Late summer is a great excuse to point the car toward the Ozarks and see what is happening beyond the usual weekend stops. Arkansas has festivals that can turn a simple day trip into something you will still be talking about weeks later.
Imagine wagons racing at speed, knights battling in a fantasy village, or a mountain crowd gathering for a chicken dinner. Elsewhere, polished hot rods climb a ridge, folk musicians take over a historic downtown, and climbers keep working sandstone routes through the night.
The fun is in the contrast. No two stops on this list feel alike, and that means you can pick the kind of day you want…