-It's said a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

-♪ Steppin' out ♪ -Welcome to "Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out."

Today, we're steppin' out in Little Rock, Arkansas, and going deep in the heart to discover its historic... natural... and cultural charms.

[ Pig grunting ] -How you doing, buddy?

How you doing?

How you doing?

-"Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out" is made possible by... -Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

♪♪ -There's a reason people call Myrtle Beach "The Beach."

There are 60 miles of wide, sandy beaches along South Carolina's Grand Strand coast.

This vacation destination has golf courses, attractions, food, wine, and Southern sun.

-Although I've traveled the world, I'm not immune to having preconceived ideas about a destination.

My producer, Ron Hanks, who is from Little Rock, Arkansas, invites me to explore the city and be enlightened.

-...meeting you.

-If you know me, you know that whenever I visit a city, I love to go to farmers' markets so I can get to know the people who live there.

You've been doing this for 20 years?

-Planted every tree.

-That's why it tastes so good.

-That's right.

-Because you got your heart and soul -- -That's what I try to tell people.

-This community here is very loyal.

They appreciate the work that we do.

-Sure.

-It's hard work.

-Of course.

-I tell everybody, I work harder at that than I ever did when I was working, but I enjoy this.

-In Arkansas, it feels natural for me to begin my farm-to-table adventure at the source.

It's chickens and pigs.

-Chickens and pigs.

That's what we have.

Let's get a chicken.

-Aww!

-That little guy.

-Oh, yeah.

-We got about 200 of these and we hatch our own, so this is one that I've known all its tiny chicken life.

-And how many eggs do you get?

-Any given week, we'll have about 40 dozen.

-And that's what you take to the market?

-Take them to the market, yeah.

[ Pigs grunting ] -Pigs.

-Yes.

The rest of the animals.

These are piglets.

Actually, the funny thing about this breed, these Gloucestershire Old Spots we have, is that they aren't in the mass-produced pig world because they go a little crazy in confinement.

So they're a true heritage breed, meaning that you won't get pork like this in the grocery store anywhere..

So, they're delicious pigs.

-Don't tell them.

Don't tell them.

Don't tell them.

-So, these breeds are what pork used to be like 100 years ago -Those farmers' markets are an opportunity to bring back some of the foods that we used to love.

-We go to a market in Hillcrest that is amazing.

Everybody there raises their own stuff.

-When you go to the market, the people who are producing the food are anxious to explain to you why it's different.

-Just like you want to put a face on your farmer, I really want to put a face on the customer.

I want to see you love that recipe I gave you.

That's what the market is for, for me.

-Come on in, folks.

-[ Laughs ] -Come on in.

Porch Swing is open.

We have a whole bunch of stuff to -- I guess you know what we have.

Have you been here before?

-Yes, many times.

-Yes.

-I'm helping Holly out.

-Yes.

You know, I don't usually have a lovely assistant, but today, a very lovely assistant.

-Yes.

Your hat's fantastic, by the way.

-Oh, thank you for the compliment.

-Today, I think what we need is Cheddarbacks.

-Great.

Let's do that.

-What is that?

-Well, they have cheese and ground pork and bacon.

-What does it taste like?

More cheddar or more backs?

-Backs.

-More back, more back.

-More backs.

-More of a back taste?

Thank you for coming.

And don't forget to come back.

And how are you doing today?

We should tell you about the farm.

I was just there.

The hogs are all very free-roaming and well-treated.

The hens seemed to be having fun when I was there.

-I think they do.

-What about your pork chops?

-So, we have our French cut, regular thick cut, and then a super-thick cut.

So, a French cut has and has the bone cleaned off, so you get kind of a super-elegant pork chop on this.

-Oh, so it looks prettier.

-Let me get one regular chop and the sausage.

-Yes, ma'am.

-Alright.

Thank you, Holly.

-See you soon.

-From the Hillcrest Farmers Market, my voluntary servitude continues with the blacksmith at the Historic Arkansas Museum, a city block which supports original buildings and shops dating back to Little Rock's 19th century founding.

Oh, it lit.

-And there's your fire.

That's how you start the fire.

-Alright, I think I'm about ready for you to take over.

There you go.

One time right there.

