Parkin Archeological State Park - Parkin, Arkansas

Curtis Carter

Yet another great state park in Arkansas. This one specifically preserves an area that used to be a settlement known by the name of their chieftain Casqui. Staff at the park are awesome.

They have trail medallions including one with pottery and one with a spider caricature taken from a copper plate found at the site (and it's awesome).

We went here as chaperones for a school trip, so I didn't get to explore possible trails, but it's definitely worth a visit.

My only complaint is the artist rendering of the village ignored an account by one of DeSoto's men stating that aside from the chiefs dwelling, there were 10-12 buildings for his wives. Unless I've misread that or missed something in the image, there were only 3 structures depicted.

Connie Uran

What a sweet little state park! We were on our way to Branson Mo. when we decided to look for a park so we could enjoy a picnic along the way. There, it was nestled among a vast amount of trees. They had a nice swing playground area for the children. They also had a very clean restroom building that was truly impressive. As we walked around the grounds to stretch our legs, I was reminded of home. There lay in the freshly cut grass bunches of black walnuts. I remembered gathering them up for grandma to make her Christmas divinity. What a beautiful and enjoyable picnic we had at the Parkin Archeological State Park.

Will Pumphrey

This is a great park that features artifacts and stories of the people who lived here. The museum has a lot of artifacts and good information about the native people that lived here and Desoto's presence in the area. The walk around this site is well worth the time and has some great interpretive plaques about the site. The staff were all so friendly and seemed enthusiastic about the park and its history.

Kristin Sanders

My husband and I stopped here on our way to Texas and were so pleasantly surprised. This park has an amazing exhibit center and gift shop, the grounds were beautiful, and the staff was so knowledgeable and friendly. You must stop in if you're in the area.

Marion Stade

Wished it was open in Monday! The signage along the walking trail is very interesting! The audio recordings at the school expanded my knowledge of the area. Much appreciated since the visitor center is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Scott Mckinney

Very interesting prehistoric and historic site on the grounds of a Native town. Had some neat Mississippian era artifacts plus a bead from Hernando de Soto's visit here. On site ramger was friendly and informative. There's a small miseum, a video that's worth watching, and a ~1/2 mile trail around the park.

Bill Rocks

Great park, the artifacts on display are pretty amazing for the size of this place. The staff is friendly and helpful. I didn't have time to watch the film, but I will return to explore this place more.

Jess

What a cool gem! We’ve driven past the signs so many times and never stopped until this week. Watched the twelve minute video about the Mississippian culture that lived in the area, and then our little guy really enjoyed being able to touch all kinds of tools, furs, and objects similar to what they would have had/ used. The park employees were so friendly and informative and really helped us engage in the experience. Also a beautiful museum area with amazing artifacts to look at and read about. It was cold, so we didn’t explore outside as much as we would have liked, but we’re able to see the large mound and read some of the signage outside. Cute little gift store and nice clean bathrooms as well. Will come again!