Things to Do in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas

Start here. The state-run center tells the story of a 27-county Arkansas Delta, and admission is free. The Visitors Center at 141 Cherry St. holds the Delta Sounds music exhibits and a working radio studio. The restored 1912 Union Pacific depot at 95 Missouri St. opened as the first museum building in 1990.

★ Good to know King Biscuit Time broadcasts live from the studio at lunchtime on weekdays, so time a weekday visit around it.

Main Street Helena started the festival in 1986 to bring people back downtown. It fills Cherry Street along the river, with the main stage at the Cherry Street Pavilion. Around the music there’s a 5K, a bike ride and a cornhole tournament.

★ Good to know It’s held the weekend before Columbus Day each October, and a small town fills up fast, so book a room early.

This free park at 700 Biscoe St. sits on the site of a Civil War contraband camp, where people escaping slavery found Union protection. It was the first site in Arkansas named to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Nearby Estevan Hall served as a hospital during the war.

★ Good to know Pair it with the Union Advance Site panels at 1000 S. Biscoe St., a short walk away.

Fort Curtis at 350 Columbia St. is a three-quarter-size replica of the Union fort, with 24-pounder guns. Battery C was one of four earthen batteries Union troops built in 1862. Confederates briefly captured it during the Battle of Helena on July 4, 1863.

★ Good to know Both are free outdoor sites; the 1859 Moore-Hornor House next to Fort Curtis still shows bullet holes and opens by appointment only.

The museum fills a Second Empire library building from 1891, with a museum wing added in 1929. Its collection includes a letter signed by the Marquis de Lafayette, Civil War artifacts and items from Thomas Edison’s laboratory. You’ll also find Gen. Thomas Hindman’s desk and Gen. Patrick Cleburne’s prayer book.

★ Good to know Hours change by season; check before you go.

The Williams family has farmed Phillips County land for four generations, and now they distill what they grow. The downtown distillery at 430 Cherry St. makes Sweet Blend Vodka from sweet potatoes and Tall Cotton Gin. It won platinum medals at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

★ Good to know The tasting room keeps short end-of-week hours, and tours are booked ahead on the distillery’s site.

North of town, this park sits inside the St. Francis National Forest, where the Mississippi River, Crowley’s Ridge and the Delta meet. It has three lakes: Storm Creek, Bear Creek and Hornor Neck. The confluence of the Mississippi and St. Francis rivers is a Trail of Tears National Historic Trail site.

★ Good to know Kayaks and paddleboards rent from kiosks, and the swimming beaches are free from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with no lifeguards.

This rail-trail starts about six miles west of Helena at Lexa. The gravel northern section runs 41.7 miles to Snow Lake, and 74.1 of a planned 84.5 miles are done. The visitor center at the Barton trailhead rents bikes.

★ Good to know The trail is open sunrise to an hour after sunset year-round.