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When you are home for the world’s largest corporation, it seems everyone takes notice. Wal-Mart and Sam's Club are joined by all the best known national chains including Dillard’s, Kohl’s, Belk, J.C. Penney, Sears, Target, Talbot’s, Goody's, Eddie Bauer, Victoria's Secret, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Parisian Department Store, Best Buy, Circuit City, Lowes, Home Depot, Barnes & Noble, Linens 'N Things, Krispy-Kreme and Starbucks. Alongside of these giants, local favorites such as Soho Clothing or Stevette's offer personalized attention and fine apparel, while exclusive and hard-to-find cheeses and meats are available in upscale enclaves such as Village on the Creeks. It's no wonder that more stores are opening daily, hoping to add to the eye-popping $3.5 billion in retail sales rung up locally every year.

Of course, our area might best be known for the bi-annual Arts and Crafts Fairs, featuring wonderful hand-crafted items and antiques that draw people from surrounding states; filling all available lodging in a frenzy of buying and selling.

Dine

When Tyson's, the worlds largest supplier of fresh meat, has its headquarters in your back yard, you tend to take dining very seriously. Our perfect mix of city and country produces a thriving culinary atmosphere. If you choose a regional specialty like ribs, you will savor the strictly local offerings from hundreds of spots with names like Bubba's, Smokin' Joes, Rib Crib, or The Hillbilly Smokehouse. We produce more chickens than anyone else, too, and more than a few end up enhancing the well-earned reputation of places like AQ Chicken House and Monte Ne Inn.

If you are looking for a more elegant setting, the James Beard Award-winning James at the Mill features Ozark Plateau Cuisine, or Basil's, a trendy nouvelle bistro, is located in upscale Pinnacle Point, where you will want to savor a specialty coffee or dessert after dinner at the Market.

Sophisticated French items are offered at the Blackboard, and nothing matches a stop at the Crumpet Tea Room. If it's a gorgeous view of Beaver Lake you want, try lunch at the Lodge at Whitney Mountain. Another great view is offered at Roaring River. Amazingly, even more is available in Eureka Springs, known to have almost as many great restaurants as citizens.

Of course, you can count on finding all your favorite chains, like Olive Garden, Applebee's, Outback Steak House, Red Lobster, Chili's, Ruby Tuesday, Panera Bread, Atlanta Bread Company, Johnny Carino's, Copelands, On the Border, Pepper Jacks, Brioso Brazil, and O'Charleys.

Relax

A glance into the back of many a vehicle in our area will show some fishing gear, tucked away until the end the work day when we can spend a few hours before dark trying to land trophy-sized bass from the 500 miles of Beaver Lake shoreline or the many other lakes that are always just minutes away. Area trout streams offer wide-open serenity along with world record Browns.

Or you might see a set of golf clubs, ready for a round at our plentiful and uncrowded courses. After all, our area ranks 8th nationally for private golf holes per capita, and 66th in total holes per capita.

With so much water so close to home, life on the waves is just a part of daily life. Sail boats, pontoon boats, cruisers, and wave runners are part of our lives, and so too, canoes and kayaks. The clear blue waters attract scuba divers, and hikers enjoy the noisy woodpeckers and birds of all hues on the many nature trails.

Our hunters count on filling their freezers with white-tail deer, wild turkey, ducks and elk, whether they are using bows, black powder, or other favorite guns, they know the vast acres of nearby hunting areas will be provide the perfect hunting scene.

It seems every other car has a Razorback sticker, and going to the games at nearby national powerhouse University of Arkansas is a long-standing tradition.