5 Small Towns in Arkansas So Dreamy, You’ll Swear You’ve Seen Them on TV

Every now and then, I'll watch a show in a setting that looks strangely familiar. Times like these take me back to when I used to work on TV shows around the country, and we would film in different cities and small towns. I usually have to look online to see if what I'm watching on the small screen was, in fact, a place I had either traveled to on my own or for work. There are many wonderfully beautiful towns across the country, including numerous dreamy small towns in Arkansas that have either been used as filming locations for TV shows or appear as though they should be on TV. Here are five:

1. Van Buren

Featured as a location in both the miniseries "The Blue and the Gray" (1982) and the TV movie "Our Sons" (1991), Van Buren is best known for its historic downtown district, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's the downtown area that's bustling with six magnificent blocks of antique shops, boutiques, restaurants, and art galleries. Part of the Van Buren Downtown Historic District, the Victorian Main Street showcases 19th-century architecture that has been well-preserved, housing many locally owned shops and restaurants. It's an idyllic part of town to spend an afternoon. One experience you may want to consider splurging on while in town is a 3-hour, 70-mile round-trip scenic train ride from Van Buren to Winslow, one of the best train excursions in Arkansas.

2. Cotter

Standing watch over the town of Cotter, the R. M. Ruthven Rainbow Arch Bridge, also known as the Cotter Bridge, is a hauntingly beautiful architectural marvel, its six rainbow arches spanning across the White River. It's arguably one of the most picturesque spots in Arkansas, but it's not all that Cotter is famous for. Cotter is a river town and is known as the Trout Capital of the U.S.A., hosting the annual Cotter Trout Festival and attracting anglers in search of the best or largest trout they can reel in. It has been featured on several fishing shows over the years.

3. Bull Shoals

Bull Shoals Lake, with its 1,000 miles of shoreline, is the main attraction in the charming small city of Bull Shoals. Another destination for anglers and boaters, Bull Shoals has also been featured on various shows. However, another attraction here also draws tourists: Bull Shoals Caverns, one of the world's oldest limestone caverns. Open seasonally, visitors can tour the ancient caverns, filled with stalactites and stalagmites, that date back 350 million years. Bull Shoals is undoubtedly a nature lover's paradise in Arkansas.

4. Mountainburg

Cabin scenes from the horror movie "Massacre at Bluff's Ridge" were also filmed here, and the TV shows "True Detective" and "The Blue and the Gray" used this small town in the Boston Mountains as a backdrop for their scenes. While tiny, Mountainburg may surprise you with all it has to offer, from a drive along the Boston Mountains Scenic Loop and Lake Fort Smith State Park for hikes and outdoor recreation to gorgeous lakes and streams popular for fishing.

5. Flippin

Located along the White River in the Ozarks, Flippin is a small city that, like several other towns in Arkansas, is known for its fishing. If you visit Flippin and it looks familiar, it has been featured on several reality shows and "True Detective Season 3," as well as the Matthew McConaughey film, "Mud."

Have you visited any of these dreamy small towns in Arkansas that look as though they should be featured on TV? To plan your small-town getaway in Arkansas, use Only In Your State’s AI-powered itinerary planner, an incredibly handy tool that makes trip planning easy.

You should also check out the 12 most charming small towns in Arkansas, and visit one each month of the year!