May 15, 2024
Today was an exploration day. We had been told about a couple of really neat places to visit. First on our list is The Swinging Bridge. It is a historic cable type bridge with an interesting history. It was the first bridge built as part of the first road in the Ozark National Forest. It was built in 1914 but has been rebuilt a couple of times due to flooding. However the original concrete abutments are still anchoring the bridge. It was a neat bridge
I thought we were closer to the next stop but it took a little longer to get to Calico Rock. Calico Rock is a small little town that sits on the White River. We stopped in “downtown” and parked in front of the Calico Rock Museum and Visitors Center. We really were not expecting much but we went in and talked to a very nice lady. She told us there was a timeline museum that we can walk through for free. You start on one side and work you way downstairs and under the visitors center and come up on the other side. It was an interesting and educational tour. Being on the river it was an original port for steamships. Railroads actually put the town out of business. Around the corner is an actual ghost town. We drove and looked at the signs telling us what used to be in the buildings. While in the museum we were told about the City Rock Bluff. It is an out of the way area where you can look down on the White River and Calico Rock. The view was beautiful. We opted to call it a day but we now know a few places to recommend for our guests.
