Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

The 2006 Arkansas Vacation Planning Kit, which contains four handbooks and a 2006 official state highway map, is now available free by request from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

State Tourism Director Joe David Rice is urging his fellow Arkansans to take advantage of the free offer. “We know visitors from other states find the kit useful for exploring tourism opportunities in The Natural State,” Rice said, “but there seems to be a tendency for some Arkansans to overlook their home state’s vacation kit when planning their leisure time.”

“The fact is,” Rice continued, “the kit is a very handy resource to have on hand. It contains a wealth of information and ideas for everything from extended family vacations at a lake or river resort to weekend campouts and even simple day trips to hike in a state park or national forest or to visit a nature center or museum.” He added: “It’s very helpful for planning outings to entertain visiting relatives and friends.”

The information in each of the kit’s four handbooks is updated annually. Included in the kit are:

• the 2006 Arkansas Tour Guide, the contents of which include introductory sections on such topics as “What’s New,” “Natural Treasures,” “Scenic Byways,” “Arkansas for the Young at Heart (Kids Included)” and “Motorcycling;” brief descriptions of and contact information for the state’s tourism sites in each of six geographical regions; and listings for marinas and boat docks, golf courses and antique shops;
   
• the 2006 Arkansas State Parks Guide, which provides thorough information on each of Arkansas’s 51 state parks;
   
• the 2006 Arkansas Adventure Guide, which covers the state’s campgrounds, hiking and backpacking trails, float streams and outfitters, multi-use trails and back-country driving routes; and
   
• the current Arkansas Calendar of Events, which is published in spring-summer and fall-winter installments and contains information on festivals, concerts, state park interpretive events, museum exhibitions and a host of other happenings.

This year’s edition marks the first time the state’s tour guide has included GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) coordinates for many of the state’s attractions and points of interests, for golf courses and for the locations of the guide’s advertisers. “This will assist those with GPS receivers in locating our tourism sites, lodging and restaurants,” Rice said, “and it’s a technologically savvy way for Arkansas to welcome tourists.”

The 2006 Arkansas Vacation Planning Kit can be ordered on-line via the state’s primary tourism Web site at www.arkansas.com or by phoning toll-free 1-800-NATURAL.