Bentonville

An art and cycling town in the Ozarks, home to the forest-set Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and surrounded by over 100 km of mountain bike trails.

Bentonville lies in the northwestern corner of Arkansas on the western edge of the Ozark Plateau and is home to the headquarters of retail giant Walmart. Over the past decade and more, the Walton family has steadily invested in art and outdoor amenities, turning this small city into one of America's best-known destinations for art and mountain biking. The main sights are concentrated downtown: the historic square centered on the county courthouse has the Walmart Museum, restaurants and a weekend farmers market; about a 15-minute walk north along a wooded trail brings you to the Moshe Safdie–designed Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where the permanent collection is free; to the southeast, The Momentary, a converted cheese factory, focuses on contemporary art and music festivals, and the nearby 8th Street Market is a food hub. The city is ringed by mountain bike trail networks such as Slaughter Pen and Coler, earning it the title “Mountain Biking Capital of the World”; bike rentals are easy to find in town, and the Razorback Regional Greenway lets you ride all the way to Rogers and Fayetteville. For half-day trips out of town, visit Pea Ridge National Military Park, Beaver Lake, Hobbs State Park and War Eagle Mill; to the north in Bella Vista is a glass chapel designed by E. Fay Jones. The best seasons are Apr–May and Sep–Oct, with mild weather and colorful woodlands; summers are hot and humid, and winters bring occasional ice and snow. Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) is about 25 km from downtown, with flights from Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and elsewhere; local public transit is limited, so renting a car or biking is recommended. Two days is typical: one for the art museum and downtown, one for cycling or the countryside. Nearby Eureka Springs and Fayetteville have their own destination guides.

Top sights

• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art – A forest museum founded by Alice Walton, heiress to the Walmart fortune, and designed by Safdie. Its collection spans five centuries of Ame…
• Walmart Museum – The original site of Sam Walton's 'Walton's Five and Dime', which he opened in 1950. The museum tells the story of how Walmart got started.
• Slaughter Pen Trails – Bentonville's signature trail network, known as the 'Mountain Bike Capital of the World', reachable by bike from downtown.
• The Momentary – A contemporary art and performance space converted from a former Kraft cheese factory, and the 'sister museum' of Crystal Bridges Museum of…
• Bentonville Downtown Square – A small-town square centered on the county courthouse, lined with restaurants, cafés and a Saturday weekend farmers' market.
• Coler Mountain Bike Preserve – A 300-acre nature preserve northwest of downtown, popular for its mountain bike trails, hiking paths and the café at its entrance.
• Scott Family Amazeum – An interactive children's science museum next to Crystal Bridges, with tree-climbing structures and a water experiment area that are ideal…
• Museum of Native American History – A free private museum displaying more than 10,000 Native American artifacts arranged chronologically, from the Ice Age to the modern era.
• Peel Mansion Museum & Heritage Gardens – An Italianate villa built in 1875 that showcases 19th-century life in Northwest Arkansas and traditional flower gardening.
• Razorback Regional Greenway – A paved greenway of about 40 miles running through Northwest Arkansas, connecting Bella Vista, Bentonville and Fayetteville.
• Compton Gardens & Arboretum – A natural garden north of downtown honoring environmentalist Neil Compton, with forest trails leading directly to Crystal Bridges.
• 8th Street Market – A food hall converted from a former Tyson Foods plant, with food stalls, craft bars and a culinary school.
• Beaver Lake – A large reservoir on the White River with winding shorelines and clear water, the top choice in Northwest Arkansas for boating, fishing and…
• Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area – The largest state park in Arkansas, located on the south shore of Beaver Lake and known for hiking, mountain biking and karst landscapes.
• Pea Ridge National Military Park – The site of the 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge during the Civil War, and one of the best-preserved Civil War battlefields.
• War Eagle Mill – A water-powered mill on War Eagle Creek that still operates, with a century-old single-lane iron bridge and a mill restaurant nearby.
• Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel – A steel-and-glass chapel designed by Fay Jones, architect of Thorncrown Chapel, hidden in the woods of Bella Vista.
• Tanyard Creek Nature Trail – An easy loop trail in Bella Vista, with small waterfalls and streams that are ideal for family walks and wading.

Where to eat

• The Preacher's Son – New American restaurant in a restored old church, with stained-glass windows and soaring ceilings. It was a James Beard…
• Wright's Barbecue (Downtown Bentonville) – One of Arkansas's most celebrated barbecue joints. Its pecan-wood slow-smoked brisket was named the state's best by Tex…
• Tusk & Trotter – Pork-focused restaurant on the square serving “nose to tail” dishes. Housemade fried pork skins and charcuterie are loc…
• Table Mesa Bistro – Longtime Latin fusion restaurant on the square with its own bakery. The Sunday all-you-can-eat brunch and margaritas ar…