Things to Do in Arkansas

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.

Thanks, Spanky. I think you need to be in charge of my next staycation!

It’s hard to believe that I haven’t been to any of these places, with the exception of Crystal Bridges...

Great thread Spanky! Arkansas is an under rated state and deserves more praise. So much beauty in The Natural State and it’s often overlooked.

Agreed, great thread! I love to hike, and Arkansas is a great place to do it! I'm always on the lookout for great hiking trails, hopefully people have some good suggestions.

I'm also looking for some good fishing holes, now that I've re-stocked on my supplies.

There’s a great book highlighting all the different waterfalls of Arkansas and map coordinates… I used to have it, but I think my kids took off with it.

https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/arkan...SABEgL_ZvD_BwE

Also, I’ve been zip lining in Eureka Springs and that is a lot of fun! That’s me in the pic.

http://www.ziplineeurekasprings.com

There’s a great book highlighting all the different waterfalls of Arkansas and map coordinates… I used to have it, but I think my kids took off with it.

https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/arkan...SABEgL_ZvD_BwE

Also, I’ve been zip lining in Eureka Springs and that is a lot of fun! That’s me in the pic.

http://www.ziplineeurekasprings.com Originally Posted by Ginger Doll

I've got that book saved to my Amazon wish list. Might have to see if I can get a copy for my birthday.

I love ziplining! There's a company in Kansas that sets up a line at Rockfest in Kansas City. Since it's been moved to the Speedway, the line goes from the grandstand and over the venue.

The AMP (Arkansas Music Pavillion) in Rogers has a lot of great concerts and shows, sometimes with surprisingly big name entertainers.

The latest upcoming events can always be found here:

https://waltonartscenter.org/AMP/

The Wild Wilderness Drive Through Safari in Gentry is always worth a trip and is just a short drive from NWA.


https://www.wildwildernessdrivethroughsafari.com/

Another fun place to see some exotic animals is Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, near Eureka Springs


https://www.turpentinecreek.org/


ProTip: Time your visit so you're there late in the afternoon, around 4-5. Late afternoon is when they feed the animals, and that show is worth seeing!


You can also rent overnight accomodations, and sleep surrounded by the animals at night. I haven't done this but it sounds fun.

There are some "Hobbit caves" you can stay in at Eureka Springs. I've stayed in these, it was fun. They are built into the hillsides similar to how they are in the movies, and made to look like caves inside. More pictures on the site.

https://www.estreehouses.com/eurekas...bit/caves.html


Note that this will require some planning ahead, most likely. In my experience these things are booked up months ahead of time.

The Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville puts on traveling versions of Broadway shows (and other types of shows).

You can find the latest event schedules here: https://waltonartscenter.org/

I have been to dozens of Broadway shows on Broadway in New York, including Hamilton, Les Misérables, Wicked, The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Mama Mia, Dear Evan Hansen, Anastasia, and many others, and I can tell you that the quality of the shows here is really close to what you see on Broadway, in many cases. The main difference is just that the sets aren't as elaborate as in a dedicated theater.

For a bit of nostalgia if you grew up in the era of drive-ins (or were born too late and want to know what it was like), check out the 112 Drive In Theater in Fayetteville!

I remember my dad taking me to Planet of the Apes marathons at the old 71 drive in, which if I recall correctly was where Fiesta Square is now.

http://www.112driveintheatre.com/

The Arkansas Air Museum in South Fayetteville is worth a visit, if you like that sort of thing (I do!). It's at the old Drake Field - remember when that was "the airport" before XNA existed?

http://www.arkansasairandmilitary.com/

Great thread Spanky! Arkansas is an under rated state and deserves more praise. So much beauty in The Natural State. Originally Posted by Parttimehobbyist

Like sweet Britt. Chloe, PP, Dhalia, Nova, the Fox, Dove,’Alissa, Viv...the list goes on and on, too many to mention. I am sure there are many others
I should have mentioned. Oh, dear God, Ginger. Can’t forget her, don’t want th minions called out. LOL

Like sweet Britt. Chloe, PP, Dhalia, Nova, the Fox, Dove,’Alissa, Viv...the list goes on and on, too many to mention. I am sure there are many others
I should have mentioned. Oh, dear God, Ginger. Can’t forget her, don’t want th minions called out. LOL Originally Posted by Rockydoc

Hey, I thought you were one of the minions? Well that’s it, now you’re fired. Lol