Construction of the capital took 16 years, from 1899 to 1915. It was built on the site of the state penitentiary & prisoners helped construct the building. They lived in a dormitory that was on Capitol grounds. The exterior of the Capitol is made of Arkansas limestone. It cost $2.2 million (or $320 million in 2014 dollars). The front entrance Tiffany doors are made of bronze, which are 10 ft tall OK this gotta be an elevator here 10,000. The cupola or dome is covered in 24 karat gold leaf. The government was formerly located in the Old State House. read more

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Both my husband and I were born and raised in Arkansas, but neither of us had ever toured the state capitol building -- until we found ourselves with some time to kill while back in the state visiting relatives. The building is beautiful and elegant and on the day we visited, it was very quiet. We only saw a few other visitors. We did a self-guided tour while awaiting a guided one. Our guide, Nancy Martinsen, led us around the elaborate structure while telling us all about how it came to be built where it was and by who. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit inside and then went outside to look at the Little Rock Nine monument located on the capitol grounds. Everyone we encountered was very friendly and welcoming. read more

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The Arkansas State Capitol is a beautiful capitol building with cool monuments on the grounds around it. It doesn't have the sheer size of some of the other capitol buildings. But the smaller marble staircases are just as beautiful. I went on a Sunday, so there were only a few other tourists wandering around. The bad part of going on a Sunday is there is no official tour, so I did not get to see the treasury vault and the house and senate chambers were closed. I was able to wander on my own and admire the rotunda, the gold entry doors, pretty murals, and historical exhibits spread throughout the building. The original Supreme court room was open as well as the Governor's reception room. Another Capitol Building has now been checked off my list. read more

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STUNNING building. If you don't care to see people working or for the gift shop go on a Sunday morning!! I went and was the ONLY person in there (besides security) for around two hours!! It was amazing, all the main rooms you'd see on a weekday were still open so you got to see it all still. It is the perfect time and place for grad photos or engagement pictures. read more

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Nice self guided visit to the Arkansas State Capitol. After a short security check, we were given a booklet that guides you through the Capitol. The security guards also gave us a quick briefing. The Arkansas State Capitol was built after the St. Louis architect George Mann showed his winning design for the Montana State Capitol to Governor Daniel Jones in 1899. After a selection process which was opposed by future Governor George Donaghey, Mann's design was approved. Once Donaghey was elected Governor, he removed Mann from the project. Construction took 16 years. The new Capitol was built on the site of a state penitentiary. The incarcerated provided labor for the job. They lived in prison dormitories that were parallel to the building. The Capitol is built from limestone that was quarried in Arkansas. It went over the 1 million dollar budget costing over twice as much, $2.2 million. Take time to explore the common rooms like the house and senate as well as the information along the state flag lined corridors. Make sure to go to the fourth floor. Loved seeing women in politics even in the early 1900s. No need for a reservation. Open until 3 PM on Saturday. Lots of parking available on the weekends. read more

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Didn't go inside but the grounds around the capital have some beautiful monuments. Definitely make a stop. read more

Arkansas State Capitol - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

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Love the Arkansas State capitol. It's really small & very cute. I got the best photos last year for my Christmas card project :) We always have a great time when we visit the beautiful state of Arkansas & the state capitol. Governor Huckabee is also doing a great job! (applause) What I love most about visiting the US capitols is that we are free to assemble & peacefully protest. "The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the freedom of speech, religion and the press. It also protects the right to peaceful protest and to petition the government." God Bless Arkansas & God bless America for our First Amendment rights. Home of the free because of the Brave. Highly Recommend. read more

The Capitol dates back to 1915 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. This review is only for the exterior and grounds of the Capitol. The Capitol, as most are is very beautiful and a great representation of the state. It has a lot of monuments and memorials or the grounds including the Little Rock Nine Statues, the Monument to Confederate Soldiers, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Medal of Honor Memorial, Arkansas Firefighters Memorial, Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial, a Liberty Bell replica, and the War of 1812 Memorial Fountain. I have visited quite a few Capitols and this one has one of the most monuments/memorial that I have seen. There is metered street parking within a reasonable walking distance. Most of the close street parking is reserved. They have self guided tour guides that you can pull up online. I spent about 40 minutes or so touring the grounds. I will admit, I was very impressed. This is a must visit if you are in Little Rock, even if you do not go inside. If I do make it back here, I will definitely plan a bit better and get a tour of the inside. Fun fact: The Capitol took 16 years to build and was constructed on the site of the state penitentiary with the assistance of actual prisoners. read more

A nice site to check out, especially at night. A little smaller than I expected. I enjoyed seeing the different memorials around the capitol building. read more

