We sometimes get posts from travelers asking for entertaining things to do when passing through an area. I thought it would be nice to have a central place to record all those things. Who knows, we might even find some things we didn't know about to do in our own areas. I'm starting with NWA because that's what I know but this isn't an NWA thread, it's for anywhere in Arkansas (or close enough to Arkansas for a day trip to visit).
7 Things to Do in Bentonville
(original article: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/le...-travel-guide/)
Visit the Crystal Bridges Museum
"Art wasn't accessible to me as a child and I hope that changes now for people throughout this region," Walmart heiress Alice Walton
told CBS Sunday Morningwhen she opened the
American art museum designed by architect Moshe Safdie in her hometown in on November 11, 2011 (11-11-11). Now, more than 3.5 million visitors have passed through the museum, whose permanent collection includes works by John Singer Sargent, Georgia O'Keefe, Gilbert Stuart, and Andy Warhol. Admission is free, courtesy of Walmart.
Walk Along the Art Trails
Crystal Bridges's 120-acre park is connected to downtown Bentonville by four miles trails dotted with sculptures, including
James Turrell's stunning Skyscape, The Way of Color.
Tour a Frank Lloyd Wright Home
Known as the Bachman-Wilson House, this Usonian home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was preserved, acquired, and moved to the Crystal Bridges museum grounds in 2015. Free tickets, which can be
booked here, are required to visit because of capacity constraints.
Tour the Walmart Museum
Walton's 5&10 is now part of the
Walmart Museum, which opened in 1990. The museum also features Walmart founder Sam Walton's original office and the
Spark Café Soda Fountain, a working ice-cream shop dedicated to Walton's love of ice cream.
Try mountain biking in one of the top-ranked places to do it
Head to
Phat Tire Bike Shop downtown and rent a Trek bike for the day, then ride out to the
Slaughter Pen Mountain Bike Park. Known as one of the best mountain-biking areas in the country (International Mountain Biking Association ranked Bentonville a
Silver-Level Ride Center), the region has more than 140 miles of hard and soft trails for every level from beginner to expert.
Stay at the 21c Museum Hotel
Founded in Louisville by Brown-Forman heiress Laura Lee Brown and her husband, Steve Wilson, the 21c line of hotels is known for its quirkiness; for example, you'll see life-size examples of the hotel mascot, a plastic penguin, everywhere, and guests are encouraged to interact with them (I brought one to our dinner table at the hotel restaurant,
The Hive, when I visited with my family). Each of the eight properties features an on-site art gallery (inspired by Brown and Wilson's love of contemporary art) and a restaurant with a dedicated chef committed to supporting local farmers.
Have farm-to-table food in a restored church
Opened in 2017,
The Preacher's Son serves delicious fare including heirloom tomatoes with house-made ricotta and smoked duck pasta with arugula and pistachio, dark cherries, and pecorino. (Executive Chef Matthew Cooper, by the way, is actually the son of a Methodist preacher.) After dinner, head downstairs to the
Undercroft Bar, a speakeasy serving drinks that are just as complex as ones you might find in a Manhattan establishment.
Things to Do in Arkansas
