12 Best Things to Do in Jonesboro, Arkansas

June 12, 2020 - Updated

Jonesboro, Arkansas has two tertiary education institutions, the Arkansas State University and New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine's A-State campus. The town has many attractions and activities to enjoy, plenty of restaurants and cafés, several museums and galleries, and numerous shops, including the vast Mall at Turtle Creek.

1.Craighead Forest Park

One of the main attractions in the city, Craighead Forest Park is a large green urban park that features a tranquil lake with fishing and several hiking trails, disc golf, and various sports courts, and a children’s playground. Situated in the scenic beauty of Crowley's Ridge, this 692-acre city-owned park offers many recreational opportunities for the public to enjoy including several biking and running trails, basketball, bird watching, fishing, camping, disc golf, horseshoes, softball and volleyball fields, and playgrounds for the young ones. The lake is stocked with bass, bream, crappie, and tilapia for fishing, and the RV campground features 26 sites, all with water and electrical hook-ups (50 amps), picnic tables, fire rings and grills, and a modern bathhouse with toilets, showers, and pay laundry machines.

4910 S Culberhouse Rd, Jonesboro, AR 72404, Phone: 870-933-4604

2.Forrest L Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature Center

The Forrest L. Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center is a community and educational center on the southern edge of Jonesboro featuring a three-story education, exhibit, and meeting facility with indoor and outdoor shows and films that the story of a unique ridge above the Mississippi Delta. The 17,033-square-foot center is set next to the southern boundary of Craighead Forest Park and boasts several self-guided trails through over five acres of prairies, 100 acres of woodlands, pristine and wetlands. Other facilities at the center include an observation tower, an auditorium and meeting rooms, a Discovery room, and a gift shop.

600 E Lawson Rd, Jonesboro, AR 72404, Phone: 870-933-6787

3.ASU Museum

The Arkansas State Museum, otherwise known as the ASU Museum is a teaching museum at the Arkansas State University and provides quality art-focused programming and exhibits that aim to engage progressive thinking. Located on the A-State campus in Jonesboro, the Arkansas State University Museum focuses on the natural history and cultural heritage of Northeast Arkansas and the Mississippi River Delta region. The ASU Museum offers an array of exhibits connected to State-mandated curriculum, long with hands-on gallery activities, tours, and audio podcasts. The Museum has a Tinkering Studio that inspires creativity and inventiveness, and a Gift Shop offers unique art-related items, books, and objects.

Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, Phone: 870-972-2100

4.Centennial Bank Stadium

The Centennial Bank Stadium (previously known as Liberty Bank Stadium) is home to the local college football team, the Red Wolves. Located on the campus of Arkansas State University, the stadium was named after the old nickname of the school, the Indians, until the 2007 season when it was renamed ASU Stadium. After Liberty Bank donated a large sum of money to the university in 2012, the stadium was again renamed the Liberty Bank Stadium, and again in 2013 after Liberty Bank was bought by Centennial Bank. The stadium currently has a seating capacity of 30,406 and features 42 loge boxes, 20 suites, a multi-level press box, which houses media areas, a video control booth, coaching booths, broadcasting locations, camera areas, a club area and visiting athletics director suite.

2180 Aggie Rd, Jonesboro, AR 72401

5.Skirmish at Jonesboro

The Skirmish at Jonesboro is a historic site managed by the American Battlefield Trust that honors the battle that took place on the Craighead Courthouse grounds during the Civil War. Craighead County was a Confederate stronghold throughout the Civil War and numerous forces, on both sides, traveled through Jonesboro during the mid-1800s. In 1862, the Federals surprised an encampment of Confederates just south of Jonesboro, captured 24 men and locked their new prisoners in the new courthouse at Jonesboro. The Confederates attacked the Union soldiers in return near the grounds of the Craighead Courthouse and freed the Confederates that were locked in the courthouse.

511 South Main Street, Jonesboro, AR 72401

6.Bradbury Art Museum

The Bradbury Art Museum is a contemporary art facility and museum based in an Arkansas State University building that showcases contemporary art, photography and innovative installations. Formerly known as the Bradbury Gallery, the Bradbury Art Museum was established in 2001 by Curt Bradbury in honor of his wife, Charlotte, and in 2015 the gallery was re-established as an art museum to reflect the scope and purpose of the facility. The Bradbury Art Museum features rotating exhibitions of contemporary art across a broad range of media, along with art-focused programming that promotes the understanding of art and its significance to society. The Museum features works from prominent regional, national and international artists, and is the site of the annual nationally recognized Delta National Small Prints Exhibition.

