Village Creek State Park

Crowley's Ridge briefly cuts out the flat, sweltering Mississippi Delta near Wynne, AR about 50 minutes from downtown Memphis. Village Creek State Park offers hiking, fishing, swimming, horse stables, playgrounds, tent camping, RV camping, and cabins for a quick getaway. We waited for cooler weather to camp even though we had the option to rent air-conditioned cabins because we wanted to tent.

We found plenty of wood for a fire for our weenie and s'mores roast. A potable water hookup awaits your RV, but we used it to fill our water bottles. I wrapped the baby in a Moby wrap and took a nighttime hike with the kids on the old Military Road, part of the Trail of Tears, which leads across the state! Fortunately, my husband brought the kids back before they hit Tennessee. We pitched our tents near the bathrooms, betting against a full night's sleep. Loud owls and crickets filled the night air with music. The crackling fire warmed our fingers.

The next morning, we picked up a few fishing rods from the visitor's center for no charge through the Borrow-A-Rod program, and my 6-year-old son caught his first fish from the banks of the lake! The other children decided to wade into the swimmer's area in 70-degree weather. Brrr!

Although we had brought our own hiking food, hunger struck after fishing. We simply loaded into the van and drove five minutes into the town of Wynne, where we enjoyed fried catfish and burgers at Shakey's. (Not worth the price, by the way.)

Village Creek State Park in Wynne, Arkansas, will always be our go-to getaway location for cheap, quick outdoors fun with the family. As long as it's not sweltering hot... because I can swelter in the Mississippi Delta any time I like, thank you very much!