Have you noticed the growth that Little Rock and central Arkansas has been experiencing lately? Exciting new shopping destinations, an increasingly creative food scene, revitalized neighborhoods, expanded artistic endeavors, blossoming schools and high-performing students—our humble metro area is truly going for gold!

And this year, the annual Family Favorites from Little Rock Family is also going for gold. What does that mean? It means that this year, we only awarded one winner in each Family Favorites category—no runners-up, no silver, no bronze, just Gold.

The Family Favorites you’ll see below were chosen by our readers. They sent in their nominations for central Arkansas’ best places for families to eat, play, shop and explore, from city staples to the newest hot spots. The final winners were determined by popular vote at LittleRockFamily.com.


 

Annual Festival/Event

Gold: Riverfest

      


Day Trip

Gold: Petit Jean State Park

      

 

Field Trip

Gold: Little Rock Zoo

      

 

Indoor Playground

Gold: The Wonder Place

     


Museum

Gold: Museum of Discovery

        


Music/Theater

Gold: Arkansas Repertory Theatre

        


Outdoor Park

Gold: Burns Park

     


Pool/Water Park

Gold: Wild River Country

     

Burger Joint

Gold: David’s Burgers

(Conway)    (North Little Rock)    (West Little Rock)   
(Park Plaza)    (Maumelle)     

Date Night

Gold: Local Lime

        

Dessert

Gold: The Purple Cow

  

Pizza

Gold: Larry’s Pizza

     
 

Childcare Facility

Gold: Helping Hand

  

Private Elementary School

 

Gold Tie:

 

Arkansas Baptist

Little Rock Christian Academy

              

Private Middle School

Gold: Arkansas Baptist

         


Private High School

Gold: Catholic High School for Boys


Public Elementary School

Gold: Don R. Roberts Elementary, Little Rock School District

        


Public Middle School

Gold: Pulaski Heights Middle School, Little Rock School District

        


Public High School

Gold: Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock School District

        


Fine Arts program

Gold: Arkansas Arts Center

        

Dance/Cheer/Gymnastics

Gold: The Little Gym of Little Rock

        

Summer Camp

Gold: The Little Gym of Little Rock

        

Martial Arts

Gold: Unity Martial Arts

     

Sports Program

Gold Tie:

 

D1 Sports Training

Upward Sports

                 

Tutoring

Gold: Huntington Learning Center

     
 

Eye Care

Gold: James Eyecare & Optics Gallery

        

Family Dentist

Gold: Austin Family Dentistry

     

Orthodontist

Gold: Phelan Orthodontics

     

Pediatric Group

Gold: Arkansas Pediatric Clinic

  

Pharmacy

Gold: Kroger

        

Place to Give Birth

Gold: Baptist Health

     

Special Needs Services

Gold: ACCESS

     

Birthday Cake

Gold: Mickey’s Cakes & Sweets

     

Party Facility

Gold: The Little Gym of Little Rock

        
 

Auto Dealership

Gold: Landers


Bank

Gold: Arvest

     

Book Store

Gold: Barnes and Noble

        

Children’s Clothing/Shoes

Gold: The Toggery

        

Children’s Haircuts

Gold: Pigtails and Crewcuts

  

Family Photographer

Gold: Jennifer McHam Photography

     

Florist

Gold: Tipton & Hurst

        

Jewelry Store

Gold: Sissy’s Log Cabin

        

Lawn & Garden Center

Gold: The Good Earth Garden Center

        

Real Estate Agent

Gold: The Janet Jones Company

     

Toy Store

Gold: Toys R’ Us