Congratulations on the job. I am moving to Little Rock in December from a town about 30 minutes away. I have been working as an intern for the federal government downtown for around 18 months so I have a decent idea of what the downtown area is like. The river market area is full of restaurants, bars, and night live. There are a couple parks nearby and also the farmers market is held in the river market district. The bars and nightlife will probably be weak compared to Austin, but you can have fun. Maybe someone who lives there can give you more details than I can. Do you have any idea of what part of town you want to live?

Congrats on your job, and congrats to both of you on moving. I moved here in July from Fayetteville, AR (which I thoroughly enjoyed. In many ways, it's like a tiny version of Austin.) and have been enjoying Little Rock so far (when I have time).

The River Market (downtown) is a pretty active area for bars, restaurants, and overall nightlife, and there are some other very nice bars and restaurants in the Hillcrest/Heights neighborhood, which has its own nightlife scene. The River Market will be your main go-to place for most concerts, festivals, events and such, but larger events will often also be held at Verizon Arena (right across the river from the River Market in North Little Rock), and sometimes War Memorial Stadium (the Razorbacks also play two games a year there), the Zoo, or the state fairgrounds. There are of course other bars and venues scattered throughout, but the most active areas are the ones I've mentioned. I don't think Little Rock has quite as many bars/restaurants in the River Market as I'd expected (the Dickson Street entertainment district in Fayetteville was larger, and Fayetteville is a much smaller city), but there's still a pretty decent selection and there have been new things opening up pretty frequently. As a nightlife destination, the River Market is really only about ten years old, so there's still a lot of growth and redevelopment going on down there. The plus side is, it will continue to get better and more active in the years to come. I have been very pleased with the music scene though- they get a lot of good concerts through Little Rock and the Rev Room in the River Market is a great place to get to see some smaller (but name-recognizable) bands for what is normally a really good price.

You won't go hungry, there are plenty of restaurants covering most of your various food bases. Of course you have pretty much every chain restaurant in existence, but for good food, I'd recommend some of the more unique places in Hillcrest. There are also some good choices downtown and in west Little Rock, it just all depends on what kinds of food you like and how spendy you're feeling that night.

As far as coffee shops, this is something I don't know quite as well since I walk back and forth from UAMS. Of course there are Starbucks around, but the only one I know of downtown is on Broadway (why they don't have a location near the River Market or near the Capitol I have no idea). There are a couple other little coffee shops in the middle of downtown I've seen- one is called Sufficient Grounds and is near all the banks buildings and such that's normally pretty busy, and then there's one in the River Market called Ardina that seems popular. I'm sure there are a lot of others I'm not aware of yet, but I spend most of my time in the coffee shops on the UAMS campus, so I don't go much farther. Incidentally, if there's another Boulevard Bread Company location in Little Rock other than the one at UAMS, I highly recommend it. Their prices are fair, the coffee and food is good, and the people are interesting.

Good luck with the move, and welcome to L.R.!

Whether or not you will like Little Rock depends greatly on your lifestyle and what expectations you have.

As said, the nightlife will be weak compared to Austin, so don't expect the quality of nightlife you are used to. The river market area has several bars and restaurants. Not far from there is Cajun's Wharf, a very popular night spot. As for dance clubs, you have the Electric Cowboy if you like country or Discovery if you like dance/top 40 (and are open-minded). Both stay open until 5am, which is a big plus considering most states have a 2am last call.

Restaurants...Little Rock has a decent number of locally owned restaurants along Kavennaugh in the Hilcrest and Heights area. When I lived in Little Rock, Damgoode Pies, Cafe Prego, Sushi Cafe, and Fantastic China were a few of my favorites. For chain restaurants, most of the major chains have locations in Little Rock and you will find them west of I-430 on Chenal, Shackleford, and Rodney Parham.

Coffee shops...Starbucks pretty much dominates. There was a new place called the House in Hillcrest that opened up right before I left that I think was a restaurant/bar/coffee shop all rolled into one. Other than that, I don't remember there being much else aside from Starbucks.

The strong area of Little Rock is outdoor recreation. The River Trail and Big Dam Bridge are both jewels, and there is also Pinnacle Mountain close by. If you run or are a cyclist, you will love the River Trail. In addition, you are just a short drive from the Ozarks to the north and Hot Springs to the southwest, which offer a ton of outdoor activities.

As for where to live, If you are single I would suggest either Hillcrest or the Riverwalk Apartments on Riverfront. I lived in the Riverwalk Apartments and it is a very young, active community there, and the complex has regular activities for the residents.

welcome to Little Rock, Sawyer! you will find it a big change from Austin (one of my favorite cities), but I love our little town and I do think we have a lot to offer.

for nightlife, what kind of music/atmosphere do you like? the RiverMarket and other areas of downtown has the greatest variety (pubs, piano bars, microbreweries, hotel lobbies, and dance clubs, to name a few), but there are also great places to hang out in Hillcrest, Argenta, and West Little Rock. Disco is the biggest dance club, as bchris mentioned, and the Cowboy the biggest honkytonk. the best shows come to Rev Room, StickyFingerz, the Village and Downtown Music (schedules for both venues here), Vino's, and Juanita's. the after-hours dive for huge burgers and an eclectic crowd is Midtown Billiards. and for breakfast the next morning, Starlite Diner in NLR, which just reopened and is working its way back to a 24-7 schedule. the best blueberry pancakes!

restaurants: there are a few threads in this forum full of great suggestions. Favorite Restaurants in Little Rock and The Best Restaurants in Little Rock are two I came across within the first 4-5 pages here. (easy to find in case those links don't work.) I'll go ahead and throw out a few of my favorites: The Pantry, La Hacienda, Fantastic China, the Oyster Bar, Sims BBQ, The House, Faded Rose, Ashley's/Capitol Grill, D'Carlo, Sushi Cafe, ZaZa, Lulav, Ciao Baci.

for coffee shops, besides Starbucks there is also Community Bakery on South Main downtown, Sufficient Grounds in a couple of the downtown towers (not really places to hang out but convenient if you work around there), and Andina Cafe in the RiverMarket. The House is more of a restaurant now, and I'm afraid Satellite Cafe in the Heights, which closed for remodeling, may not be reopening. hopefully I'm wrong, though!

I second bchris' thoughts on the outdoor activities and neighborhoods.

some local publications that can help you with entertainment and dining options:

Arkansas Times
Entertainment Guide (with To-Do List and Rock Candy and Eye Candy blogs)
Entertainment Calendar
Dining guide (with Eat Arkansas blog)

Sync is very helpful too, and focuses almost exclusively on entertainment.

Soiree is a society mag, but it also has good dining and shopping guides.

I hope you enjoy your new home! please let us know if you have more questions, both before your move and once you have arrived!

can't believe I left out White Water Tavern among the best live music spots.

it's legendary!

and now serves great food.

Boulevard Bread has a location in the River Market.

you are correct! overlooked that too.

Dood u are going to LOVE Austin!!!

(He's moving FROM Austin, TO Little Rock... I would imagine he already loved it .)