Written by Grant Stevens
Another sunset walk along the North Little Rock side of the Arkansas River. -- @loughran20, Allister Loughran
Up next in our CityLove blog series: Little Rock, Arkansas. Named after a small rock formation on the south bank of the Arkansas River called la Petite Roche (French: "the little rock"), the "little rock" was used by early river traffic as a landmark and became a well-known river crossing.
However, our research and conversations have convinced us that the only "little" part of Little Rock is its name. This community is embracing its history, incredible cultural resources, and it's natural surroundings in a big way, all of which we'll explore in our future CityLove posts.
This month, we wanted to mix things up a little bit, so we're starting with our Instagram tour. Be sure to check back in coming weeks for our overview of the city, as well as an interview with a local preservationist. Enjoy!
#instagood #instamood #iphonepics #igersarkansas #igerslittlerock #arkansas #arkansas_life #downtwon -- @arkansasjo, Jody Lowery
Several different neighborhoods in Little Rock are embracing adaptive reuse of historic buildings for many new purposes. We'll dive into those stories more in next week's post, but loved this building as an example of the warehouses being reused.
#snow #lake #nature #instapic #weather #centralarkansas #littlerock #littlerockmetro @followme #wpa #architecture -- @hollisterjf
We saw a lot of shots of the city of Little Rock, but just as many of the many beautiful parks near Little Rock. This late winter shot has us excited to see Little Rock's beauty in other seasons.
Clutter. #night #light #church #littlerock #arkansas #spirit #distraction #hdr #tree #igersarkansas -- @hwmays
Who can resist a beautiful church steeple? This particular one belongs to the 1888 First Lutheran Church in the Quapaw Quarter District. The District has some of the oldest buildings in the city. Little Rock's city-wide organization, the Quapaw Quarter Association, has been a driving force for historic preservation since its incorporation in 1968.
#lookingup #littlerock #skyporn #cloudporn #sky #skylovers #skyscraper #instasky #instaclouds #skscrapersofinstagram #igersarkansas #igerslittlerock #igers_littlerock -- @gespurr, Emily Kate Spurrier
Like any city, Little Rock has historic buildings situated beside modern and contemporary buildings. We're kind of digging the contrast in this photo between the two styles.
#greatdayforaparade -- @ellhaha, Ellen hh
We of course love the buildings of Little Rock, but we love it even more when we see people celebrating the historic places they are passionate about. This parade photo is just blocks away from the Historic Arkansas Museum and the Arkansas River Trail, some of Downtown Little Rock's many assets.
#clintonpresidentiallibrary 3architecture #nature #arkansas -- @welleraa, Abigael Weller
Ask anyone about Little Rock, and they'll mention the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, a stunning structure that cantilevers out over the Arkansas River and is designed to echo the campaign promise of "building a bridge to the 21st century."
Another beautiful day in Arkansas! #littlerock #arkansas #lr #arcapitol #arkansasstatecapitol #keeparbeautiful -- @keeparbeautiful, Keep Arkansas Beautiful
One of Little Rocks' most recognizable landmarks, the Arkansas State Capitol, took 16 years to construct and was completed in 1915. It is built on the site of the state penitentiary, whose prisoners helped construct the buildings.
Let us know your Little Rock must-sees in the comments below!