And one time right there.

Alright.

Don't go too far.

I'm not done with you yet.

-Okay.

-And when I'm cutting, I don't want to cut all the way through.

-Yeah.

-Break that off there and put a head on it.

Alright, hit it.

-Hit it?

-Yep.

Very nice.

And we nailed it.

-Look at that.

-Look at that guy.

You nailed it.

-That's all yours.

-Wow!

Thank you.

And this is what held all those buildings together?

-That's -- Pretty much.

This would be a standard construction nail.

Historically, the blacksmith's anvil was ringing more than the church bells.

He was making everything for anyone in town.

Blacksmith is the engineer of his time.

-What's a good example of what else they made that I can see here at the museum?

-One of the pride of our collections is our knives.

-We have everything from what we think is the first bowie knife, all the way to the last.

-The originals that these were made after are on display in our gallery over at the museum.

-Beyond the opportunity to play smithy, indoors, the museum features revolving exhibits and a Native American gallery that relates to the sad tale of our indigenous people's Trail of Tears.

-You know, our mission is to preserve and to interpret and to educate.

-And this is one of the things you're educating them about is the Native American history here.

-Yes.

-And there were a number of tribes that were here prior to what is called the Trail of Tears, which were other tribes that were removed from Georgia, Florida, and Arkansas into Indian Territory, Oklahoma.

"Jackson was really saying to Indians, 'You must go, even if the lions devour you, for we promised the land you have to somebody else long ago and we did it without your consent, it's true, but this has been the way our fathers first brought us up.'"

What an admission.

-Mm-hmm.

-"This is the way we were raised.

Tough luck."

-Over time, everyone has made big efforts to try to get everything back on track and really work together, and that's something I'm very proud about with this exhibit, is that a tribal council was formed and leaders from Quapaw, Caddo, and Osage participated in every element of this exhibit.

-It would be marvelous if human beings could actually learn from some of the mistakes of others.

This is a chronicle of what took place here, and hopefully the kids, particularly, that come here, it will make an impression on them.

I understand the Trail of Tears came through here.

-We're one of the Waterway Trails, and when you're at the top of the mountain, you'll be able to see the Arkansas River.

I think it helps give you a little bit deeper appreciation for it.

And we are more than a mountain.

We have wonderful hiking trails that take you to a wonderful view, we sure do, but we've also got canoeing, mountain biking, road biking.

We got a little bit of something for everybody here.

-And, so, the hike up -- how long is it going to take me?

-You know... -It depends on you.

-...a young man like yourself, I couldn't imagine any longer than about 45 minutes.

-45 minutes.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ When you think that, along that river there, the Five Civilized Tribes traveled when they were forcibly removed, they were walking away from their homes.

Surprisingly, Little Rock, when you go to the different historic places here, there's a lot of energy here that is still buzzing around that you can tap into, and it fills you up, just like the wind fills you up when you're standing on top of the mountain here.

It's great.

Little Rock has been the political center of Arkansas since 1821.

The Old State Capitol Museum is a remnant of the state's tumultuous territorial and Civil War days.

-So, this room is the 1836 House of Representatives.

This is my favorite room in the museum.

It looks the most like the building was intended to be used, and I myself was a page in the Arkansas Senate over there.

-What's the energy of being in a place like that, where decisions are being made?

-It's interesting to watch it work.

It feels like a negotiation.

So I imagine here, in this, it was all about negotiation... -Even more.

-...in a time period just like today.

-Heated arguments?

-One of the most notable, in 1837, just one year after we became a state, the speaker of the House stabbed and killed a man in an argument with bowie knives here.

-It was the Wild West.

-Yes, it was.

-A lot of history flowed through this room.

-Yes, it did.

This room is where the Secession Convention, prior to the U.S. Civil War, took place.

-Was Arkansas a slave state?

-It was a slave state, but the records tell us only about 5% of Arkansans owned slaves at that point.

-Mm-hmm.

-And so it was better for the people to remain a part of the United States until they were faced with the decision to have to fight their other Southern states.

-Talk about important things that have happened here... -Well, one of the most significant ones of late is in 1991.

-I proudly announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America.

