Phillips County: Delta Landscape, Music and History
Accommodation in Phillips County
Phillips County combines the landscape of the Arkansas Delta with a remarkable musical and cultural history. At the southern tip of Crowley’s Ridge lies Helena-West Helena, an important point of reference for explorations among the Mississippi, floodplains, museums and historic sites. Those planning a trip with varied daily rhythms will find both nature experiences and vivid insights into the region’s history here.
River Landscape and Trails in the Arkansas Delta
Mississippi River State Park contains the Storm Creek Lake Recreation Area, access to Hornor Neck Lake and access to the St. Francis River. The confluence of the St. Francis River and the Mississippi is also located in Phillips County. The park also provides access to the St. Francis National Forest in a landscape where the Mississippi, Crowley’s Ridge and the Arkansas Delta meet. These different landscape elements give your trip planning distinct focal points: You can consider the water, forest and prominent ridge separately and organize your excursions accordingly.
A special viewpoint is Battery C Park. From Crowley’s Ridge, the view extends over downtown Helena and the Mississippi. Those who enjoy first taking in a landscape from above can plan this location as a separate stop. For active days, Delta Heritage Trail State Park offers specific options: The Pedal-&-Paddle Tour combines a bike ride from Barton to Lake View with subsequent kayaking on Old Town Lake. So far, a total of 74.1 miles of trail have been completed there. The northern section from Lake View to Elaine is an 8.4-mile rail trail with a surface of finely crushed gravel.
Music, Museums and Historic Sites
Phillips County is closely connected with the history of King Biscuit Time. The program was first broadcast on KFFA-AM on November 21, 1941, and is transmitted from the Delta Cultural Center Monday through Friday from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. The center is located in historic downtown Helena and is a museum dedicated to the history of the Arkansas Delta. In the Delta Sounds exhibition area, listening stations and presentations convey the region’s musical heritage, featuring influential figures from gospel, rockabilly and blues.
Freedom Park is also dedicated to an important part of the region’s history. It is located on the site of a former Civil War camp for escaped slaves and conveys their experiences through five exhibitions. In the reconstructed Fort Curtis, you can see a three-quarter-scale replica of the original fort; the visit is self-guided. The Helena Museum of Phillips County is housed in an 1891 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its collections include early paintings, a Thomas Edison collection, materials relating to Indigenous peoples, letters from General Lafayette and General Robert E. Lee, Civil War objects, a diorama of the Battle of Helena and a bronze statue of General Patrick Cleburne.
Centennial Baptist Church is of national significance because of its connection with Dr. Elias Camp Morris. He served as its pastor from 1879 until his death in 1922. This makes the site another historical point of reference alongside the museums and exhibitions. Delta Dirt Distillery in downtown Helena offers a behind-the-scenes tour of its distillation process. The Williams family behind the distillery has farmed land in Phillips County for four generations.
Which Starting Point Suits Your Trip?
When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home, it is worth first deciding on your preferred focus. If musical heritage, museums and historic sites are at the center of your plans, look at the options around Helena and Helena-West Helena. For days in nature, Mississippi River State Park and Delta Heritage Trail State Park may be the more important reference points. Crowley’s Ridge Parkway and the Great River Road run through Helena-West Helena and give the choice of location an additional clear geographic framework, without implying any specific distances between the individual excursion destinations.
For further orientation, you can also include West Helena as part of the local destination. This makes Phillips County an interesting choice for travelers who want to combine culture, river landscapes, music and active excursions.
For the higher-level travel overview: Arkansas.
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