Motorcyle Riding in the Ozarks

Thousands of bikers tour the Ozarks each year. With it's scenic drives, varied attractions and bike friendly hotels, restaurants and events riding here is the perfect way to spend your biking vacation.

When a road is marked "scenic" in the Ozarks it's a good bet that you're in for some very curvy and hilly roads. If you normally ride on flat and/or straight terrain or are new to riding, be cautious. It's easy to lose control on some of those curves even when you're used to them. Please be aware that not all Ozarks counties have 911 service available and cell service can be patchy.

Cruise the Ozarks is a great resource for trip planning. They have descriptions and maps of many scenic roads trip planning maps and bike friendly accomodations listings.

Eureka Springs is on everyone's destination list. Thousand's of bikers visit here each year. The narrow streets and unique shopping and dining venues make Eureka on of the most interesting places you'll ever visit. As an added bonus there are tons of scenic day rides in the area and it's near Pea Ridge National Military Park.

The biggest biker event in the Ozarks is Bikes Blues and BBQ held on Dickson Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This huge four day event draws bikers from all over. It takes place the last weekend in September and runs Wednesday thru Saturday. They have BBQ cook offs, vendors, live music, a biker parade and great giveaways. It's estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 bikes were there last year. Since it's completely free they can't be sure.

If you have a bike or are planning on purchasing one. The Ozarks is the destination for you. Don't forget to include us in your travel plans.

Have a great trip!

Bikes Blues and BBQ:Fayetteville, Arkansas

Oklahoma motorcylce races, rallys and swap meets

Missouri biker swap meets and rallys

Arkansas Poker runs and biker swap meets

Preparing for a motorcylce trip

Arkansas helmet laws

Missouri helmet laws

Oklahoma helmet laws

The Coffee Break Bookstore:Pea Ridge, Arkansas

The Coffee Break Bookstore is a good place to spend an hour or so after touring the nearby Pea Ridge National Military Park . It's a cozy bookstore with places to sit and read. They also have a coffee shop and snacks.

They have a good selection of new and used books and they're very reasonably priced. If you've got books to get rid of they have a book exchange/store credit policy.

If you've been traveling and want to swing by with your laptop and check your email or just surf the net they have wireless internet available as well.

The bookstore offers a number of programs so you may want to call ahead and ask if any seminars or classes will be taking place during your visit to the Ozarks.

One thing to keep in mind is that this bookstore is not handicap accessible and the aisles are fairly narrow.

The do have a seperate kids room for the young readers in your family. And there is a public restroom available.

If you need a break from sight seeing this is a wonderful place to relax.

Coffee Break Bookstore

955 Curtis Avenue

Pea Ridge, Arkansas 72751

Phone: 479-451-8924

coffeebreak@centurytel.com

Have a great trip!

The Coffee Break Bookstore online

Weather in Pea Ridge, Arkansas

Pea Ridge National Military Park

Civil War Battle Reenactment: Bentonville, Arkansas

It's time for the 145th Anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge. The battle will be reenacted on October 27-28. Don't miss it because it's only done on odd years. The next one won't be until 2009. It's hosted by the Peel House Foundation and the Bentonville CVB

The schedule is as follows:


Saturday

8:00 The gates are open
11:30 C.W. Webb, a historian, will present Medical Equipment of the Civil War.

1:00 pm the Battle begins.
1:45 Symposium with Dr William Shea and Dr William Piston
4:00 pm the Battle will commence once more



Sunday


10:00 Period church service
1:00 another Battle exhibition takes place.


Admission is reasonably priced at $7.00 per carload. Bring lawn chairs and blankets for battle viewing. Period Sutlers and present day food vendors will be present. They are serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. I highly recommend having a bowl of soup and a chunk of cornbread or a funnel cake while you're there.

You can spend the entire day viewing the battles, attending presentations and visiting the camps where soldiers are preparing for battle. You can walk through the encampments where they'll be exhibiting medical care, clothing, and food. Questioning the reenactors is encouraged.

The battle is held on several acres. Parking is toward the front, it isn't paved and it's some distance to the site. Be sure to allow time to get situated before the excitement begins.

