Arkansas State Capitol
Arkansas State Capitol
4.5
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Visitors can tour this government building that sits on a knoll, overlooking downtown to the east and the Arkansas river to the north, and bears a striking resemblance to the U.S. Capitol building.
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See what travelers are saying
- Craig J20 contributionsMy wife and I enjoy visiting state capitol buildings and have seen about 40 of them. We were very pleased to visit this one! Cheryl gave us an excellent tour and pointed out the many striking architectural features of the building together with much of its history. In addition, Stephen gave us a tour of the vault area (we had never seen a bank in the heart of a capitol building) and was most cordial. We had not read much about this location before our visit, but certainly are glad we got to see this somewhat hidden treasure!Visited May 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten May 25, 2024
- Chuck OlexikRaleigh, North Carolina116 contributionsBeautiful capitol and great free tour. We got to view the Senate, House, and Supreme Court meeting rooms. We also had two special aspects of this trip. One was being escorted on the floor of the House of Representatives, by one of the representatives and having an up close and personal look at the details of this magnificent space. The other was being escorted into the state Vault and being able to hold $600,000 in hundred dollar bills in our hands and having our picture taken with it! We have visited about half the state capitals in the United States and this was by far our best visit to date!Visited October 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten October 8, 2024
- Jonathan FranklinBethesda, Maryland8 contributionsWe thoroughly enjoyed this tour and our tour guide (Nancy) was fabulous. The building is an architectural gem designed by a noted architect of the early 20th Century. We also got to hear and speak at length with a sitting State Senator but you may or may not be as lucky when you show up. A highlight of the tour was seeing the old-fashioned State treasury vault where they let you hold and take pictures with an actual stack of hundred dollar bills worth $600,000. It was fun even for our group of adults but seems like it would be great for kids. If you are visiting Little Rock and have some free time, be sure to check it out.Visited March 2025Traveled with familyWritten March 18, 2025
- Chasity CooperOklahoma City, Oklahoma15 contributionsAbsolutely STUNNING building. We were in from Oklahoma to meet my biological father and youngest sister. Took the opportunity to get pictures together. It ended up being ridiculously cold at the location we originally selected so the photographer suggested we try here. It was perfect and even though it was a Sunday we were still able to get in no problem. It was very clean and security guards were very friendly. We will be back for an official tour for sure!Visited March 2024Traveled with familyWritten March 26, 2024
- MsMonieNatchitoches, Louisiana38 contributionsWe went to see the Little Rock Nine exhibit that's on the grounds. The capital building itself is ok. We did not go in (not sure you can tour the inside). Easy to park but you might have to walk uphill to get to the site.Visited May 2024Traveled with familyWritten June 9, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
520 reviews
Excellent
311
Very good
158
Average
47
Poor
2
Terrible
2
Justin S
3 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
It’s a beautiful building - a bit dated on the interior. The surrounding area is really sad with old, ugly buildings, rundown infrastructure, homeless people nearby, and nothing to do…. It’s detached from the downtown area with rundown ugly buildings in between. There’s really not much foot traffic either which adds to that deserted, rundown look. The entrance is gorgeous! Little Rock in general is an okay place to visit but the state is just so sad….. I lived there for a couple months and quickly realized there’s just no opportunity to grow (in my career or education). This place kind of reflects that lazy, slow, backwardness culture you’d expect in a state that ranks near last in nearly all human development indexes. Worth a visit, though. Something really odd is the tour guide hyping up them allowing people to hold a bundle of cash! Haha. I’m not kidding - such a tone deaf, out of touch with the average person kind of your. Most people can barely buy food in this state, yet they think that people are excited about holding half a million dollars for a picture ……. My entire group of friends (none from Arkansas of course) thought that was the weirdest thing they’ve ever encountered on a Capitol tour. I don’t know - something about the government here just makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to the 1950s…. And that’s not a good thing considering that was the era of pre civil rights for many Americans. VERY Arkansas tho if that makes sense. I suppose the status quo aligns with the sad history, so it’s worth a visit.
Written September 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BigMerk
Glasgow, UK2,704 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
I have visited nearly all State Capitols - mostly inside visits as some are closed at weekends. The website said that this was one which did close at weekends but, when we arrived on a Saturday, it was in fact open. The Capitol is very attractive outside and especially so inside. We managed to see into the Senate and House as well as visiting the outside of Governor Sanders office . The decor throughout is stunning. It’s very well worth a visit - and it’s free.
Written October 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LovesPhotoOps
Hoover, AL1,224 contributions
May 2022
We walked around the entire building looking at the statues on the grounds, including an installation dedicated to the Little Rock Nine who integrated the school system with an inspirational quote from each person. We entered through the back of the building through a metal detector. My husband told the security guard that he had a small pocketknife and the friendly guard held onto it until we were ready to leave since weapons are not allowed. We didn’t have a lot of time but we did enter the Supreme Court chamber and saw the Senate chamber through the locked door. We have been to many state capitols and this one is very nice although not as much artwork on display inside as some others.
