This place, I can dig it. It's a simple, friendly, small southern town visitors center that seems…read moreto have really gained its' focus in the last thirty years or so. Hope is the self-titled Watermelon Capital of the World, and I suppose if Bill Clinton had never been born here and risen to become the 42nd President of the United States, this place would be more centered around the giant fruit, than about the Clinton family and legacy. The museum here offers free admission which is nice. There shouldn't be any complaints about something when it's free. The only thing it will cost you is your time, and how long you might spend in here is up to you. I found that the time slips away from you here, as it does often here in the deep southern part of this great country. This is a neat place. It's an old railroad depot, that's still functional to some degree and utilized by Amtrak. There is a delicious restaurant right across the street from here, called Tailgaters Burger Company, which is what motivated us to pull off the interstate in the first place driving back to Shreveport from Hot Springs on a family vacay. Had this Visitors Center not been in such close proximity from the restaurant, I can tell you with all sincerity, that I wouldn't have even bothered trying to find it. Had there been some sort of substantial admission fee, I wouldn't have gone in, but being so very close to the restaurant, being a gorgeously interesting old railroad depot, being open during the hours we were in Hope, and being free, I curiously wandered inside.
I am somewhat familiar with Bill and Hillary's lives together, coupled with their meteoric rise from small southern state governor and First Lady to this land's highest office and beyond.
It's captivating here to mosey along the old pictures, articles, and artifacts, mostly capturing that aforementioned rise to the highest power for the Clintons. I found myself rather easily transported back to the 1990's.
The lone employee seeing over this museum-visitors center the afternoon we visited, was extremely friendly and quite helpful. It was a real pleasure talking with her about all things Hope.
Overall, the nice family lunch across the street matched with the impromptu tour of this property, made for a pleasant finale to our summer trip to southern Arkansas.
I highly recommend pulling off that interstate and giving this place a good look over. Call in advance for their daily open hours.