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Well....not the most tourist friendly capital because all of the parking lots are reserved only. You have to pay for parking @ 2.25 hr. You will only need an hour unless you take a free tour. You will go through security and go through a long tunnel. This Capital doesn't have a rotunda. The restrooms are in the 2nd or 3rd floor. I wouldn't return. read more

We've been to 38 state capitals and this is one of our favorites. We stopped on a Friday afternoon. Their website says they close at 3:00 on Friday. We also stopped at an Arkansas welcome center on the highway earlier in the day that had hundreds of pamphlets about Arkansas attractions but nothing about the capital. Didn't seem like they wanted people to visit the capital based on short hours and no literature so we didn't expect much. Boy we're we wrong. Once we got inside, we found out that they are open until 5:00 on Friday. The website is wrong and it needs updating. There were no guided tours but they had a printed handout we could use for a self guided tour. The associate at the desk where we checked in was very personable and helpful. We started our walk around and the place was beautiful and clean. When we got to the Governor's office, the receptionist waved us in and welcomed us. She was personable and apologized that we couldn't see the inner office because there was a function going on at the time. We then checked out the House and the Senate. There was also a new display being set up "Voices and Votes - Democracy in America" designed and circulated by the Smithsonian. We talked to a couple of the capital police officers who were providing security. They, too, we're personable. There was a military retirement ceremony going on in the rotunda while we were there. It was interesting to watch. The police that we spoke to said that they regularly use the capital for a lot of similar functions. That's better than some capitals we've been to that are basically empty and feel like a museum. We then wanted to see the Treasurer's vault we saw in the handout. Once we found the office, we were welcomed in and invited to actually go into the vault. We were told about the history of the vault and then my wife was handed 21 pounds (tens of thousands of dolof $100 bills to have her picture taken! They are proud to say that this is the only state capital that will let you into their vault. The capital is very nice but the people were even nicer. Of our 38 capital visits, this is easily in the top 5. read more

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Had a really nice free tour here and learned a lot about the capital. Our tour guide was very engaging and told some great stories. read more

Arkansas State Capitol - Looking down in the rotunda - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

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Guided tours were cancelled due to COVID, but we were still able to do free self-guided tours. You can sometimes walk into the Supreme Court, house, and senate gathering rooms depending on what is going on. The 4th floor has the best exhibits in my opinion. You can reach it using the small staircase or the elevator. You'll see a few on the 1st floor too but it's more like clutter. Finding parking was tough due to reserved spots, but it was doable. read more

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Behold, the dome! It's cute and all, but that's not the capitol's selling point for me. This is my 2nd visit to the capitol building, but it ain't to see the building, it's to see the Little Rock Nine memorial statue. -- Gah! I just love it! The setup with the "Nine" looking toward the capitol building was a phenomenal placement idea. Also, the plaques with quotes from each of the nine kinda' does it for me. Great history and great execution. Governor Huckabee DID THAT during his tenure! I'm a proud supporter, and I'm not even an Arkansan. Footnote: *I beg your pardon, I'm feelin' really colloquial tonight.* read more

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Just passing through, I made a slight detour and stopped here to walk the grounds of the Capitol and take some pictures, capturing my ninth State Capitol (see the list). On a Sunday afternoon, I had no trouble parking my u-Haul across the street in an empty parking lot for a half hour and was not hassled. Built between 1899 and 1915, the Capitol is a stunning building with a massive dome that can be seen from quite the distance. Lots of grass and trees on the grounds, which have been dotted with a number of important memorials including a Monument to Confederate Women, Medal of Honor recipients and the Arkansas Vietnam Veterans Memorial. All are worth a look. Sadly, not open for tours on this particular Sunday. read more

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This my 8th State Capitol visit. This is not the most fancy state Capitol but have beautiful dome. The front entrance is permanently close for symbolization. This state capital is where Bill Clinton work for 10 years in 3 term. He was elected as governor then lost his second term. Then he reelected for two terms before become the president. Like most of the state capital, they have two wings. But this state capital include the Supreme Court other than the house and senate. I like the big dome that allow visitor to the fourth floor. You can look down and give you an awesome view. We went to the senate and house chamber. They also have the shoe shine on the third floor. We saw a lot of statues at the surrounding state Capitol lawn. The entrance is from the tunnel below the front entrance. read more

