Bring Your Family To
The Cossatot Center

© copyright 2005
by Lin Stone

The 16,000 square foot Cossatot Tourist Center was built at great expense in the middle of nowhere with little natural traffic coming its way.  Officially opened last October in 2004, by the end of 2005 the center had fascinated Ten Thousand Five Hundred and Forty Three visitors.  Any family that wants to increase its love of nature that comes within a hundred miles of the Cossatot Center should make a sharp turn and go see this modern marvel.

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The Center is 11 miles from Wickes.  
Wickes is on US 71 and 25 miles south of Mena Arkansas.  
The road you want to turn east on is Highway 278
It is right beside the E-Z Mart in Wickes in the center of town.
The dedicated center lane makes it easy to turn.

Bring your family here for a full day of learning.  Together and separately 
learn how the webs of life are spun into a wondrous tapestry.  Guide your 
young ones to an appreciation of earth's immense beauty, an understanding 
of the basic mysteries of life.  Explore and discuss the difference between 
night and day and what happens differently in each of them.  

Explain how we should arm ourselves with knowledge about the dangers 
and hazards we are stepping into when leaving the safety of our home.  
Take advantage of the free films and hands-on learning projects available 
there to your family.

When you bring your family up to the center and step out, invite them to notice how different the air smells first.  "This air is what you'd expect at the top of a pine-studded mountain with an upward breeze washing over hardwoods below."  

Next you will want them to notice how clean the area is, and how well-built the building is.  Now it is time to step inside where ot is almost like a spacious museum, except for the little candy dishes scattered all around as if you'd dropped in at Grandma's house.  Be sure to reinforce the idea to leave some candy behind for the next family.

Your family will discover the staff is extremely friendly, and the interactive exhibits are second to none found anywhere in the State of Arkansas. 

Lin Stone is an author, writer and photographer living in Mena Arkansas among the gentle mountains known as Ouachita.  He writes about adventures and he writes about the peaceable things of this world for Your Vacation World.  In his spare time Lin writes copy for American Insurance Depot.  You can have immediate, and free, reading of many more pieces when you send your little surfer scooting to Lin's home page where he keeps stirring up more good things for the soul.

Special stories he has done for Your Vacation World include: Robbers Cave  *  Beaver's Bend  *   The Belted Galloway Oreo Cookie Cows  *  Hot Springs  *  Hot Springs Bathhouses  *  The Grand Prairie Museum  *  Beebe Flea Market  *  Cities of Arkansas  *  Benny Anderson   *  Family Heritage  *  Horses  and many more.

 I especially liked the exhibit that invited me to be a rainmaker.  Press the button and you can see immediate proof that more water runs off one kind of terrain than another.

The exhibit describing the birds that populate this area gave extremely good pictures, and the descriptive legends were in depth   Fish, mammals, wild flowers, reptiles and the invertebrate group are described in equal detail.

Written by a superb writer, your family will enjoy the experience as well as learn fascinating facts about each division of life and form in this area.

Get Your Own Survival Tools and Equipment. Thousands of items to choose from.  Just for example, you will find 23 different tools to start a fire with.  There is one method that will easily and surely light a fire in a fierce rainstorm any time you need it.  Yet the fire will extinguish instantly to avoid detection, leaving no residue, no odor, and no smoke.

Pictures of animal pelts and other animal remains. Photo by Lin Stone. All Rights Reserved.
In the very center of the display room is a display of pelts and other animal remains.

While the water levels are normally too low for paddling during the summer and early fall your family will find it is PERFECT for little family picnics.  Wading, splashing and carrying on is encouraged.  The water is sparkling clean.  There are several places deep enough to swim in   The rocks are fascinating.  Birds and butterflies are in abundant evidence.  Little campsites are stationed along the river's edge with easy access trails leading to the water.

Paddlers

Get your river level information by calling 870 387 3141.  Take your choice of a 9.5 mile float, a six mile float, or a 4.5 mile float.  Beginning paddlers are encouraged to try some other place to learn.  Even experienced paddlers are reminded to bring ALL the right gear, or suffer the consequences.

The Cossatot River at 18" flow.
Even at this depth you can find swimming holes,
but your little children will prefer to wade out and search for rocks.

You can contact the Visitor's Center by calling 870 385-2201
 There's even an email address.

the end

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