201 Olympic Dr, Jonesboro, AR 72401, Phone: 870-972-2567

7.Skinny J's

Skinny J’s is a family-friendly diner that serves a variety of all American specialties such as hand-cut certified Angus beef ribeye steaks, fresh ahi tuna and seared scallops, and mouthwatering homemade pasta. Established by Chef James Best in 2009, the tiny little spot in Cash just outside of Jonesboro has grown into a popular chain with three locations that provide Jonesboro, Paragould, and North Little Rock with delicious food and a warm and welcoming dining atmosphere. Skinny J’s is open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday, brunch on Sundays, and hosts live music on Tuesday nights.

205 South Main Street, Jonesboro, AR 72401, Phone: 870-275-6264

8.Lazzari Italian Oven

Lazzari Italian Oven is a well-established, family-run restaurant that serves delicious handmade Italian fare, including wood-fired pizza, homemade pasta and sauces, fresh salads, and decadent desserts in a casual, relaxing environment. Established in 1995, the family-owned and operated restaurant has over 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry and serves a varied menu of delicious Italian food, such as home-baked bread, wood-fired pizza, specialties like eggplant parmigiana, crab-stuffed mushrooms, toasted ravioli, and Pollo Con Rosamarino Alla Griglia. Lazzari Italian Oven is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

2230 S Caraway Rd, Jonesboro, AR 72401, Phone: 870-931-4700

9.Omar's Uptown

Omar's Uptown is a family-friendly restaurant that serves New American cuisine in a modern, elegant space with soaring ceilings; walls adorned with colorful art and a beautiful bar on the upper level. Omar's Uptown focuses on using fresh produce and locally sourced ingredients, along with bringing incredible flavors to the Northeast Arkansas culinary scene. The menu boasts dishes created using classic French techniques, such as smoked salmon, seared ahi tuna, crab cakes, Caesar salad, and entrées like shrimp and grits, crabmeat encrusted salmon, gnocchi picatta, and lemon walleye steak. Omar's Uptown is open for dinner only, Monday through Sunday.

301 S Main St, Jonesboro, AR 72401, Phone: 870-336-3001

10.501 Steakhouse

501 Steakhouse is a high-end, long-standing steakhouse that specializes in serving top quality, hand-cut, and award-winning prime steaks, handmade pasta and ocean-fresh seafood in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. Established over 20 years ago, 501 Steakhouse has been serving a menu of creative cuisine and mouthwatering house favorites such as highly acclaimed Ahi Tuna and Bang Bang Shrimp, a selection of steaks from Cajun Ribeye and Whiskey Filet to Hawaiian Ribeye and Farce Filet, Steak Nachos, and a hearty 10-ounce filet mignon burger. 501 Steakhouse is open for dinner Monday through Saturday, and the dress code ranges from casual to cocktail and evening attire.

2628 Phillips Dr, Jonesboro, AR 72401, Phone: 870-972-6501

11.Jason's Catfish Buffet

Jason's Catfish Buffet (formerly known as Ron's Catfish) is a casual, family-friendly restaurant that specializes in serving a variety of catfish dishes in buffet style. The modest, homey Southern seafood place serves a selection of dishes from all-you-can-eat catfish, fresh jumbo shrimp and crab, frog legs, and more. Other dishes include Farm-Raised Catfish Fillets and Steaks, Fried Chicken and Stuffed Crab, Baked Chicken Tenders and Crab Salad, along with home-style vegetables, fresh salads, and a decadent dessert bar. Jason's Catfish Buffet is open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Saturday.

3213 Dan Ave, Jonesboro, AR 72401, Phone: 870-930-9639

12.The Mall at Turtle Creek

The Mall at Turtle Creek is a vast enclosed shopping mall that features a range of brand stores, such as Target, JCPenney, Barnes & Noble, and Dillard’s. The only complete retail mall and with a 75-mile radius of Jonesboro, the shopping center also features more than 70 inline stores, as well as a food court serving a variety of food and drinks from Italian to Mexican. The Mall at Turtle Creek is served a four Jonesboro Economical Transit bus routes.

3000 E Highland Dr, Jonesboro, AR 72401