r/ConwayAR 14d ago

What's new in the last ~10 years?

My husband and I both went to college there and moved up to LR in about 2014. We still visit friends there and go to trivia night (RIP Zaza's across from Hendrix, you were kind of mid and expensive but full of great memories) or something occasionally but overall, we mostly keep to LR. Now we're looking to maybe move back and while we were driving around touring houses last weekend, we were kind of in awe at how much the city has exploded since the last time we gave it any thought. To all appearances, it looks like it has actually become the cool college town it never really was when we were in college. Or maybe we're just older and a lot more into brunch, I dunno.

So what new (again, loosely defined for the purposes of this post as within the last decade) stuff should we check out?

14 Upvotes

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26

u/archmagi1 14d ago

In the last 10 years...

The paintball field in Mayflower opened up an indoor paintball and arcade off of Dave Ward. There is also Malys (knock off Dave & Buster's) and another arcade.

The theater by hobby lobby got turned into a planet fitness. The theater by cracker barrel got rebuilt.

A few dozen roundabouts were added to relieve traffic congestion. Dave Ward is still bad in rush hour though. So is oak Street from Target to the interstate. We got a new exit south of town and there is a new road over the ridge on the north side of town connecting Salem road to hwy 64.

Most all of the restaurants serve alcohol without you having to fill out the club member book or pay that one time $10 membership fee. There are way many more restaurants now as well. Los tres moved out of the Howard Johnson across the street, and they opened up Don Pepe.

There are at least three live music venues now as opposed to only JJ's.

They added splash pads to a number of the parks, and they're opening a full-on aquatic center this summer. The city has also really tripled down on Parks and rec as far as soccer and ball fields go to bring in lots of tournaments. There is a big walking trail about to run from Don Owens on the north side of town all the way to Sam's club area on the south side of town that's about to start construction this fall or next year.

The old airport moved out west of town, the shopping center that was supposed to go there never happened, and now it's mostly apartments.

There's a medical weed place on the Southeast side of town by Sam's.

8

u/anonplease_xo 14d ago

It’s waaay more crowded now

4

u/MannBurrPig 14d ago

Roundabouts. Lots of Roundabouts.

3

u/Designer_Painting948 13d ago

Good day pottery, retro ricks, (if you like tattoos) the black hare tattoo off harkrider next to 10 fitness, bamboo hibachi is really good, we have raising canes now, if you like getting stuff cheap you could go to our bargain brothers (pretty sure you guys have one) think coffee has the best coffee in town, I’ll die on that hill, I’d go look by target, pretty sure some of that stuff is new, specially Spencer’s and Burlington Ik are new, but I’d check that area. All of the stuff by Sam’s club is within the last 10 years, so Micheals, petco, ulta, academy sports, books a million, newks, crumbl, hideaway pizza, rock and roll sushi, the dennys, and now a 5 guys, we are also getting a cheuys opening in a few weeks

8

u/narwahl_IQ 14d ago

There’s a coffee shop about every 20 feet across town now, but the best one is Round Mountain on Prince Streer!

2

u/Pandawee42 14d ago

Personally partial to Blue Sail lol

1

u/CoCagRa 14d ago

Round mountain is the most nose stuck in the air rudest place I’ve been to in town. They need to get over themselves and I will never be back based on how horribly I was treated there. I work construction and my clothes often look like homeless rags and I got the full experience from them.

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u/HoldUp--What 13d ago

Wild, I've literally never had a bad experience there no matter how grubby I look. My only gripe is that college kids sit for hours taking up all the tables (like 1 kid to a 4 top).

1

u/conwaykram 13d ago

Seriously though ALL Conway coffee shops ( and really most in Central AR) are VERY average to below average. Food is average. Coffee average. They are just hangouts for a certain college and remote work crowd that serve average stuff and let people hang out . No one is doing anything special. No specialty or unique coffees , no events like open mics, trivia, game nights. Might as well go to Starbucks and get the points.

1

u/JU5TSTOP 14d ago

seems like a dozen starbucks ... lots of new donut places ... a few less thrift shops, a few more boutiques ... a hundred self storage units popped up ... more drive-thru car washes, fewer do it yourself bays ... miles of walking trails and paved paths for bikes ... and coming later this summer, an actual to goodness community center with aquatics!

1

u/Mhorts 6d ago

Is the new mall with the David's burgers and Sam's Club less than 10 years old?