecommunications.

Information: (800) 880-6475; www.amod.org.

Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau
www.littlerock.com