Northwest Arkansas

An Ozark metro area centered on the college town of Fayetteville, with Dickson Street nightlife, Razorback football game days, farmers' markets and forest trails like Devil's Den State Park.

Northwest Arkansas (NWA) refers to the string of cities along I-49 — Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville — on the western edge of the Ozark Plateau, one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. This destination centers on the college town of Fayetteville at the southern end: the University of Arkansas's hilltop campus and Old Main, sidewalks engraved with the names of graduates, the lively bars of Dickson Street and the Walton Arts Center, the Saturday-morning farmers' market on the Historic Square, and fall game days when the whole town calls the Hogs with "Woo Pig Sooie" at Razorback home games — classic Southern college-town life. The city is ringed by Ozark forest: Lake Fayetteville and Kessler Mountain have extensive hiking and mountain-bike trails; Devil's Den State Park, 45 km south, has sandstone canyons and waterfalls; Prairie Grove Battlefield preserves Civil War history; and farther afield, White Rock Mountain overlooks the fall color of the Ozark National Forest. To the north, Springdale and Rogers are home to the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History and the Daisy Airgun Museum, among others. The best seasons are April–May and October, when the forests bloom or turn color; summers are hot and humid, and winters bring occasional ice and snow. Plan on 2 days; driving is easiest, and Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) lies between Bentonville and Rogers. Bentonville attractions such as Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Walmart Museum, as well as Eureka Springs, are covered as separate destinations, about 40 minutes to 1 hour's drive from Fayetteville.

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