Urban campgrounds are a great way for RVers to explore a city. You don’t find a lot of them – no doubt the real estate prices and taxes make it hard to justify – but when you do, it’s a real treat.

Being right in the heart of things makes it easy get a feel for the soul of a place. Simply walking the streets is far more informative than Wikipedia if you’re interested in uncovering the local haunts.

Downtown Riverside RV Park in North Little Rock was the perfect find for us. It’s located just across the Arkansas River, about a 15 minute walk, from downtown Little Rock. The location, views of the skyline, and homey feel are what make this park so appealing.

We were immediately drawn to the big city lights! Having barely taken time to set up camp, we trekked across the bridge and were struck by a couple things. First of all, there were hardly any dogs around. The 17-mile Arkansas River Trail ran just a few steps from the campground, but during our four-day stay, we only saw a few dogs on the trail. Secondly, one of our favorite things to do with the dogs – eating out – was nearly impossible. We found only one pet friendly restaurant with outdoor seating!

I guess we’re hard-headed, or perhaps we had trouble believing what we were seeing, because we kept going back to dig deeper. We did find out that the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center are pet friendly, but overall we found the pet friendly options in Little Rock disappointing.

Dejected, we decided to explore the much smaller city of North Little Rock.

JACKPOT!

Only a few block from our campground, this neighborhood known as Argenta, is obviously undergoing a gentrification. It has an eclectic feel with a mixture of new townhouses, antique streetcars, and some beautifully restored old buildings.

The best part, though, is that it’s much more pet friendly! In the span of a few block we found three places we could eat with the dogs.

It just goes to show that sometimes you find what you’re looking for in the place you least expect it! Have you ever had an experience like that when traveling with your pets?

Update

It’s been a few years since we last visited Little Rock and we understand that the pet friendly options have improved. We’re looking forward to going back and sniffing around! You can find more general tips on traveling with pets on our Tips & Resources page.

Planning a pet friendly trip of your own? We’ll make it easy:
Pet Friendly Hotels | Pet Friendly Destinations | Pet Friendly Activities