At a time when tourism connected to the Caddo River is a growing sector of Glenwood’s economy, it got a significant promotional boost this month when the river was ranked as one of the nation’s top “natural lazy rivers” to float. The globally recognized magazine Travel + Leisure included the Caddo in its listing of the top 15 rivers that fit the description in an article published on June 17.

“These are some of the most scenic, serene, and fun natural lazy rivers to plan a vacation around right now,” the story said. 

The Caddo River was ranked at number 7, with the publication offering this description:

“The river originates at cold-water springs high up in the Ouachita Mountains, cutting a spectacular course along forested shorelines and past rocky outcroppings. Caddo River Camping & Canoe Rental rents tubes and provides shuttle service, and you can stay along the river at Caddo River Cabins, a beautiful property where eagles soar and deer roam, and wild blueberries are free for the picking on-site in June and July.”

For Ki and Kayla Hartsfield, a couple that has been actively promoting tourism on the river with state and regional partners, this ranking validates what they’ve long been saying.

“I was just so excited and proud more than anything. For us to have made that list, that’s a great honor,” said Kayla Hartsfield, president of the Glenwood Regional Chamber of Commerce. She also leads other groups and is an organizer of events like the Downtown Glenwood Farmers Market.

Tourism is the number two industry in the community, behind the manufacturing of lumber and wood at sawmills, which has historically been the backbone of Glenwood’s economy. She expects tourism will eventually become the top industry and has been working to prepare the city to provide what visitors expect. 

Over the past year, campaigns have aggressively promoted floating, tubing and canoeing on the river. The campaigns have been backed by Arkansas Tourism, which is a division of the state Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and the Diamond Lakes Travel Association, which is a regional nonprofit organization promoting tourism in southwest Arkansas.

Ki Hartsfield, who is a past president of the Glenwood Regional Chamber of Commerce, credits that collaboration with raising the profile of the river. 

“It’s just been a hidden gem in Arkansas for a long time. I think we are just now on the cusp of the growth and the tourism that could be coming our way,” he said. “I think it’s just been overshadowed by other rivers, maybe because of the lack of advertising and efforts on our part, but I think we are working in unison together from state level to local level to the private level to really reach its full potential.”

Today a row of cabins known as Caddo River Row are along the water in a gated area providing overnight accommodations for visitors. They range in size from one bedroom to six bedrooms, with some being large enough to accommodate up to 30 guests. Most are owned by investors from the Texarkana area and are booked through online platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. Caddo River Cabins is a smaller group of four cabins by the river, managed by Sundancer Cabin Rentals. Construction of those began around 2010.

“The private side of nightly rentals has grown. So with that comes more exposure and more advertising,” Hartsfield said. “I give a lot of credit to the property owners and the outfitters. I think everybody’s done their part.”

Promoting the region for tourism

The Diamond Lakes Travel Association is a nonprofit organization that represents Pike County, Garland County, Hot Spring County, Clark County and Montgomery County. It has a board with three members from each county. It’s one of 12 associations statewide that partner with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism to promote each region. 

The association’s key project is producing annual vacation guides that are intended to attract visitors to destinations like Glenwood, Hot Springs, Murfreesboro and Mount Ida. The most recent edition had 135,000 copies printed which were placed in welcome centers, hotels and restaurants. 

The state department provides some funding, with the association raising another portion for a 2-to-3 match, said association President Bill Solleder. He has led the association for the past three years with his current term to end on June 30. His full-time job is serving as director of marketing at Visit Hot Springs, a city that has maintained a tourist-driven economy for over 200 years.

Solleder said when he became involved with the association, his knowledge of Glenwood was limited to recreation on the Caddo River and that some businesses rented canoes and kayaks.

“I didn’t know too much about Glenwood until I met who I would call the current heartbeat of Glenwood, Kayla Hartsfield. We connected somehow and became friends on social media,” Solleder said. “I’ve never seen someone who loves Glenwood as much as Kayla does, and is just consistently promoting Glenwood and everything she’s involved in. Eventually she was recommended to join the board, so I asked her to join the board of Diamond Lakes, which she did, and she’s been a great member.”

Hartsfield has served as the association’s secretary and treasurer during the current fiscal year that ends on June 30. During the association’s most recent meeting earlier this month, she was promoted to vice president and will start the position on July 1.

For those like Hartsfield who are working to expand tourism in Glenwood, Solleder says, “just believe in your town. You’ve got a lot of work to do, but I see it happening. Just keep plugging away at it and just think about what the visitor wants.”

Hartsfield says the partnerships with the state and the Diamond Lakes Travel Association have been instrumental in the growth of tourism in Glenwood, and that attracting more visitors will be key to the city’s future.

“Just the immense economic impact that the river and the tourism industry have on our community and our local businesses, it is vital. Many of our locally-owned small businesses survive on the money that they make during river season,” she said.