Written May 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PlutoGal4
Hartland, WI58 contributions
Mar 2022 • Family
Wonderful tour…a MUST visit when in Little Rock! Cheryl our tour guide was very welcoming upon our arrival and she was so hospitable, engaging and very knowledgeable throughout the entire tour which took about just under 1 hour. The capitol is beautiful with marble flooring and columns along with ornate chandeliers and murals. The history of the building as well as how the Arkansas state government is run was truly fascinating as not every state is run in the same manner. Very cool to see both Senate and House chambers as well as the treasury/vault and the supreme court room as well.
Written March 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SammieAr
United States401 contributions
Jun 2021 • Friends
Beautiful historical building and the compound was well kept. Free parking was plentiful in front of the building since there were no sessions that day - look for signs where it says ‘Reserved Capitol Parking’.
We arrived early around 8am to eat breakfast at the cafe in the basement on a weekday. Took the guided tour with another group with tour guide, Ms Cheryl, at 9am, who was pleasant and full of energy which made the tour fun. Tour lasted a little over an hour with the guide, which we highly recommend. We then self tour the outside to look at the different statues and monuments.
We plan to return on the first Saturday in December to see the Christmas light up.
We arrived early around 8am to eat breakfast at the cafe in the basement on a weekday. Took the guided tour with another group with tour guide, Ms Cheryl, at 9am, who was pleasant and full of energy which made the tour fun. Tour lasted a little over an hour with the guide, which we highly recommend. We then self tour the outside to look at the different statues and monuments.
We plan to return on the first Saturday in December to see the Christmas light up.
Written June 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bernard W
Dallas, TX1,946 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
We took a self-guided tour in December amidst lots and lots of Christmas decorations adorning throughout the capitol. As is typical, the House and Senate are in opposite sides of the building—separated by many stairs. Though the self-guiding brochure is good, surely a tour would have added more information. Be sure to see the exterior statues, including of the Liittle Rock Nine. Wish there was a brochure about the sculptures.
Written December 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IBrown
Myrtle Beach, SC1,472 contributions
Dec 2022
While on a road trip we stopped to pop into the State Capitol for a photo op b/c it was December and we knew it would be decorated for the season. This was our 2nd trip to the Arkansas State Capitol. We have visited many State Capitols and this is one of the most fantastic. When we walked in, we were greeted immediately. Everyone was so friendly. We were limited on time and decided to just do a self guided tour. We peeked in the window of the Governor's reception office and continued walking past. We heard someone shouting out "hello, hello". Thank you Jennifer for stopping us in our tracks. She brought us into the governor's office for a look around and made some suggestions as to what else we should not miss in the building. Thank you Jennifer ... you are the best. If you are ever in the Little Rock area, you should stop in. This is definitely one of the most beautiful Capitol Buildings.
Written December 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anonymous855
Trabuco Canyon, California1,810 contributions
Jul 2023
We went on July 3 so many things were closed but not the genuine hospitality and the Treasury area! The personalized attention to ensure we enjoyed our visit was appreciated. Too bad the cafe was closed or we would have lingered longer. It was blazing hot so we kept our outdoor look at the grounds and monuments to less than 30 minutes. Plenty of street parking that day. Good place to visit and be reminded of the best parts of our govements.
Written July 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NemoTraveler
Aarhus, Denmark913 contributions
Oct 2022
The Arkansas State Capitol is situated in the western part of downtown Little Rock and is a beautiful neo-classic building from the early 20th century.
Tours are available and we were greeted by a very friendly and knowledgeable staff member, who gave us an excellent and very interesting tour. We even had the opportunity to visit the treasury department, which was a special treat.
The architecture is really nice and both the building and the grounds are maintained to the highest standards. Our visit made a perfect introduction to some nice holidays in Arkansas, and we would love to come back.
Tours are available and we were greeted by a very friendly and knowledgeable staff member, who gave us an excellent and very interesting tour. We even had the opportunity to visit the treasury department, which was a special treat.
The architecture is really nice and both the building and the grounds are maintained to the highest standards. Our visit made a perfect introduction to some nice holidays in Arkansas, and we would love to come back.
Written November 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jim T
Austin, TX1,173 contributions
Apr 2022
This rather small and somewhat unimpressive (from the outside, at least) State Capitol building is nevertheless worth a look. The grounds are lovely and well kept, with plenty of statues, etc to hold one's attention. Self guided tours available.
Written April 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
why is there no free parking anymore at the large lot just east of the grounds. It is now reserved parking and the gates are closed down.
Written April 4, 2021
How much parking is available and where when a large crowd is expected?
Written June 8, 2017
There is a parking garage next door. You must ask the museum for a parking voucher.
Written August 27, 2017
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