USA, Arkansas, Little Rock, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, site of 1954 school desegregation battles

Getty Images/AWL Images RM

Little Rock Central High School

Arkansas

LoginSave

Little Rock's most riveting historic attraction is the site of the 1957 desegregation crisis that changed the country forever. This was where a group of African American students known as the Little Rock Nine were first denied entry to the then all-white high school despite a unanimous 1954 Supreme Court ruling forcing the integration of public schools. Images of the students being escorted to class by national guard soldiers remain some of the most iconic records of the Civil Rights movement.

There's an on-site National Parks museum that offers some interpretive displays on the Little Rock Nine incident. Sadly, following the desegregation of Little Rock's public schools, white students packed into private 'segregation academies.'

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • William J Clinton Presidential Center

    William J Clinton Presidential Center

    2.29 MILES

    This library houses the largest archival collection in presidential history, including 80 million pages of documents and two million photographs (although…

  • Heifer Urban Farm

    Heifer Urban Farm

    2.36 MILES

    Heifer International is a global nonprofit that aims to eliminate world hunger via a 'not a cup, but a cow' philosophy - effectively, teaching sustainable…

  • Historic Arkansas Museum

    Historic Arkansas Museum

    1.72 MILES

    A cluster of historic buildings is spaced around a museum center that contains permanent and changing exhibitions on all facets of Arkansas history, from…

  • ESSE Purse Museum

    ESSE Purse Museum

    1.39 MILES

    This fascinating museum has an intensive niche mission: telling the tale of the 20th-century American woman via her handbag. Hundreds of purses from 1900…

  • Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum

    Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum

    1.98 MILES

    This museum showcases two World War 2–era vessels – the Hoga, a tugboat that was present at Pearl Harbor, and the Razorback, a submarine that served…

  • Riverfront Park

    Riverfront Park

    1.88 MILES

    This park rolls pleasantly along the Arkansas River, and both pedestrians and cyclists take advantage of it. It's a truly fine integration of the river…

  • Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

    Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

    1.88 MILES

    The Butler Center is a research department of the Central Arkansas Library System dedicated to promoting an understanding of the state's arts and culture…

View more attractions

Nearby Arkansas attractions

1. ESSE Purse Museum

1.39 MILES

This fascinating museum has an intensive niche mission: telling the tale of the 20th-century American woman via her handbag. Hundreds of purses from 1900…

2. Historic Arkansas Museum

1.72 MILES

A cluster of historic buildings is spaced around a museum center that contains permanent and changing exhibitions on all facets of Arkansas history, from…

3. Arkansas Arts Center

1.75 MILES

Little Rock's art museum features excellent visiting exhibitions and a permanent collection that includes an impressive array of contemporary crafts, an…

4. Riverfront Park

1.88 MILES

This park rolls pleasantly along the Arkansas River, and both pedestrians and cyclists take advantage of it. It's a truly fine integration of the river…

5. Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

1.88 MILES

The Butler Center is a research department of the Central Arkansas Library System dedicated to promoting an understanding of the state's arts and culture…

6. Museum of Discovery

1.97 MILES

A proper science-and-natural-history museum, perfect for families. There are exhibits on the human body, Arkansas ecosystems, tornadoes, paleontology, and…

7. Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum

1.98 MILES

This museum showcases two World War 2–era vessels – the Hoga, a tugboat that was present at Pearl Harbor, and the Razorback, a submarine that served…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "usa/the-south/little-rock/attractions/little-rock-central-high-school/a/poi-sig/1250506/362191",
  "destination": "Arkansas",
  "continent": "North-America",
  "country": "USA",
  "region": "Arkansas",
  "position": "superzone"
}