We took a trip to Moro Bay State Park with the express purpose of catching some music! Who would have thought that El Dorado, Arkansas would have a great Sypmhonic Orchestra?
Camping in Moro Bay – music of a different sort
It was great getting to camp in Moro Bay State Park. This is an extremely well run park. It was great getting into our super flat, paved spot amongst the tall pines. There were open fields, a playground and of course river access. It was music to the soul.
Missed the Pines and seeing other areas of the state. Traveling is an addictive drug!
Getting eats in Downtown El Dorado, Arkansas
First, please – whatever you do – pronounce it “El Do-Ray-do” and not “El Dor-ah-do”. You rile up the natives if you mess that up. I am a firm believer of pronouncing places the way the natives there prounce the place. I grew up in Kentucky and there is a place called “Versailles”. Pronounce it “Ver-Sails” or no one will know where you are talking about (obviously in France, call it “Ver Sigh”).
We needed to get food and traveled the 20 minutes into town from the Park. We checked out Laredo Grill (that one is pronounced as you would think!). It had an amazing atmosphere, and the temperature was great with low humidity so we sat on the patio.
Unfortunately, we had an unpleasant experience with the food quality, service and price point. We really wanted it to be awesome, but there was not much beyond the atmosphere (which, again, was AMAZING – great music selection, lighting, vibe, etc).
We also grabbed lunch at a great little diner called Johnny B’s. This is a no frills place that stays packed for great reason. We loved our food, waitress and and location. Parking can be tricky, street parking right next to the place, but if you continue north there’s an accessible lot (oops).
Patty melt with sweet potato waffles fries! @Ashthetravelinwife loved it! Lol
Finally, the Music!
The Southern Arkansas Symphonic Orchestra was truly amazing. I was not certain what to expect, so I kind of went in with a blank slate. We paid our entrance fee and were pleasantly surprised to find it included trips to the open bar (wine and beer) and kids drinks.
The Orchestra bill was all movie music! They started with The Maginificent Seven, rolled through Gone with the Wind, a LOT of John Williams, some Back to the Future. Almost too much to mention. They were amazing musicians. The conductor was great (for those that do not know me, I was a professional musician in one of my previous career).
It was a great venue, with balcony seating and general admission seating. There were projectors set up to play stills from the various movies the Orchestra was playing.
Long Story short – go take an adventure!
We took a chance and had several great experiences. If you think you may be interested in something, go do it! If you are new to us, check out our archives. Stay tuned, you never know where we may turn up – because we don’t!
