Markham Street: Little Rock – Arkansas

Join us for a short but significant 1-mile drive along Markham Street in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas — a corridor packed with civic landmarks, cultural institutions, and historic architecture. This route serves not just as a major downtown thoroughfare, but as a visual journey through the political and cultural heart of the state.

Our drive begins heading east from Cross Street — although you’ll notice the video mistakenly labels this as another intersection — and immediately places us in the heart of Little Rock’s central business district. Not long after we start, we cross Broadway Street, which also carries U.S. Highway 70 through the city. Broadway is a key north-south route in downtown and passes City Hall on the corner, a handsome Beaux-Arts building that anchors the civic core. Once we cross Broadway, Markham transitions into East Markham Street, signaling our shift toward the historic riverfront.

From here, we cruise past two of Little Rock’s most iconic landmarks: the Robinson Center and the Old State House Museum. The Robinson Center, a performance hall perched atop a bluff above the Arkansas River, is a centerpiece for concerts and civic events. Just a bit farther east is the Old State House, Arkansas’s original capitol building and now a museum that chronicles the state’s complex history — a fantastic stop for anyone wanting to dive deeper into the region’s past. Both sites lie just north of the street and are easily walkable if you’re exploring on foot.

As we approach Louisiana Street, we hit one of two four-way stops situated at the entrance to the Capital Hotel and the Statehouse Convention Center. This intersection forms a kind of urban plaza, where restored 19th-century architecture meets modern event space — making it a hub for tourism and state functions alike. After crossing Scott Street, we end our route with a right turn onto Cumberland Street, which also carries several major designations: LaHarpe Boulevard, Cantrell Road, and Arkansas Highway 10. This westbound connector hugs the Arkansas River and leads travelers back toward Hillcrest and the Heights neighborhoods.

Despite its short length, this stretch of Markham Street is loaded with significance. It links government, commerce, culture, and tourism in a walkable and visually engaging way — and is one of the best ways to experience Little Rock’s downtown atmosphere in just a few minutes behind the wheel.