28. Arkansas
Arkansas ends up being one of the highest Southern states on this list, and I think its because the scenery has much of what the best of Missouri has to offer.
Kosuke with his bass at Table Rock Lake
I have spent very little time in Arkansas, but I have been near the northern border of the state countless times. Table Rock Lake, shared between Missouri and Arkansas is somewhere where I have many great memories, and it is the exact reason why Arkansas is here. The lush green hills of the Ozarks are truly unmatched in this country and are truly a site to behold. When you’re on Table Rock, it truly feels like you are surrounded by ancient land with bluffs and steep hills that go straight into the water. It’s a lake where you can truly have all the fun you would want for a place like this without the massive crowds of other similar lakes like Lake of the Ozarks.
But that is just a small piece of Arkansas. Much of the state is covered by the Ozarks. And it doesn’t have the issue Missouri does where half the state is bland. You truly get some of the best and most dense forests of it’s type. So different from the Northwest or Northeast. There’s really nothing like the Ozarks, and I think you don’t truly get it until you’ve been there.
All my problems with Arkansas come down to the same issues of most of the other Southern states: history of racism and the Confederacy, and still racism and prejudice that extends to today. I feel bad for this playing such a big role in my rankings of all these states, because there really is more to the people here. But it does play a factor in making me feel more uncomfortable visiting. These states also don’t treat LGBTQ people all too kindly, and am I really able to visit a state and feel good about it if there are laws in place to prevent me from using the bathroom. I think I can and still love these states, but it does make it harder, even if these laws are hopefully temporary. But who knows how long it’ll last.
Also I’m not really sure it’s a positive that this state gave us the Clintons.
