Couple of Coffees

Here we are in Arkansas

Who knew there'd be too many things we wanted to see in The Natural State?

We arrived in this state, another of the few I've never seen, about 20 minutes ago, and promptly found a cafe for breakfast. Neighbors' Mill Bakery and Cafe in Harrison has great fresh breads as well as a smokehouse. We're awaiting our meals as I type with the restaurant's free WiFi.

Yesterday, after more visiting with Grandma and my uncle, we cruised across Missouri, stopping in Cuba. Apparently, Cuba, Missouri, is known for its many town murals, a number of which we saw out the window as we drove down a portion of historic Route 66. The murals commemorate different special events in the town's history.

In other parts of our drive, we saw the word BOURBON on a water tower, and two twin water towers labeled HOT and COLD. We also pulled off the highway to visit the Original Walnut Bowl Factory, where we saw a display of the wooden barrels they make there. I've been to the other walnut bowl factory, off Highway 70, between Kansas City and St. Louis, but didn't know about this other one.

Last night, we stopped in Branson, Missouri, home of the most live music venues in America in one city, or something like that. It's crazy. Think Las Vegas strip, but a more family-friendly version. Without the decadence. Many of the shows were comedy or country singing or a mixture. One of the highlights, from the car anyway, was seeing the huge replica of the Titanic, complete with water around its base and a manufactured iceberg. Apparently there were 400 Titanic items inside.

Breakfast update: The food was delicious, especially the smoked ham. The only interruption was an errant fly who committed suicide in Jonathan's cup of coffee. If you're ever in Arkansas, come find this place. It's worth it.

We checked out the Branson Landing new shopping area by the water and listened to the guy playing his guitar near the water. We browsed in some craft malls and drove the strip a few times before deciding on a Mexican restaurant and a hotel across the way. The Palms, our home for the evening, served Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast!

There are a few towns with springs that made them famous, such as Eureka Springs, but unfortunately, we're on a timeline to get to Texas. Perhaps we'll just have to come back to Arkansas. Perhaps I should have taken that managing editor job in Searcy a couple years ago. We're off to Little Rock next, and maybe Hot Springs after that.

posted by Laura the Writer @ 9:38 AM