[ Cheers and applause ] -And then, in 1992 and '96, he announ-- had his election-night parties here on the front lawn, and it brought the international media to -- -Is that the front door here?

-That is the front door of this building.

And I often encourage the guests to go out just like that and announce something to the world.

♪♪ -I'm here.

Thank you for having me.

-Right.

-Or welcome to Little Rock.

-Right.

-In 1915, a new state capitol opened for business.

-Welcome to the Arkansas State Capitol.

-Thank you.

This is impressive, and it certainly does what government buildings are supposed to do.

-People come in and they feel a little bit of reverence.

-Exactly.

You know that important things are going to take place here.

-Yes.

-[ Laughs ] -So, here we are inside our treasurer's office.

-Welcome.

We appreciate you coming in.

-Absolutely.

-We understand that this is where the gold and bearer bonds, the real important stuff, was kept.

So, these are just driven by a hand crank and a combination.

These are airtight and they're driven by the three Swiss clocks.

Most of the people that come in are kids, so getting to show them $600,000 and the look on their face -- And the -- we understand Arkansas is a rural area, and $600,000 may not be available to them all the time, so this is really cool to get to see that.

That's the most interesting part about it is...the weight.

-Oh, it's heavy.

-It is.

How much do you think?

$600,000 weighs?

-Uh, 5 pounds?

10 pounds?

-21 pounds.

-21 pounds?!

-Yes.

-It's a good thing I'm working out.

It feels light.

-It is a great workout.

But we save you from that workout.

We have to take it back.

-You take it back.

-A tradition around the capitol is, we have coins for every office, and Treasurer Walther wanted to present you with this coin.

And we hope that it will be part of your collection.

-It will.

-And you come back anytime.

You are a treasured part of our office, and we would welcome you back.

-Thank you, Stephen.

-Thank you so much.

-Oh, this is great.

You know, I'm staying at the Capital Hotel, and they're considered Little Rock's front porch.

And then I was at the statehouse and stood in President Clinton's footsteps.

This has got to be the best front porch here in Little Rock.

-Absolutely.

-It is.

-It's just one more surprise here in Little Rock.

Take care.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Wow!

-Welcome to the Oval Office.

-[ Laughs ] This says a lot about President Clinton, of course, the pieces that are here, and so it's nice to be able to walk around.

-Would you like to sit in the chair?

-Oh, wow.

This is quite an experience to sit here and to let your imagination go and think about the kinds of things that would take place in an office like this.

And you can feel the energy, because it just fires all of those memories.

And I have so many.

Lived long enough that I have a lot of memories about things taking place in the office.

-When you asked me what this room -- how it reflects President Clinton, he wanted to inspire young people, especially children from Arkansas, and he wanted to show them that they could be whatever they wanted to be, but they shouldn't let where they were born dictate to them who they could be.

This is our bridge to the 21st century.

This was President Clinton's 1996 campaign slogan.

And what we're doing is really building a bridge from the 1990s through the millennium and into the future.

But I wanted you to see this part in particular.

This is a very well-known photograph... -Yes.

-...when he went to the White House and met President John Kennedy.

-I'm in the president's chair.

-You are.

-And you?

-I'm in the secretary of state's chair.

-Which brings up a very good point.

I don't think President Clinton could have been made without Hillary Clinton.

-She's a very important part.

We have an alcove dedicated to the work of the First lady.

And what's really interesting to me is that it stops at the end of his administration, which was really the beginning for her.

-Right.

-And hopefully, in the near future, we'll be able to tell her story.

-Absolutely.

[ Bell dings ] So, we're taking a ride on the Little Rock Streetcar.

-Well, Joseph, it's good to have you here at the hotel.

-Well, thank you, David.

And this is like we're going down the grand staircase here.

-It is.

-How old is the hotel?

-It's very old -- almost 150 years old.

-Wow!

-Built in 1872.

-And it seems to be a place where -- as a gathering spot for a lot of people -It is a place to see and be seen.

It was a very popular place with Clinton and his campaign staff when he was running for president.

He would do speeches right off the patio on the second floor, as a matter of fact.

We'll go on out to the front porch here.

-Right out here on the front porch.

-Yes, sir.

-Oh.

-And I've got a little surprise for you.

-Oh, yeah?

