Russellville, Arkansas offers things to do for the whole family. Weekend visitors can take advantage of numerous outdoor recreational activities, including biking trails, hiking trails, golfing, fishing, water-skiing, kayaking, and hang-gliding. There are also several entertainment, shopping, and dining options in the city, as well as museums and other local attractions. For anyone who loves spending time near or on the water, there are several water venues in the area, such as rivers, lakes, whitewater streams, waterfalls, mountain creeks, and wetlands.
Lake Dardanelle State Park
Lake Dardanelle State Park is situated throughout two different areas on the lake, which is a reservoir encompassing 34,300 acres along the Arkansas River. The main park site is located in Russellville, Arkansas, where visitors fill a visitors center featuring five aquariums, a hiking trail, a boardwalk, a fishing pier, and the Sport Fishing Weigh-In Pavilion.
Lake Dardanelle State Park is also one of the National Park Service certified sites along the water route of the Trail of Tears. Park interpreters are available at the park and lead lake tours and various educational and recreational programs.
Address: 100 State Park Dr, Russellville, Arkansas 72802, Phone: 479-967-5516
Ozark-St. Francis National Forests
The Ozark-St. Francis National Forests are technically two different national forests with several difference between the two. The forests feature distinctive social, cultural, biological, geological, and topographical differences, yet all make up the overall system of National Forest. Covering 1.2 million acres, the Ozark National Forest is mostly consisting of northern Arkansas’ Ozark mountains, and is where visitors will find the state’s tallest mountain and the underground Blanchard Springs Caverns.
Encompassing 22,600 acres, the St. Francis National Forest is the country’s most diverse and smallest national forest, located in eastern Arkansas. There are hiking, hunting, and fishing opportunities among others. Map, Ozark-St. Francis National Forests Video
Old Post Road Recreation Area & Campground
The Old Post Road Recreation Area and Campground is located along the Arkansas River and Lake Dardanelle and is a Class A Park. The campground includes showers, flush toilets, a dump station for trailers, level sites with electricity and water at each one, and visitor protection.
The grounds consists of forty campsites, a boat launch, eight picnic shelters, basketball courts, tennis courts, a softball field, a soccer field, a volleyball courts, a course for disc golf, a playground, and trails for mountain biking. The recreation area is located between the Ouachita and Ozark National Forests, a good destination for nature lovers.
Address: 1061 Lock and Dam Rd, Russellville, AR 72802, Phone: 479-968-7962
Arkansas River Valley Arts Center
The Arkansas River Valley Arts Center is a non-profit arts organization in the Russellville community, as well as for the surrounding Arkansas River Valley region. The mission of the arts center is to provide opportunities for the enjoyment, appreciation, participation, and education of various form of art for the public.
New art exhibits are on display in the Arkansas River Valley Arts Center on a monthly basis. A full program schedule of art workshops and art classes are offered at the center as well year-round for both children and adults. The arts center includes an art gallery and a theater.
Address: Arkansas River Valley Arts Center, 1001 E B St, Russellville, AR 72801, Phone: 479-968-2452
Arkansas River Visitors Center
The Arkansas River Visitors Center can be found off of Highway 7 South along Lock & Dam Road. With a theme to the center of “Renaissance of a River,” the location of the center is the middle point of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which stretches 450 miles. Interpretive exhibits can be found inside that share stories of how the Arkansas River Valley has developed over the years to a productive, useful, and safe waterway, dating back to when the region’s Native Americans were the only occupants of the valley. There are also hands-on exhibits, wildlife exhibits, and a simulator.
Address: 1598 Lock & Dam Rd, Russellville, AR 72802, Phone: 479-968-5008
The Center For The Arts
The main highlights of The Center for the Arts is its performance hall that can seat up to 1,875 people. This hall was designed specifically to support dance, music, Broadway, and orchestra. The art center also features a grand lobby complete with a glass facade, offering clear views of from outside and inside the building.
The lobby provides a versatile space that is great for meetings, receptions, and gallery showings. The BlackBox theater hosts smaller theatrical and musical performances, as well as meetings and receptions. The Center for the Arts plans on offering summer camps and art programs.
Address: The Center For The Arts, 2209 S. Knoxville Ave, Russellville, AR 72802, Phone: 479-498-6600
Brown's Catfish
Brown's Catfish is a family-owned and managed restaurant in Russellville, Arkansas that, as you would expect from the name, specializes in catfish. The Southern-flavored seafood restaurant offers a buffet, but its fried catfish is certainly the star, and why many people come to the seafood joint. The eatery has been offering catfish with all of the trimmings for over twenty years in the Arkansas River Valley. There is quite a selection of food at the family-friendly Brown’s Catfish in addition to its famous catfish. The restaurant has been voted the area’s “Best of the Best” seafood restaurant.
Address: 1804 E Main St, Russellville, AR 72802, Phone: 479-968-3360
Fat Daddy's Bar-B-Que
Fat Daddy's Bar-B-Que restaurant began, like almost any other venture, as just an idea. The first Fat Daddy’s location opened in London, Arkansas in August of 2006. The Russellville Fat Daddy’s Bar-B-Que opened inside of an old building within the historic downtown area of the city four years later. The core items of the barbecue menu were kept at the new location, as well as new items added, fit for any “Friday night” meal. The restaurant in Russellville features an industrial interior, along with several creative quirks. Menu options include a wide variety, ranging from salads to steaks to burritos.
Address: 104 North Denver, Russellville, AR 72801, Phone: 479-967-0420
Russellville Country Club
Founded in 1926, the Russellville Country Club is a great place for recreational and weekend activity thanks to its incredible views, top-notch hospitality, decadent cuisine, and fantastic golf and tennis. Avid golfers can enjoy the club’s 18-hole championship-style course which features Tyee grass and Bent-Grass. Tennis enthusiasts can also enjoy well-kept facilities and work up a sweat with friends or friendly coaches. Drop by the Sports Lounge to tuck into a mouthwatering meal after a day out on the range or in the courts, or stop by the bar for a relaxing drink after a great day of sports.
Address: 186 Country Club Plaza, Russellville, Arizona 72801, Phone: 479-968-1139
Hourglass Escape Rooms
If you’ve never heard of an escape room, now’s the time to try one out. Escape rooms have taken the nation by storm for a reason! The adrenaline-pumping live-action entertainment these rooms have will challenge your wits, teamwork, and speed as you race against time to crack codes, solve puzzles, and escape your room within your time limit.
The rooms at Hourglass Escape Rooms have several themes with varying levels of difficulty and a variety of goals. Figure out who the snitch is in The Mob Boss, escape an alien aircraft before your abductors figure out your plan in Alien, or find proof of Big Foot in a room of the same name. Other rooms at Hourglass include Camelot and The Bomb. Each room is great for anywhere between two to eight players and is suitable for players aged five years old and up.
Address: 2606 West Main Street, Russellville, Arizona 72801, Phone: 479-567-1068
