Summertime in Arkansa means finding that perfect swimming hole and I think we found it falling waterfalls near Ben Hur and the Ozark National Forest.

To get to falling water falls from Belser along Hwy 7 take hwy 16, four 9.8 miles past Ben.

Hur then turn onto forest.

Rd 1205 also County Road 68 at the falling waterfalls horse camp sign go 2.3 miles and falling waterfalls will be off to your right.

This really is the perfect swimming hole becaus.

It offers all the aspects of the ideal swimming hole, not to mention the obvious attempts throughout the years of tweaking and re tying the rope swing and kind of looks like it needs to be re tired again.

During our shoot the roads family from California who were visiting other members of their family couldn't say enough about this classic arkansa swimming hole.

I think the swimming holes amazing.

The water so clean in California, the water is not as clean.

I also like that.

There's not any graffiti there's no trash.

No beer cans.

It's a genuine when you think of a swimming hole when you dream of a swimming hole.

This is what you would dream of definitely an it.

Is everything you could wish for its waterfalls?

It's clear blue water?

No trash no graffiti pretty private there's a Creek their son butterflies.

It's really great.

I like it on a scale of 1 to 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.

I'd say it's a 10 wow.

I don't think I don't think I've been to a decent amount of swimming holes and none of them are this clean or pretty.

Definitely.

I've been to Yosemite in a lot of cool places by this one.

Really really top of my list.

Yes.

Done a lot with waterfalls as well.

This one definitely thought one of the top ones.

What do you like about it?

I definitely like the fact that it.

Over and you can go underneath a waterfall behind on the Cape and you can actually stand behind it, so that right there, it's amazing.

This swimming hole is awesome, aside from all the other places that we've been to here in Arkansa.

This is the best.

I like how the water so cool.

And how slight always flowing and stuff.

But it's not really flowing in August.

I like it 'cause my dad likes it there, you go.

I lived in California for quite a few years and went to the high Sierras and Big Sur along the coast and they're just numerous picture spots there that you want to jump off the water into with this place compared to those by far is just wonderful.

I mean, I can tell that I'm not know Sears in California to said.

Good it's just a great spot.

Well, there, you go Ark and saw the natural state.

Yes, Sir I'll tell you when I found this spot.

I got all my God.

I miss the W so much.

But I've got this spot now and I can be there anytime by coming here.

Well, so far, the falling water falls swimming hole has been ranked number one with everyone except for Michael Rhodes.

I think that it's really clear.

Is in its number 2 on my top swimming list #2?

What is number one?

Hum.

Steele Creek Steele Creek that's a good area to yeah on the Buffalo River.

We might add that falling waterfalls is also popular with kayakers when the water is really up with the thrill of going over them.

Yeah.

But that's for another segment.

This is the famous and formidable plum point that Mark Twain wrote about in his book life on the Mississippi.

It was also the location of the 10,000 acres, saying souplantation.

Ann not to mention one of only 2 civil war.

Gunboat battles that took place on the Mississippi River.

Sansu landing is located SE of Osceola off Hwy 61, which is the Great River Rd at the end of State Highway 198.

Sansu means without care or fancy free in French, it was the name given to the area by young couple John and Georgia mcgavock who moved into this plantation home after it was constructed in 1854, about 1/2 mile from the Mississippi River.

There was a general on Belle Meade and Tennessee.

And he came over into this area, and saw the value of the land.

So he bought.

Over 10,000 acres of it.

He had a nephew to get married Ajumma Gavin to get married.

He married a lady named Georgia Anne.

I don't really know her last name, they came over in this area and they built a plantation.

For a plantation house, it was not the biggest in the world, but it was the biggest one around here.

Like most plantation house each room was named.

But instead of having a color such as red blue green whatever.

They decided to build each home of each room of a different would.

And I had the Pacon Room, the Oak Room.

The Walnut Room.

Each room was a different would because there were that many Woods in this area.

It was swampland in Woods was all it was.

The porch across the front of the plantation.

Did not have the flight columns as most plantations of that time did it had Cypress Liam Cypress trees with the roots as the bottom of the?

Post.

And.

It was a very unusual house, even for that time.

It was used during the Civil War as a.

Military hospital, the union used it as a hospital.

We weren't too far from Fort Pillow.

There were no major battles fought in the area there were a lot of skirmishes.

One of those skirmishes was the Battle of plum run bend in 1862, which was one of only 2 civil war.

Gunboat fleet engagements on the Mississippi after about an hour of gunfire.

The Confederates defeated the Union Navy by sinking.

The federal ironclad Cincinnati and badly damaging the mound city.

Both boats, though, were later raised repaired and returned to service within a couple of months.

There is a story I have never found.

Proof of this, but there is a story.

That when the soldier FA soldier died, they buried him in the backyard and when Georgia.

Mcgavock came back home after the civil war.

Anybody that wanted the bodies sent back to their families, she sent out.

Because she knew that the River would wash a lot of that area away.

So she did send as many bodies back home, ish you could.

As far as we know there are no grave sites in that area now.

The Homestead until 1923 and then it caught far and burned up.

And so we don't have.

The pound to steal show it's gone now.

We do have a lot of pictures and we do have a lot of the history of the sensing plantation, and we really enjoy knowing about it.

They were very involved in the civil war.

And I ran the world, the way they wanted to, you know they would came into OC ola when they got ready to they did what they wanted to and.

Made.

A good farm out of land that was swap Lee.

After the Civil War, their daughter, they had one child, a daughter and she married.

