U.S. Route 64: Russellville to Morrilton – Arkansas

Take a scenic ride through the heart of the Arkansas River Valley as we follow a 26-mile stretch of U.S. Route 64 from Russellville to Morrilton. This drive hugs the southern edge of the Ozark foothills and cuts through towns steeped in agriculture, railroad heritage, and small-town charm—offering a quiet but quintessential slice of central Arkansas life.We begin our journey in downtown Russellville, turning east from Arkansas Highway 7 onto U.S. 64—also known here as Main Street. Russellville, anchored by Arkansas Tech University and the Arkansas Nuclear One power plant, blends college-town energy with a solid industrial backbone. As we leave the city limits, the road gently descends toward the farmlands of the valley, with the tree-lined horizon giving way to open fields and glimpses of the Arkansas River off to the south. Pottsville is the first community we encounter—a bedroom town for Russellville, once known for its tomato canneries and now a quiet suburb with a growing population. Here, the highway slows slightly as we pass through its small commercial center.

Just a few minutes later, we arrive in Atkins—a town famous across Arkansas for a humble snack: the fried pickle. In fact, Atkins claims to be the birthplace of the fried pickle, thanks to Bernell “Fatman” Austin who first battered and deep-fried them at the Duchess Drive-In back in 1963. The town hosts a Fried Pickle Festival every spring, a reminder of its offbeat but delicious legacy. The highway through Atkins is lined with grain silos, rail spurs, and hardware stores, reflecting its continued role as an agricultural hub. Beyond downtown, U.S. 64 parallels the Union Pacific tracks for a bit, a reminder that this corridor once served as a vital rail link between the river towns and Little Rock. As we push further east, the terrain remains open and pastoral, with patches of woods breaking up stretches of soybeans and pasture.

Our final approach into Morrilton is marked by a return to denser development and low hills in the distance. As we enter town, U.S. 64 becomes Broadway Street, carrying us past residential neighborhoods, mid-century storefronts, and the stately Conway County Courthouse, built in 1929 with an unmistakable classical revival style. Morrilton is often overshadowed by its better-known neighbors, but it has its own claim to fame as the gateway to Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas’s first state park, just a few miles to the west via AR-154. The drive ends at the intersection with North Division Street in the heart of downtown Morrilton—a crossroads of heritage and modern life, framed by redbrick buildings and the echoes of old river commerce.

This modest stretch of U.S. 64 might not boast dramatic cliffs or sweeping mountain vistas, but it offers a road trip through the quiet backbone of the state: towns that fed the region, housed its workers, and continue to carry the weight of everyday Arkansas. It’s a drive that rewards attentiveness—not with spectacle, but with the rhythm of rural life and roadside Americana.