10 Things In Arkansas That Are Absolutely Terrifying To Out-Of-Staters
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J.B. VanDyke
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The things on this list may not seem incredibly intimidating to you, but imagine you’ve never seen a house centipede skitter across the floor. Imagine that every single media depiction of a place you want to go is full of murderous or extremely stupid people. It might not seem so odd then that some people are a little intimidated by the Natural State. Below you’ll find 10 things that don’t faze most Arkansans, but may be daunting for folks who aren’t from around here.
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From ticks and mosquitoes and kissing bugs to tarantulas and hag moth caterpillars and house centipedes, the Natural State is full of bugs that may or may not want to suck your blood. The scariest looking of Arkansas bugs are actually fairly benign. The house centipede, for example, may look like it wants to carry away the soul of your firstborn child, but in fact, it does not.
Arkansas is full of woods, and there’s certainly no shortage of rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths in those woods. Rest assured, visitors, most of them won’t bother you if you don’t bother them. (Except the cottonmouths. Some of those things are crazy, so please proceed with caution.)
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It’s understandable that bluffs, cliffs, and rocky outcroppings can be a little intimidating. Pro tip from a native Arkansan: Don’t fall off. Don’t engage in activities that could make you fall off. Don’t bring friends with you if you’re afraid they might cause you to fall off. Take ten steps backward when anyone asks you to hold their beer. In fact, try not to bring beer on these particular adventures.
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Jumping in a creek you’ve never seen before probably sounds crazy if you’re from a city, but it is common practice for Arkansans. Relax, newcomers, as long as it isn’t one of our bigger rivers or a body of water in certain parts of southern Arkansas, you probably don’t need to worry about sharks or gators.
Over half of Arkansas is covered in forests, so it’s not surprising that you can find some seriously isolated spots out in the sticks. Out in those deep woods you might also find bears, bigfoot (more on that later) or maybe even really scary things . . . like other human beings.
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If I hear one more Deliverance joke, I’ll scream. That wasn’t set in Arkansas, y’all, and no, you’re not clever for repeating the same joke every single Arkansan has already heard nineteen thousand times. Rural people are just people who don't live in town.
Look, I understand it may seem weird to you that Arkansans occasionally indulge in a little squirrel chili or deer stew, or even that the World Championship Squirrel Cook Off folks in Bentonville go fancy with their game cooking. But nobody’s going to force you to eat it. That said, if you’ve never had deer stew or deer jerky, you are really missing out.
We might be die-hard Hog fans, but we aren’t going to burn your city to the ground or anything.
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Bigfoot lore has gone mainstream thanks to bigfoot shows and avid enthusiasts, and if you’re out in the woods down near Fouke, you might find yourself wondering about such things. However, no one has actually been harmed by Arkansas’s Boggy Creek Monster, so you’re probably fine.
Okay, tornado season can be a little scary. I get it.
You might find this list of ways to spot a tourist handy. You may also like this list of dos and don’ts and this list of ways to make an Arkansan cringe.
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