I grew up in AR and know a bit about it. If you draw a line from say Hardy to Hope and stay on the N.West side of the line, you have much to see IMO.
Some places that stand out are Blanchard Springs (campgrounds, springs, trout fishing, caverns) Mountain View is a quaint place and they have local music on the square (called Hootenanny) that is interesting & free. Took my wife here and she was hooked; love this area. Google Gaston's for a very scenic place to stay in the area too.
If you're into canoeing a river, try a few miles north of Hardy; Spring river is awesome for this and fishing trout, walleye, small mouth bass. Pretty float as well. Also for a relaxing float and 300ft bluffs, try the Buffalo River at Hwy 65. Very scenic.
If you want relaxing lakes and "touristy" stuff, Hot Springs is nice. Cabins are very nice on the Ouachita Lake area (east side of lake is my only experience). You can rent a pontoon boat and putz around a really scenic lake lined with hills & trees. This is the largest lake in AR (I think).
Some points to see may also include Eureka Springs (scenic and lots of B&B's) in the N.West corner and Petit Jean State park (scenic, especially in the fall & they have cabins too) in the center (West of Little Rock).
Heber Springs Lake and Batesville are a couple minor places to drive through too. All the roads are pretty good and many go North on 65 out of Conway to go up through the center of the state. There's also an Interstate road North of Ft. Smith that's "easy".
Never cared for the S.East side of the state; flat and nondescript for my taste.