Sunken Lands Cultural Roadway-Cycling Route
Among all the Delta cycling routes, this one is special because of the fascinating stops along the way. Start your ride with a visit to the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum in Tyronza. Then head north on Main Street, leaving town and coming to a T. Turn left on Mid South Road toward Marked Tree. From there, head out on Elm Street (AR-308) to Staton Lane N and continue to the Little River, where you’ll turn right and enter Lepanto, home of "A Painted House," which appeared in the movie based on the John Grisham novel. From there, ride out on Pritchett Road to Johnny Cash’s Boyhood Home near Dyess. The home has been beautifully restored to its appearance when Johnny and the Cash family lived there. A museum in the Dyess center tells the story of the Cash family and other colonists who were part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's agricultural resettlement experiment during the New Deal. Ride out of Dyess on County Road 940 headed for Wilson, where Hampson Archeological Museum State Park preserves the excavated ruins of the Nodena Native American Village (1400-1650 AD). From there, take US-61 westbound to Bassett, where you’ll turn right on AR-181 and head back to Tyronza. The ride is 4 1/2 hours long if you don’t stop, but you’ll want to leave early in the morning and allow plenty of time to see the sights. Note that there is a slightly modified driving version of the Sunken Lands Cultural Roadway, which begins and ends in Wilson as a loop off the Great River Road National Scenic Byway. Doesn't really matter where you hop on or off--just enjoy the journey.