A beautiful escape to a cabin in the woods

The holidays are coming upon us and after the hustle and bustle, too many cookies, way too much dressing, decorating and un-decorating the house, a cabin in the woods in January sounds like a cool idea, huh?

Village Creek State Park in Wynne is a great place to escape for a weekend like that.

During one of our welcome center manager meetings, we all met up at there. It was a very pretty drive in late August and when I pulled up to the duplex cabin I was assigned to, I immediately felt at home.

With a fully stocked kitchen and a door that opened between the two cabins, we were all set. Not all cabins are like this, so you would have to request this cabin. We

brought our own food of course and grilled out. With 16 of us, both cabins were pretty full but it was

a lot of fun.

Not all 16 of us were sleeping in the cabins, just four of us. The rest had their own cabins to share. We gathered there because one of the managers loves to cook and plans lots of dishes so it was easy just to do it where she was. Luckily, she was sharing the duplex right next to mine!

We didn’t stay up too late because we had business to take care of the next morning. Our boss did

make sure to schedule in some travel time to the sites around Wynne.

The history of the park is fascinating. Settlers moved into the area in the early 1800s. In 1824, Congress authorized construction of the Memphis to Little Rock Road. Completed in 1829, the road provided the first real access to the area.

A post office was established by 1826 with the mail route following the Memphis to Little Rock Road. Today’s park includes a portion of the now historic road, a component of the Trail of Tears and some of the land owned by William Strong, the area’s first postmaster.

The 7,000 acres of the park are entirely upon an unusual geological formation called Crowley’s Ridge. Park facilities are centered in a long, wide valley which runs through the center of the park.

This valley was cut into the eastern side of Crowley’s Ridge. Park facilities are centered in a long, wide valley which runs through the center of the park. This valley was cut into the eastern side of Crowley’s Ridge by the erosive action of Village Creek. Covering most of this rugged terrain is a mixed hardwood forest that differs distinctly from any other area of Arkansas.

Several tree species commonly seen in the woods at Village Creek are uncommon to the rest of the state, such as the sugar maple, butternut, cucumber tree

and tulip tree or yellow poplar.

There are 10 cabins that are fully furnished including linens and woodburning fireplaces, screened in porches, ceiling fans and televisions among other amenities. There are one, two and three bedrooms available. There is also one two-bedroom cabin that is barrier free.

There are also 96 campsites near Lake Dunn with various ratings with each offering dual voltage electrical outlets, freezeproof water hookups, a table and grill. Five modern bath houses, two sanitary trailer stations, a swimming beach, playground, boat dock and launch ramp are conveniently located in or near the campgrounds.

Rentals for fishing boats, electric motors, kayaks and pedal boats are available. Day use facilities and a Visitors

Center Complex are also on the grounds. The Discovery Room at the visitor center features a display on the four Indian nations forced to move to land in Oklahoma, making their trek along the Memphis to Little Rock Road. This became the Bell Route of the Trail of Tears; a portion of which is preserved at the park.

For the golfers, Village Creek offers The Ridges at Village Creek. This is an Andy Dyedesigned 27-hole championship golf course.

More information about the park is available by calling 870238-9406 or sending an email to villagecreek@arkansas.com.