-Right over here to the right.

-Ah!

-Little Southern hospitality.

Our famous house-made pimento cheese and spiced pecans.

And I hope you like bourbon.

-And I have a little California surprise for you.

-Oh, now you're talking my language.

-Light that up for you.

-Well, I appreciate you letting me show you around.

My introduction to Little Rock was actually getting married to my wife and, at the Capitol Hotel, our reception.

-Community is built around places like this, an iconic place where everybody goes for their special occasions.

-Yes.

The traditions are very, very steep in Little Rock.

I'd love for you to come back at Christmastime.

It's probably the most magical thing that we do for the community, because when you've been around this long, it's because you're doing something right.

-Little Rock's downtown is busier, cooler, and more current than I imagined.

Epitomizing its "I never expected to find this here" phenomenon is the diverse café... Oh!

...lounge... and restaurant scene, exemplified by Three Fold and its owner, Lisa Zhang.

Lisa, this is really what made you, I think, famous here is your dumplings.

And this was what you had your most challenge to introduce here in Little Rock, right?

-Right.

Right.

American like fry everything.

But, however, you know, in China, it's boiled, so more healthy way to enjoy the dumpling.

We want to introduce this good culture of Chinese.

-Mmm!

I feel like I'm in China or Taiwan right now.

-Great, great.

-Really wonderful.

-Then you'll prove it's authentic, right?

-Oh, it's very authentic food.

So, Lisa, we have a nice assortment of the different kinds of foods you serve here now.

Why don't you do a little tour for me.

Of course, we have the dumplings that you and I made together.

This is your Bing Wrap.

-Bing Wrap.

-And this, even though it looks like something that we may get at other restaurants, it is a traditional dish in China.

-It is.

The pastry is a very tradition, and the ingredient, like a potato and the scrambled egg, I use your American breakfast concept.

You have to have a potato.

You have to have a scrambled egg.

-That's true.

So, how did you convince people from the South here, in Little Rock, Arkansas, that they would really like authentic Chinese food?

-First of all, you need to make them comfortable.

So the traditional Chinese restaurant, they make the environment Chinese culture.

But they Americanized their food.

-Right.

-So I'm doing the opposite way.

I make, here, the environment more Western, but I'm gonna push you a little bit further to go out of a comfort zone to taste the traditional Chinese food.

-Well, you're opening up the world to them -- culinary-wise, anyway.

Well, xie xie.

-Yeah.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

It's really nice to have all of you here.

-The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center started out as a mutual-aid society founded by two former slaves.

It now shares the highs... and lows of the history of all African-Americans in Arkansas.

-We're not just considered a museum, but we're considered a cultural center, right?

We want to make sure that we're continuously enriching our community.

-I also see that you touch on, in some of the exhibits, the frustration of moving ahead and then being stopped.

-It's important to be truth tellers in museums.

People come to museums to learn, to heal.

And I think, as a community and as a culture, we grow and we learn from these experiences.

-Here we are in front of an illustration of the Little Rock Nine.

I think you're a little young to have been actually personally affected by what took place in 1957, but the repercussions of that certainly have affected you.

-Absolutely.

So, this site, Central High National Historic Site, was my dream job, and it was because of the images that I saw of the Little Rock Nine.

I just thought, "Wow."

To be able to tell the story of the Little Rock Nine, to be able to walk in their same footsteps was just absolutely unimaginable.

-So, if you just imagine police officers, military people, crowd down the street chanting, "Two, four, six, eight, we ain't gonna integrate," Two, four, six, eight, we ain't gonna integrate," a mob of angry people down this street.

And this is packed, and you have all of these people in their face.

"Go back to where you come from.

We hate you.

You don't belong here.

Go back to your neighborhoods.

We don't like you.

How dare you want to come to our school?

Go back!

You're ruining our schools.

We hate you."

So imagine all of that hatred.

All of that as you're 15 years old.

And all along this path, she's trying to get back up on the sidewalk because somebody has yelled out, "Somebody get a rope so we can hang her."

And she's terrified.

And they still won't let her through.

But you have to also understand, this is the opportunity.

This is when you're saying, "I think I'm going to take this chance, because so much opportunity, so much promise is right inside of those doors."

