MENA: HEART OF THE OUACHITAS Natural beauty is a boon for business. BY RICK CHRISMAN AND GREG NABHOLZ Historic Mena High School, Addition and Renovation, Mena
T
he Ouachita Mountains attract visitors from surrounding states and beyond. They come for the autumn colors, scenic vistas, pristine waterways, abundant wildlife, whitewater rafting and ATV trails. Mena is in the heart of the Ouachitas, and the influx of outdoor lovers is a catalyst for redevelopment planning. Each year, thousands of tourists traveling by car, RV and motorcycle arrive in Mena to take the 54-mile Talimena Scenic Drive that traverses the mountaintops between Mena and Talihina, Oklahoma. Located along this drive at the top of Rich Mountain is Wilhelmina State Park. The park is a 12-mile drive from Mena. In addition to the recently renovated lodge and restaurant, it offers RV and tent camping, a miniature railroad, hiking trails and breathtaking views. Mena is also minutes from hiking and mountain biking trails, clear rivers and lakes, crystal quartz digging and, for the more 48 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 7 | 2021
adventurous, 40 miles of ATV trails through the Ouachita National Forest and a zipline park that flies through 300-year-old trees. DOWNTOWN MENA ‘BASE CAMP FOR MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES’ The Talimena Scenic Drive flows into the historic arts district in downtown Mena. Mena Street, also referred to as Main Street, has a variety of restaurants, quaint shops, flea markets, museums and historic buildings that harken back to Mena’s bustling beginning as a railroad town for the Kansas City Southern railroad. The nationally recognized Mena Art Gallery has monthly exhibits. The performing arts theater, Ouachita Little Theater, gives local actors the opportunity to showcase their talent and engage the community. The oldest operating restaurant on Mena Street is the Skyline Cafe, which opened in 1919. It serves breakfast and lunch six days
