30 Mar 2025 Life in the 501 is definitely one remarkable ride!

What an exciting time to live in the 501! The theme of this issue is “RemARKably 501,” and speaking of remarkable, I am greeting you from one of three streetcars, each a historic replica, that run a three-mile route along the Arkansas River. This route links some of the most vibrant destinations in Pulaski County, including the Clinton Presidential Center, the headquarters of the global nonprofit Heifer International, North Little Rock’s historic Argenta district, and the Little Rock River Market and Main Street Creative Corridor, along with unique restaurants, hotels and shops.

As the weather continues to warm, we hope to inspire you to explore the fascinating region we call home and to plan multiple weekend staycations. I much prefer a staycation to an “opercation”, a word I coined when my kiddos were young and I was working full-time and was generally exhausted. I quipped to friends that the only way I could get a few days off was to have an operation. I imagine most parents have mentally “gone there” at least once!

Back to the incredible region we call home. This issue is like being handed several dozen retro Christmas gifts. Each wondrous package contains an item you are vaguely familiar with, but have never given your full attention. Our team has located a ginormous banana peel, the hideout of an 1800s-era lady outlaw, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, robots, and food so big it could smother you!

We also delve into places of culture that refined readers will appreciate. Our team has discovered unique museums, sculptures, and one of the last places JFK visited before his fateful trip to Dallas. But let’s face it, sophistication is rarely as fun as discovering something so fabulous that it wows you! Those of you who are 501 natives may be left feeling embarrassed to learn about wondrous gems within an hour of your home that you have not visited — until now.

I hope I’ve whet your appetite to jump into these pages and onto the streetcar with me. Let’s take a ride into the 11 counties that make up the 501 so you can plan a month of staycations, playcations or daycations — and hopefully no opercations! You can choose your word and write your own adventure. 

Stefanie Brazile
Editor/Publisher