When my other daughter said she wanted to go on a road trip with me during the summer of 2015, I perked up. Within a week, we plotted out a four-day trip packed with scenic driving in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Known as “the Natural State,” Arkansas is similar to West Virginia in the sense that the beauty of the state is seen in the rural areas. The largest city,  Little Rock, has a population less than 200,000.

Additionally, we were tying this trip into a July 4th trip to Houston. To do that, we drove through Oklahoma and once again were impressed with the area.

Monday – drive from Atlanta to Petit Jean State Park, Morrilton, AR

Tuesday – drive Scenic Hwy 7 through Jasper to Eureka Springs, AR and down to Fayetteville, AR

Wednesday – Wal-Mart Museum and Crystal Bridges Museum of Art – Bentonville, AR; drive through rural Oklahoma and arrive in Oklahoma City

Thursday – Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, drive to Dallas, TX

Friday – The George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum, drive to Houston

All in all, we drove 1,500 miles in four days! We met up with family in Houston and hung out for a few days. And then made the 800-mile drive back to Atlanta. It remains one of my favorite road trips because I was pleasantly surprised at the surrounding beauty.