Author: Stephanie

The Bass Federation (TBF) and Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Junior World Championship has officially begun, and we’re happy to host the weigh-ins and festivities at our Hastings Pavilion in the Downtown Riverside RV Park through Saturday, August 10.

40 teams of the top youth anglers in the U.S. and one team from Canada are competing. With the 82 anglers, 41 boat captains, and countless friends and family, it’s been a fun, busy time at the RV park. This is also the first time it’s ever been held in North Little Rock!

Weigh-ins is at 2 p.m. tomorrow and final weigh-in is 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August, 10, so stop by.

Updated 6.6.19

Due to flooding of the Arkansas River, the Downtown Riverside RV Park is temporarily closed. We appreciate all of the calls and emails of concern, our staff is safe.

We are still accepting future reservations.

Our office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

We apologize for the inconvenience and hope your travels bring you back to our park soon. 

On Thursday, October 18, North Little Rock city leaders, local business leaders, longtime RV park supporters and many other friends and community members helped the Downtown Riverside RV Park (DTRSRV Park) celebrate its tenth anniversary. North Little Rock Mayor Joe A. Smith, former North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Henry Hays, and North Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau’s President & CEO Bob Major spoke. Mayor Smith thanked Sheila Bullerwell for managing the park for the past ten years.

“When people pull in here to visit our city, their first impression is Sheila,” said Mayor Smith. “And she has done a marvelous job.”

DTRSRV Park is owned by the City of North Little Rock and managed by the North Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (North Little Rock CVB), which estimates that the park has had a local economic impact of $15.87 million. If you count the RV rally that started it all – a mammoth 918-RV convention with 6,850 people – that bumps up to $16.5 million.

Mayor Hays, former North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce President Terry Hartwick, Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) member Harry Hastings and local business leader Steve Owen were instrumental in bringing FMCA’s Regional Rally to North Little Rock in September 2008.

“That five-day event showed the potential for a permanent RV park that would attract RVers from all over the U.S.,” Major said. “Ten years later, the park has transformed into a must-stop not just for American RVers, but international visitors as well.”

More than 113,000 nights of RVs over the past ten years mean thousands of RVers from all 50 states and several countries. The success of the park shows no sign of stopping: occupancy has increased by 34 percent over the past five years. By 2020, the park is expected to pass the mark of 8,000 RVs per year.

“RVers don’t just come here, they go out to dinner, and that’s what we want them to do. We want them to use our entertainment district, we want them to use our mall, we want them to buy our gasoline, and by golly, they do that,” Mayor Smith said.

The park earned a 2018 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for consistently positive reviews and is currently ranked best specialty lodging in North Little Rock on TripAdvisor. In September 2018, the park won a Prism Award from the Arkansas Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for its website redesign.

“The park is an unusual experience for RVers, who mostly stay in secluded, natural areas,” Major said. “Here, guests can park next to the Arkansas River, watch the river bridges light up at night, ride their bikes on the Arkansas River Trail and jump on a streetcar to dining and entertainment – all without having to unhitch their Jeep.”

The Old Mill named #2 Best Arkansas Attraction by USA Today

The Old Mill at T.R. Pugh Memorial Park in North Little Rock has won USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards for Best Arkansas Attraction, second only to Buffalo National River! The National Historic Landmark was built in 1933 and is most known for being featured in the opening credits of Gone with the Wind.

 

First ever Arkansas Italian Food and Culture Festival kicks off in North Little Rock

Our mouths are already watering for the first annual Arkansas Italian Food and Culture Festival, scheduled for April 20 and April 21 at the North Shore Riverwalk at Riverfront Park Drive in North Little Rock. Expect a celebration of Italian-American heritage, art, music and, of course, food! Activities will include cooking lessons, cooking competitions (even one for the kids!), bocce ball competition, soccer tournament, cycling ride and a car show. Join the Facebook event to stay updated.

