Things to Do in Little Rock This Weekend (Aug 22-24)
Late August is when the city starts to turn. Football is back, patios stay usable an hour later than they did in July, and the fall event calendar begins filling in. Here is how to spend the weekend of August 22-24.
Friday: Argenta After Work
Cross the river to Argenta in North Little Rock. Main Street between Fourth and Seventh has become the most walkable dinner-and-drinks stretch in the metro, and it is far easier to park in than downtown Little Rock.
- Flyway Brewing, 314 Maple St - patio, a tight beer list, and a kitchen that does better than brewery food usually does.
• Four Quarter Bar, 415 Main St - late kitchen, live music most weekends, and no cover on plenty of nights.
• The Argenta Plaza hosts pop-up programming through the summer; check the events feed before you head over.
Parking is free on the street after 5 p.m. and the surface lots off Main rarely fill.
Saturday Morning: Ride the River Trail
The Arkansas River Trail is a 15.6-mile loop connecting Little Rock and North Little Rock via the Big Dam Bridge and the Two Rivers Bridge. On a bike it is a comfortable 90 minutes at an easy pace.
- Start at Murray Park for the shortest approach to the Big Dam Bridge.
• Start at Cook's Landing on the north side if you want the climb over the bridge early.
• The stretch through Riverfront Park downtown is the most scenic and the most crowded - ride it before 9 a.m.
If you would rather walk, the Two Rivers Park loop is flat, shaded in parts, and about 3.5 miles long.
Saturday Afternoon: Brewery Crawl
Little Rock's brewery scene is small enough to cover in an afternoon and good enough to be worth it. A workable route:
1. Flyway Brewing, North Little Rock - start here, order the lightest thing on the board.
2. Lost Forty Brewing, 501 Byrd St - the biggest taproom in the state with a full kitchen. Plan to eat.
3. Stone's Throw Brewing, 402 E 9th St - neighborhood-scaled, dog-friendly patio, rotating small batches.
Space it out. Order flights, not pints, and eat somewhere in the middle.
Saturday Night: Music or Comedy
The River Market rooms - Stickyz and the Rev Room - carry most of the Saturday touring calendar, and The Hall handles the bigger names. If you want something different, the Loony Bin runs two Saturday shows; the late one is the looser of the pair.
Sunday: SoMa and a Slow Finish
The Bernice Garden Farmers Market runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in South Main. Walk the market, then work north up Main Street. Raduno is the anchor lunch, and the block has enough small shops to fill an hour.
Finish at Riverfront Park in the evening. The sculpture garden and the Junction Bridge crossing are a good twenty-minute walk, and the light off the water after 7 p.m. is the best of the day.
Weather Watch
Late August highs still run in the low 90s with afternoon storm chances. The difference from mid-month is that evenings drop into the mid-70s, which makes patio dining and post-sunset walks genuinely comfortable again.
Live Listings
Our Current Events feed refreshes at 3 a.m. daily from the Arkansas Times, Little Rock Soiree, Arkansas State Parks, Little Rock Tourism, the Statehouse Convention Center, Rev Room, Stickyz, and the Loony Bin.