A Grider I'm Mister Grider and.

Their oldest son during World War, one wanted to be a pilot.

In the United States Air Force, an he went into England.

Before he left, he had a painting done.

And this painting was of himself in his uniform and he gave it to his wife and 2 sons.

He never came back home.

He was shot down within a few months over France and they never found his body.

They did have a memorial service for him, but They they never knew where he he was they knew he was in a forest and that's all they knew.

An a few years ago, the grandson and the great grandson came into OC ola and brought the painting and donated it because they said it was time for John Mcgavock Rider to come home.

Mac Grider as he was called kept the detailed diary of his aviation training and combat experience and that diary was used as a basis for the World War.

One book Warbirds Diary of an unknown aviator, which later was also produced as a TV film documentary.

It gives me a dizzy feeling every time I hear of the men that are gone.

And they have gone so fast.

I can't keep track of him.

Every time two pilots meet.

It is only to swap news of who's killed.

But to me, they are dead yet.

They just around the corner I think.

And I'm still expecting to run into them.

Anytime.

As the Mississippi County Historical Society explains it the history and story of the sand souplantation.

Her beginnings endings people and events is one of courage and determination and serves as a lasting legacy of one family.

Bradley park within the town limits of Jasper along the little Buffalo River is one of those sweet little spots that you come across every now and then that's not only has a couple of good fishing holes in it, but also a couple of excellent swimming holes, but for now.

My eye is over, there on that big small map I saw earlier.

As in most cool clear streams of the Ozarks, an Ouachita's here in the little Buffalo as well.

Small mouth bass or the fish of choice lurking among Woody debris.

Boulders overhangs and other structures and streams.

They are known to often strike allure multiple times.

I was hoping one would strike mind just once that's all I ask.

Granted, the fish were a jump and they just weren't a bite and.

Bradley Park in Jasper is one of those picture perfect parks with something to offer for everyone.

In fact, many towns and cities.

No doubt wish they had a facility like this.

As with your typical part.

There are the softball fields and tennis and basketball courts, but then you have this.

Instead of a cement pond like most city parks have you have a cold mountain stream with the picturesque Bluffs or swimming hole fun at its finest?

Yes, all you need are your floaties swim mask and you're set for underwater adventure.

Enjoying all the cooling off benefits of the little Buffalo River.

This day was the Newton County, 4H Summer Camp Group.

Our summer camp gets to use this part of part of our swim time and it just works out great.

It's a little private area.

You know, but it offers lots of lots of good swimming.

The kids enjoy fishing here, catching Crawdads and bugs and anything they can find so it's nice area.

Program so each week has a theme this week.

We're on agriculture, so they do some agriculture.

Todd activities may be learning about some different animals.

Some different things like that next week.

We will do science and technology so they'll do some building of different things.

They'll do egg drop experiments.

We talked out T-shirts next week.

We have a trip planned to cave here in the area that we go to take the kids for that.

The staff is actually going to Ziplining later during that week, so, give you lots of activities lots of crafts.

Things like that scavenger hunts.

A quick check back on the fishing.

Still, nothing at this point, I would have been thrilled just to snag one of those little sunfish that are in this stream.

By the way there is another popular swimming hole along the little Buffalo River here in Jasper just off Little Bluff.

Rd about 50 yards or so there is Little Bluff itself, which one of those Indian trail sign looking trees and a rope swing attached to it.

This obviously is the bigger kids swimming hole and for those adults who are kids at heart.

And even if you don't take a dip here, you can take a lot of real nice pictures.

So anyway back to the fishing again or non fishing.

Does not work today?

Span wrong bait.

Wrong time of the day.

With about 600 species of wild flowers and 1000 miles up designated wild flower routes.

The Arkansa Highway Department has given us this very pleasing to the eye on the roadways, not to mention cutting down on maintenance costs.

'cause you don't have to mow as much something that I think I'll incorporate in my own backyard.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

Wild flowers.

As you might have guessed with 1000 miles or so of Highways as designated wild flower routes and more being added.

The map showing those routes is kind of like looking at spaghetti.

We chose the 3:00 sections of highways across the state for this segment, so as to get a glimpse of as many different wild flowers as possible 1st.

We took a hwy 8 between tour.

Dyson Arkadelphia through Dallas County and then Hwy 51 SW of Arkadelphia.

And finally Scenic Highway 7 N of Russellville.

Maintenance practices along all of the routes allow annual and perennial wild flowers to prosper and return year after year.

The Wild Flower Route program preserves not only existing wildflower populations, but also establishes knew roadside wildflowers with seat donated by sponsors.

Along with helping to reduce long-term maintenance costs.

The Wild Flower program also enhances roadside wildlife habitat preserves native plant populations and of course provides an attractive roadside environment.

An interesting area that's worthwhile to get out of your vehicle and take a closer look at is that air nor natural area, along Hwy 51 a little more than 5 miles SW of Arkadelphia.

This happens to be one of the highest quality.

Blackland prairies remaining in the state.

No matter which routes you decide to take it's unlikely that you'll run into any two exactly similar species of wild flowers, especially if you go during different times of the year as the blooms progress from the early spring all the way into late summer.

So check out all the Arkansa Wild flower roz throughout the natural state on your next Sunday afternoon drive Ann for more on this destination and to order a copy of an episode visit our expanded website at atn.org slash exploring Arkansas and don't forget to like our exploring arkansa Facebook fan page.

And we'll see you again.

The next time for another exciting adventure on exploring Arkansas.