[ Heifer International ]
Heifer International, a charitable organization that fights worldwide poverty with gifts of livestock, makes its home in Little Rock. The world headquarters building is open for tours, with several points of interest for visiting groups.
A tour of the complex starts at Heifer Village, an exhibit that shows snapshots of communities in various parts of the world. Young visitors learn about the problem of global poverty and how livestock gifts help to transform the economies of these local economies. Tours then go on to showcase some of the sustainability features of the headquarters building, which has won awards for its minimal environmental impact.
Groups with a special interest in philanthropy can also make the short drive outside of Little Rock to visit Heifer Ranch, where they can learn more about the organization’s work and see expanded dioramas that depict living conditions in developing nations.
[ Museum of Discovery ]
In the River Market District, the heart of downtown Little Rock, the Museum of Discovery gives groups a chance to let loose and get creative as they learn about science, technology and the wonders of the modern world. The oldest museum in Arkansas, it started as a natural history museum in the 1920s and then renovated and refocused as a science institution in the late 1990s.
Today, the museum’s exhibits include interactive favorites such as “Nanotechnology: What’s the Big Deal?” which introduces guests to floating molecules and the materials that make up the building blocks of life. Other favorites include “Illusion Confusion,” “Dinosaur Discovery,” “Backyard Science” and “Astronomy: It’s a Blast!”
One of the museum’s most distinctive aspects is its “Tinkering Studio,” a 450-square-foot workshop where visitors can use toys, tools and materials to experiment and invent their own creations.
