Driving in Arkansas is a real pleasure. The hills and mountains, lakes and forest afford you a dramatic vista every few miles, while the friendly towns that pepper the landscape are great places to rest up and explore the real America.

As in the rest of the US, you’ll need to drive on the right and overtake on the left, and seatbelts are compulsory. Speed limits differ by area, with a maximum of 70mph on rural freeways, dropping to 65 for urban freeways and 30mph in residential areas. This can often be lower still in hospital, school and construction zones.

Little Rock, the state capital, is the largest city in Arkansas, and sitting smack dab in the middle of the state, it’s the perfect place to use to get your bearings. From here you can head east on the I-40 to Memphis, just over the border in Tennessee, or north-west on the same road following the path of the Arkansas River, through Conway and Russellville all the way over to Fort Smith, skirting the southern edge of the Ozark National Forest as you go. Alternatively, plunge south-west on the I-30 for Malvern, Prescott, Hope and on to Texas.

For a particularly scenic trip, take Highway 7 from the south to the north, the first ‘scenic byway’ in the state. It’s a great way to take in some of the highlights in terms of wildlife, sights and history, passing through Hot Springs, the Ouachita Mountain and the pine-studded Ozarks. 

Drift through Arkansas in your hire car and you’ll bank a thousand memories and be tempted to flood Instagram with hundreds of pictures. This is a place where you’ll drive beneath the shaded canopies of forests before emerging into the crystal light next to a sparkling lake. The main temptation to resist will be stopping to enjoy another stellar view every few miles.

Rock up to Little Rock

Like all ex-presidents, Bill Clinton has a library in his name – well, the name William J. Clinton to be precise. His Presidential Center is the largest ever in terms of archives, with tens of millions of documents from his two terms in office. They’ve rebuilt the Oval Office to scale, you can see the presidential limousine and also gifts given from around the world. And if the politics gets too much, just step outside to wander the paths and to see the wetland preserve.

For fun food, try the catfish, fried oyster po’ boy or gumbo at the quirky Flying Fish. For something more sophisticated, grab a table at South on Main for Matthew Bell’s take on southern cuisine. There’s a stage here too, so you can watch local artists and groups while tucking into fried soft-shell crab steam buns or pork ribs with mac and cheese.

If you go down to the woods today…

West of Little Rock, Hot Springs National Park sits in the city of the same name. The Fordyce Bathhouse is a vintage spa which you can visit or, if you want to sample the water yourself, head to the Buckstaff Bathhouse, soaking people since 1912. The nearby mountain tower is worth the drive – you can park up, admire the 216ft high tower and get an unsurpassed view of the mountains.

You’re poised here to enter the Ouachita National Forest which covers some 1.8 million acres of land across western Arkansas and into Oklahoma. It’s a brilliant place to camp and hike, with trails such as Womble, Horsethief Springs and the Eagle Rock loop. Fish, picnic or even go boating in this vast area.

Spring into action

The Ozarks beckon in the north-west of Arkansas, first the forest and further north the mountains. Head for the picturesque Eureka Springs, a culturally diverse town with well-preserved Victorian buildings in its historic district. As the name suggests, spas abound, but you’ll also find a wildlife refuge, a forest zipline tour and caverns to explore. Get your fingers sticky with some unpretentious southern pit barbecue at Bubba’s – a rack of ribs, pulled pork, a beef brisket plate – it’s great value for huge portions and will give you a jolt of energy before you head back into the outdoors.

With natural splendour, towns that mix biker dives with arty enclaves, Arkansas is a state with a unique feel. Whether it’s the forests and lakes that bring you here, or the Presidential history of Little Rock, car hire in Arkansas is essential to explore the highways and byways, the mountains and the valleys.