Please be advised this event is held on farm land. The terrain is not wheelchair or stroller friendly. Golf carts will be available to shuttle folks with wheelchairs and other assistive devices to the viewing area. The able bodied need to be prepared to hoof it. A pair of sturdy closed toed shoes would be ideal.

Some bleacher seating will be available on a first come, first serve basis. You're encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating. No coolers, alcohol, or glass containers are allowed.

Service animals are allowed but other pets should sit this one out. There are guns and cannon firing and horses involved in the reenactment. Many pets do not respond well to this.

There will be Porta potties on site.

If you've never been to a reenactment it's a great way to spend the day. You and your family can learn a lot from all of the knowledgeable staff and participants.

Have a great trip!

Peel Mansion Museum

Directions to the Battle

Weather for Rogers, Arkansas

Pea Ridge National Military Park

Pea Ridge National Military Park: Rogers, Arkansas

The Pea Ridge National Military Park is located north of Rogers, Arkansas on Hwy 62. The 4,300 acre park commemorates the battle fought on March 7 and 8, 1862. It is open from 8-5 daily with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Days. The park also closes when there is severe weather.

The museum inside the visitors center displays, canon and other weaponry and artwork from that era. Also on display are uniform jackets worn by General Curtis. While in the visitors center you can watch a 28 minute film Thunder in the Ozarks which will give you an overview of the battle. The film airs every 35 minutes. Copies of the film are available on VHS for $10.00 and DVD for $12.00.

There is a well stocked gift shop in the center. A wide variety of books are available as well as period cookbooks and crafts for children. T-shirts and other souvenirs are for sale as well. A driving tour CD of the park is available for $13.00.

Entrance fees for the Pea Ridge Military Park are $3.00 per person, $5.00 per carload, and $15.00 for an annual pass. If you are interested an annual pass that will allow admission to all national parks is available as well as a lifetime Senior pass.

Kids can pick up a junior ranger guide at the visitor center. It outlines a scavenger hunt that includes the museum and the battlefield. They can link clues and answers to the guide and earn a Junior Ranger badge. If they’d like they can become a WebRanger. Just log onto www.nps.gov/webrangers.

On the weekend nearest the anniversary of the battle. March 7 & 8 the park hosts an event. You will ride buses to the different stops. People in period clothing will be giving demonstrations. Firing canons and muskets as well as portraying the day to day functioning of the troops. You can call the park at 479-451-8122 after the first of the year for information on the date.

You can choose to tour the park three different ways. There is of course the driving tour you also have the option of a hiking tour or riding horseback. The park does not rent horses. The hiking trail is 7.5 miles so make sure you are properly equipped if you decide to hike.

When you purchase tickets you will receive a brochure that details information about each stop on the tour. There are also additional plaques at each stop. Plenty of parking spots are available along the way. Stops do have spots that will accommodate motor homes.

It’s best to bring a camera. There a wonderful views on the tour and you are likely to see several whitetail deer on any given day. The park estimates the deer population to be 250-450 and they are most likely to be seen in the morning and the evening when they feed. They will be working on reestablishing the quail population over the next several years.

The park service plans to rebuild the entire 17 miles of historic wormwood fencing in the park as part of their Centennial Strategy . It is their intent to restore the battlefield to its 1862 appearance. They have reopened five miles of the 19 miles of historic roads and five historic fields. Steve Black of the National Park Service stated that Leetown would not be reconstructed because they have no idea what it looked like. However, they are working with the University of Arkansas to find the sites of the buildings in Leetown and mark them.

There is also a 2 ½ mile stretch of the Trail of Tears inside the park. About 1,000 Indians fought in this battle. There were black and Hispanic soldiers fighting at Pea Ridge as well. If you’d like to find out more about whether your ancestors were involved in the Civil War, a database of 6.3 million soldiers is on the National Park Civil War website.

Most of the Confederate soldiers who died that day are buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The rest were buried in a mass grave in an unknown location somewhere in the Pea Ridge National Military Park.

If you are planning on visiting the park, you should allow at least two hours to tour the museum, check out the gift shop and do the driving tour. And don’t forget your camera.

Have a great trip!

Pea Ridge National Military Park

Database of Civil War Soldiers

Confederate Cemetery Fayetteville, Arkansas

Reenactment of the Battle of Pea Ridge

Weather at Pea Ridge Park

The American Civil War, National Park Service site