Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ben Hur, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ben Hur and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ben Hur
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Ben Hur:
- 35.730357, -92.972950
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Ben Hur
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Newton County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Newton County
- Since Ben Hur is near Pope County and also Searcy County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Pope County
- eBird sighting report for Searcy County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Ben Hur ...
We found four communities that share the name Ben Hur.
Within Arkansas, the name Ben Hur is unique.
Beyond Arkansas, we know of another four communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Florida
- Texas
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ben Hur ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Bass
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north) - Dickey Junction
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dickey Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickey Junction
- Dickey Junction is located in Newton County
- Dry Creek ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north) - Freeman Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeman Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Springs
- Freeman Springs is located in Pope County
- Magic Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magic Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magic Springs
- Magic Springs is located in Searcy County
- Pleasant Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Pleasant Hill is located in Newton County
- Raspberry
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast) - Sand Gap
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west) - Slicker ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast) - Solo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south) - Welcome Home
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Welcome Home have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome Home
- Welcome Home is located in Searcy County
- Zion Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
How Far From Ben Hur to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Ben Hur to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Ben Hur and extending to:
- Jasper, which is the Seat of Newton County, lies 22 miles [35.4 km]<1> to the north northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Ben Hur to Jasper, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
- Little Rock, which is the State Capital of Arkansas, lies 79 miles [127.1 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 900 miles [1,448.4 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take most of two days, a buggy would take 36 days and walking would take 52 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,687 miles [10,761.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,420 miles [11,941.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,299 miles [8,527.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ben Hur. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Arkansas: https://portal.arkansas.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ben Hur) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ben Hur. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.7304, Longitude: -92.9729 In this case, the coordinates for Ben Hur have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <4> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Ben Hur to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 317.718 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 314.27 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 312.514 degrees. |