(upbeat music) - Good morning, Arkansas students and families.

This is Meghan Ables, back with you again this morning to keep learning because learning is so important this summer.

Today, we're gonna learn about some characteristics of three different places here in Arkansas.

Some of you students may have never been to these places.

Today, you're gonna get to learn about them and you're gonna get to see what they look like.

So let's get started first with Petit Jean State Park.

Petit Jean Park is located in Morrilton and it was our very first state park.

In fact, it was established in 1923.

And did you know there are over 3,000 acres and I looked it up and guess how many football fields that is?

Over 2,500 football fields!

Think about how big that is.

There are mountains, there are cabins, creeks, trails to hike, a 95-foot waterfall.

I want you to think about standing down and looking up 90 feet in the air at a waterfall.

You'll see people walking around, fishing, kayaking, peddling boats, and looking at the canyons.

It's beautiful because you know, Arkansas is the natural state so there are lots of beautiful characteristics there.

And next we're gonna go to Blanchard Springs Caverns.

This is the only cave administered by the U.S. Forest Service.

It is considered one of the most beautiful in the country.

Located 15 miles northwest of Mountain View.

Some of you may be from Mountain View.

You can go camping, visit a cave, go to the lake, a waterfall, a cavern, a meal, a boardwalk.

If you go in the cave, be sure to look up.

When you look up, you'll say stalactites hanging down.

And then be sure to look down and see the stalagmites rising up from the floor.

Then we're gonna go over to the Buffalo National River.

And if you ever hear people say they're gonna float the Buffalo, this is what they're talking about, going to the Buffalo National River.

So this was the first national river in the U.S., established in 1972, and this river flows for 135 miles.

Guys, that's a long way.

I don't know that Ms. Meghan could float 135 miles.

On that though, while you're there, you'll see whitewater rapids.

There might be a sink hole or a limestone bluff, waterfalls, caves, and of course, the mountain biking trails, and that flows through Newton, Searcy, and Marion County.

So let's look quickly at the characteristics that some of these places have in common.

The Buffalo River and Blanchard Springs, they have camping.

Petit Jean Mountain and Blanchard Springs have waterfalls.

And Buffalo River and Petit Jean Mountain, you can go hiking.

And don't forget the bluffs, the whitewater rapids, the creeks, the canyon, the old mill, and the caves.

So thanks today for joining me as we look at all the characteristics of these places.

♪ It's time to rise and shine ♪