Arkansas Dive Bar Guide

A state that we have woefully underrepresented in our travels, Arkansas hides untold depths of divey drinking among its many small and mid-size towns. This is a state with a handful of marquee dives in larger cities but a substantially larger share of quiet, neighborhood haunts filled with locals, the types of bars certainly worth seeking out.

Little Rock certainly attracts the lion’s share of dive bar coverage in the state of Arkansas, but as any true connoisseur of dive bars knows, the best options are found off the beaten path. Be that as it may, White Water Tavern in Little Rock is as good a place to start as any, often named one of if not the best dive bar in the state. The city’s live music scene in particular lends itself well to music venue-dive bar hybrids.

Beyond Little Rock, Arkansas is well populated with small towns steeped in history, places like Hot Springs (ex-playground of Al Capone), Eureka Springs, Fort Smith and others. As one example, the Ohio Club in Hot Springs dates to 1905, making it the oldest such establishment in the state. We are on a quest to expand our Arkansas dive bar experiences, but a strong set of interesting stops are cataloged here.