Follies opens at Argenta Community Theater March 7

It is 1971, and the iconic Weismann Theater, now a crumbling shell of its former glory, is about to be demolished to provide precious New York City parking space. Broadway impresario Dimitri Weismann arranges a reunion of the actors, singers, dancers and personalities who peopled his famous Follies in the years between the World Wars, as a farewell tribute to the doomed building. The musical runs at Argenta Community Theater at 405 Main Street in North Little Rock from March 7 to March 17.

Verizon Arena lineup

For more information, visit the Verizon Arena website.

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19th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade

The annual parade will take place on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) beginning at 1 p.m. There is a new parade route this year: it will begin at 6th & Main Streets in downtown North Little Rock, cross the Main Street Bridge, travel east on President Clinton Avenue through the River Market, turn south on Sherman Street and end at Third & Cumberland Streets in Little Rock.

Trading in brats for burgers at annual Innovation Hub event

Previously “Beer, Brats and Bots,” the annual Beer, Burgers and Bots will be at the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub at 204 E. 4th Street in North Little Rock on Saturday, February 17. Prepare yourself for a fun, fast-paced robot werestling competition that “celebrates the warrior-geek in all of us.” Twelve teams are expected to compete. Tickets for spectators are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Tickets include one food ticket and two beer tickets. Ages 6 and under are free.

 

More Events….

To sign up to receive the monthly newsletter from the North Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, click here.

 

One of the advantages of the Downtown Riverside RV Park being located near downtown North Little Rock is proximity to fun events and entertainment. Here are some upcoming highlights.

1. ACANSA Arts Festival (Sept. 20 – Sept. 24) – A five-day celebration of the arts, at various locations around town. Live performances, exhibits, art education programs, training and activities.

   

2. Big Dam Bridge 100 (Sept. 23) – Arkansas’s largest cycling tour with nearly 3,000 cyclists every year. The race finish line ends in the Argenta Arts District with a block party and live music.
3. Wings Over the Rock Air Show & Car Show (Sept. 23) – This annual event at the North Little Rock Municipal Airport is a short drive away, but well worth it. Antique cars, muscle cars, war birds, formation flying, helicopter rides and food trucks. Gates open at 9 a.m.

   

4. Little Rocktoberfest (Sept. 23) – Celebrate Oktoberfest surrounded by a one-of-a-kind homebrew competition, local breweries and all things beer.
5. Arkansas Times Whole Hog & BBQ (Oct. 1) – Professional teams cook a whole heritage breed hog and side dishes. Amateur teams cook pork puts. Live music and a beer and wine garden make this a fun Sunday afternoon in the Argenta Arts District.
6. Heartland Classics Antique and Classic Boat Show (Oct. 7) – Our neighbors at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum are hosting antique and classic boats from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Some of the boats are completing the 370-mile Arkansas River Odyssey that begins in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Be sure to check out the real World War II submarine and tugboat while at the museum.
7. Six Bridges Regatta (Oct. 14) – If you’re staying with us, then you have a front row seat to this fun rowing competition on the Arkansas River. Participants launch right next to the RV park at the Boathouse, row west to the start and finish at the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge – right next to us.

   

8. Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure (Oct. 14) – No doubt one of the largest events every year downtown with hundreds racing to raise funds to fight breast cancer. The race starts at Second and Broadway in Little Rock, crosses the Main Street Bridge into North Little Rock, crosses the Broadway Bridge back to Little Rock and finishes at Capitol and Gaines.
9. Bruno Mars (Oct. 22) – Yep, we will be less than half a mile from Bruno Mars when he comes to Verizon Arena. Can’t beat that.
10. Cirque du Soleil: Crystal (Oct. 26 – Oct. 29) – Again, being close to Verizon Arena has its perks. Cirque du Soleil is bringing its first ever ice show to North Little Rock; “Crystal” combines acrobatics and ice skating for a whole new experience. (Psst…use the code “CRYSTAL 10” for $10 off tickets).