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I had a great time on my Capitol visit. Mostly everyone was friendly. I took the walking tour. I was a little curious and tried to get in every door. I got a couple of dirty looks, especially from the State Auditor's office. Maybe I overstepped my boundaries though. The Supreme Court was pretty cool, as was the Land Commissioner's office. They were extra friendly and welcomed me right in. The room with all the old maps was really cool. On the second floor, the Treasury is a must stop! The gentleman there was so nice and brought me right in. He gave me the full tour right into the vault and offered a ton of information. The highlight was stacking $500,000 cash in my hands and then taking a pic for me. Even though I couldn't keep it, it kept me smiling all night! The second floor also hosts the Governor's Reception Room, very nice. I knocked on the door to the Governor's Suite and was surprised when they buzzed me in. They were a little confused as to why I was there but I explained I was on the tour and requested to meet the Governor. The nice lady went into the back (probably just to humor me) and returned a minute later. She said he was not available to see me at the moment but that I could make an appointment and come back. The third floor held the House and Senate chambers, also cool to see. There wasn't much more to keep my short attention span occupied so I called it a day. The building itself is very beautiful and parking is available outside. I would definitely recommend stopping in if you have an hour to kill. read more

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A great experience with the people here. The Capitol is beautiful, and you can walk in to almost every area. Upon arrival, we had a chance meeting with both the Secretary of State and the State Treasurer. Both were so friendly and spoke to us for about 20 minutes. We love visiting capitols, but this was by far one of the best experiences! read more

Arkansas State Capitol - The front - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

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Arkansas fails to care about a it citizens. They do not answer the phone, even hang up on people. They also give you a fake email address.

This review is of the exterior memorials and Capitol building. The Arkansas State Capital building absolutely gorgeous. What makes this even more enticing is the surrounding memorials. Among the several different memorials, there is one dedicated to the "Little Rock Nine." The grounds are pristine and jaw dropping gorgeous. Most certainly worth a quick visit, if you're in the downtown area. read more

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Great time at the Arkansas State Capitol today! One downside to this place was visitor parking was almost a mile away. Okay, on to the building. It was full of white marble and that really makes a building look good. However, they were severely lacking in the artwork. The tour guide explained that none of the legislators want to pay for it. Well after seeing this really nice Building without much accessory to it, I would say that they should pay some artists to do some good stuff there. read more

Nice gift shop, access to most areas which is rare. Guided tours are avaible and a lot of events going on during the holidays. read more

Probably my least favourite State Capitol building to-date from the inside. Not a lot to look at, or information. Though the people there were probably the most friendly we've come across on our travels. Pretty on the outside! read more

The Arkansas Capitol building has the most gorgeous interior I've ever seen in a state building. It's worth a quick tour if you are in the area. read more

This is a stately looking Capitol. The lawn and rose gardens are beautiful. The liberty bell replica should be at every Capitol in America. The Little Rock Nine statue memorial is breathtaking with reading plaques of each of the nine students surrounding the actual statue along with a testament memorial plaque by Govenor Huckabee. AR paid homage to American history brilliantly with this powerful memorial. read more

I love to visit state and national capitol buildings and other governmental structures and found this to be one of the prettier US state capitols.. It is a bit small, but Arkansas is a relatively small state. I think the formal tours were not available at the time I was there, anyways I just checked the building and grounds out on my own.. Inside there is a small gift shop selling state capitol and Arkansas related souvenirs, with quite friendly and helpful staff. The capitol is a short drive from the River Market area and the Clinton Presidential Center, so if you are visiting or passing through Little Rock and have time for some tourism, I would recommend visiting at least these 3 places.. read more

Beautiful building, beautiful grounds, the Little Rock Nine sculpture was beautiful and moving. Parking is a bit confusing (lots of numbered spots for legislators/staff/media), so it took a while for me to find an unmarked spot. I was too late for a tour, but I found all the staff friendly and helpful. read more

Great tour even though it was being renovated. Loved the Vault tour and the Land office tour. read more

Arkansas State Capitol - Vault tour in the Treasurery Office. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

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I usually try to take State Capitol tours when I travel as the tour leaders are usually from the state and can provide a lot of insight to state politics and personalities. The tour leader here was from Texas and acknowledged she knew nothing about the state except the history of the building itself. So, we opted for the self-guided tour which took about 20 minutes and was just about the building. Nice building, lousy tour. read more

I have been to many state capitols-and i may be a slight prejudiced-but I feel this is one of the best capitol buildings to visit. I have never seen it overly crowded, it is definitely majestic, and very tourist friendly. The capitol guards are informative and it seems as if the staff is eager to speak with you. I have actually walked into the building and just walked into the Governor's office and sat in his chair! They are pretty laid back. I visited one day and ended up meeting many of the top officials of Arkansas. All of them seemed friendly and happy we visited. The State treasurer took me into the actual vault and I placed my hand on the "cash on hand" of the capitol....BTW it was like $500,000! I like to walk the grounds and see all the native trees and history which is clearly marked for information. Be sure and drive down Capitol Avenue for the best view of the outside of the capitol. Also, try and find time to visit at Christmas for a real treat. And yeah, it is kinda neat that this capitol has been blown up as a stand in for the US Capitol in a movie. read more