Not surprisingly for a city named for its rock bluffs, there are many different outdoor activities in Little Rock. In 1722, after exiting the Mississippi River, French explorer, Jean Baptiste Benard de La Harpe, named the first rock bluffs he saw "La Petite Roche" or "little rock". The name Little Rock remained for this capital city, which is also the largest city in Arkansas. Parks such as Riverfront, Murray, Burns, Kanis, Pinnacle Mountain and Crater of Diamonds offer plenty of wonderful outdoor activities in Little Rock.

Crater of Diamonds State Park, in Murfreesboro, offers one of the most popular and unique outdoor activities in Little Rock. Crater of Diamonds has the only diamond mine open to the public in the world where you can keep what you find. Many different colors of diamonds have been found here, with white, yellow and brown being the most common. Garnet, amethyst, hematite, peridot, jasper and quartz crystal have also been found in the Park's search area. Other outdoor activities in Little Rock's Crater of Diamonds State Park include camping, playing in a mining-themed water park and fishing for large mouth bass, bream and catfish.

There is a large selection of city parks that have great outdoor activities in Little Rock, or nearby, and all are less than a 30 minute drive away. Pinnacle Mountain, in Roland, is a state park that is known for activities such as camping, hiking and bird and wildlife watching. Kanis Park is popular for the skateboarding, jogging, biking, basketball, softball and tennis types of outdoor activities in Little Rock.

If your idea of fun outdoor activities in Little Rock includes amusement parks and playgrounds, you may want to consider going to Burns Park. Burns Park is a well-known, large municipal park that has an amusement park, playgrounds and a water slide as well as racquetball courts and tennis courts. Burns Park also has a softball field, a miniature golf course and a disc golf course.

If you are looking for outdoor activities in Little Rock that are next to the Arkansas River, consider both Murray Park and Riverfront Park. Riverfront Park, right in downtown Little Rock, features many paths and walkways, while Murray Park has two playgrounds. Murray Park is also known for outdoor activities such as fishing and soccer playing.