And you are going to be the first of your family to be able to achieve this.

-So I'm going to put up with whatever I need to put up with in order to walk up these steps.

-Correct.

-"Ambition, personality, opportunity, and preparation."

-Yeah.

-The Constitution said we all have the right to all of the things that are on the front of this school.

-I just like to sit back and think and just use your imagination and then just think about that street just filled with angry people that hate you.

You've done nothing to these people, nothing whatsoever, and these people hate everything about you.

And all you are trying to do is to go to school.

-It's been decades since children braved a mob to go to school, and, yet, their human story remains.

That is also the case with Little Rock's first citizens.

-This is all ceramics that have been made by Plum Bayou people that have come from this site.

It's not the objects themselves that have meaning, it's the people that made and used them that give them meaning.

-You're basically saying, "There are these mounds, so, okay, but, no, no, these mounds were used by people," and you can have a relationship with them through coming to the site.

-So this would have been really the heart of this site.

We're standing where the Plum Bayou people would have stood to have these celebrations.

Imagine the chief or the priest or the leaders of the tribe perhaps standing on top of one of these mounds, watching what was going on here, where we're standing today.

-If we can keep that in mind and we can see the longevity of mankind and our short, brief part of that, it feels connected to other people and it takes away a little bit of the loneliness.

And, you know, they say about energy that you can't destroy energy?

-Right.

-So taking the time to sit here and kind of absorb the energy from the site, I mean, it's palatable.

-I think you should do exactly what you're saying -- just sit here and be quiet and listen to nature for a moment and think about the lives that these people lived 1,000 years ago.

-Thank you for steppin' out with me in Little Rock, Arkansas.

When I came to Little Rock, I didn't know what I would find.

I had plenty of preconceived ideas.

I'm old enough to remember the Little Rock Nine and to have learned about the Trail of Tears.

But I believe in Mark Twain's quote and I knew my travels would be fatal to my prejudices.

Wow!

I came to discover the heart of Little Rock and I found it in many places.

I learned about a city with the confidence and the will to heal past wounds and step into the future with its soul intact.

Little Rock isn't trying to be what it is not.

-That's a happy pig.

-You'll make no false friends here.

The people I met were real and true.

I heard it in their laughter.

-[ Laughs ] -Thank you.

-I felt it in their handshakes.

-Thank you so much.

Thank you for coming.

-And their genuine nature gave me the freedom to be more myself.

Call it Southern hospitality, if you will, but it was a joy to meet people dedicated to their community that were so grateful for our visit.

Authenticity is a beautiful thing.

Till we meet again, remember the words of Mark Twain -- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

May your next adventure always be your best.

-"Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out" is made possible by... -Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

♪♪ -There's a reason people call Myrtle Beach "The Beach."

There are 60 miles of wide, sandy beaches along South Carolina's Grand Strand coast.

This vacation destination has golf courses, attractions, food, wine, and Southern sun.

♪♪ -For a DVD of any of my "Steppin' Out" adventures or my companion memoir and travel book, "Musings: The Short Happy Pursuit of Pleasure and Other Journeys," call 888-876-3399, order online at JosephRosendo.com, or e-mail me at TV@JosephRosendo.com.

-♪ Hoo-hoo-hoo ♪ -♪ Steppin' out ♪ -Now that we've stepped out in Little Rock together, learn more at JosephRosendo.com, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my e-magazine, blog, podcast, and social media.

Stay in touch -- 888-876-3399 or e-mail me at TV@JosephRosendo.com.

-Thank you for coming to Little Rock.

-Absolutely.

-It means a lot to me.

-You know, I haven't asked you -- deep in the heart of Little Rock, but where do you find it?

-For me, it's my family.

That's the connection here.

-Yeah.

-In fact, through this door right behind you -- during the Korean War, my grandfather kicked off the Korean War.

His last stop before he was on his train was right through that revolving door.

Right up here, kicked his heels up on this brass rail and had a beer before he went to war.

-Really?

Wow.

-Yeah.

So everywhere you turn in this town, there's these special moments that connect me to my family, and every time I come back, I see these living ghosts around me and these living moments around me.

-♪ Steppin' out ♪ ♪ Steppin' out ♪