The third season of HBO's hit anthology series True Detective kicked off with a bang on Sunday night, and fans of the show who've followed the drama as its unraveled crime mysteries in, first, rural Louisiana and then southern California now find themselves in a part of the country that was once mysterious but now is brimming with curiosity: Northwest Arkansas and the Ozark Mountains. This third season—again created and directed by Nic Pizzolatto, a University of Arkansas MFA alumnus—was filmed exclusively in the region and follows Wayne Hayes, played by Oscar and Golden Globe winner Mahershala Ali, as an Arkansas State Police detective moving through Arkansas cities (Fayetteville, Eureka Springs) and the Ozarks' hidden caverns and bucolic plateaus as he pieces together a murder. Given the months-long shooting schedule, the area is, of course, garnering new buzz—television always ushers in tourism. But the beauty of this region has always been there.

Let’s back up. Folks who aren’t from the Ozarks or the surrounding area often don’t know exactly where it’s located. This once-forgotten pocket is almost carelessly tucked into the mid-South portion of America and comprises the northern territory of Arkansas, the southern region of Missouri, and just a smidgeon of southern Illinois, Oklahoma, and southeastern Kansas. The rugged land has long been a desired destination for those seeking outdoor pursuits among the limestone bluffs, dense woodlands, and crystal-clear waters. A marriage of bracing beauty and undiscovered topography that once drew fisherman and hunters is becoming a filmmaker’s dream. Movies like Winter’s Bone, the 2010 drama starring Jennifer Lawrence as a teenager in the rural Ozarks of Missouri, piqued interest in this part of the country. And Ozark, the wildly acclaimed drama (that’s actually filmed in Georgia), delivered serious recognition.

Over overlook in the Ozarks. Photo: Courtesy of Experience Fayetteville