Ah, Arkansas! The Natural State. The Land of Opportunity. The land of many natural wonders and a few weird Arkansas laws but more on that later. How about digging for some diamonds at Crater of Diamond State Park? Or maybe a hike throughout the Ozark Mountains? Arkansas Air Museum awaits visitors that want to see vintage aircrafts that are in flying condition. Thorncrown Chapel is here to host magnificent weddings or just to be admired. Garvan Woodland Gardens will surprise you with its botanical wonders. Other favorite attractions include The Walmart Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Mount Magazine State Park, Blanchard Springs Caverns and many more.
And while we would love to sit around and talk about the many beauties this state has to offer, we’re here to make sure you’ll be ok once you visit it. Why, you ask? Because there are a few weird Arkansas laws you should definitely be aware of. If not you might get into all sorts of unpleasant troubles.
1. No eating cheese on a Friday!
Unless you also have a beer nearby then you shouldn’t do it. It seems in Little Rock, Arkansas cheese without the beer doesn’t go well.
2. Zabradacka, where are you?
Don’t name your kid Zabradacka or the law will come after you. In Arkansas it’s actually illegal to call your child Zabradacka.
3. In Fayetteville, it’s against the law to kill any living creature
If you’re into hunting or the likes, this is not the place for it.
4. In Little Rock, AR, the Arkansas River must not rise higher than Main Street bridge or else…
Will the law come after the river if that happens? Will it get a fine? Will it go to jail?
5. No God, no office
Atheists are disliked in Arkansas and can’t hold office or testify as a witness.
6. No “special” burgers
If you’re a fan of bat or owl burgers then you should know this is frowned upon in Fayetteville.
7. July is not for dancing
In July, men are not allowed to ask women to dance for the whole month.
8. In Little Rock, you can’t flirt on the street
This may lead to 30 days in jail! Be very careful and don’t flirt with anyone here or risk getting some sort of punishment even if it’s not jail time.
9. In Fayetteville, dogs are not allowed to bark after 6 PM
While we understand why this rule is in place we also wonder how well it’s enforced. Do police rely on people calling in tips on barking dogs after 6 PM? And is 6 PM ok? Would maybe 9 PM have been better?
10. In Arkansas you have 5 minutes to mark your ballot
While 5 minutes should be enough for this as you should already know what you’ll be voting for when you go, still… Some people may need more than 5 minutes and we’re hoping they aren’t rushed out of there.
11. Pronunciation is key in Arkansas
It seems you need to pronounce it “Arkansaw” and nothing else is ok.
12. In Little Rock, you can’t sound your horn at a restaurant
If you’re at a restaurant or any place that serves cold drinks or food, you are not allowed to sound your horn after 9 PM. 9 PM is a reasonable hour and again, wouldn’t have this been a more suitable hour for the dog barking rule?
13. No cow walking on Sundays
Do you often like to walk your cow on Main Street after 1PM on Sundays? Well, if you live in Fayetteville this is not ok. After 1PM you mustn’t do this at all.
14. No alligators in bath tubs (weird Arkansas laws at it’s best)
Alligators shouldn’t be kept or left in bath tubs. That should be clear, right? It seems not everyone gets it. We’ve seen this or something similar in other states as well like in our weird list of weird Michigan laws where you’re not allowed to tie an alligator to a fire hydrant – who does that?!
15. Unverified law: legal to beat your wife once a month!
It seems there was some sort of “law” in Arkansas in the past that claimed you can legally beat your wife but just once a month! Sounds awful and we’re just not sure if this was ever a “law” or if someone just said it was and it caught on somehow. Anyway, it’s strange to say the least.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about these weird Arkansas laws and maybe some put a smile on your face while others got a few raised eyebrows. Whatever it was, we hope they got a reaction from you. If you know of any other weird laws from Arkansas, please do share them.
Have a good one! And remember: it’s “Arkansaw”!
