Bentonville Arkansas
- Major Airports:
- Northwest Arkansas/Bentonville (XNA)
- Tulsa (TUL)
- States:
- Arkansas
Year-round mountain biking and world-class museums in northwest Arkansas
Fresh Air Pursuits
It’s not hard to find exciting ways to get outside in Bentonville. Explore Bentonville Square and the rest of downtown on foot, enjoying boutique shopping and cozy cafés along the way. Downtown is connected to nearby Arkansas cities via a network of scenic greenways, allowing hikers and bikers an easy transition from city charms to the majesty of nature. Cyclists flock to Bentonville to take advantage of its impressive mountain biking scene. You’ll find over 100 kilometers of single-track trails across town and the surrounding area. This includes options for all experience and ability levels, including several stretches that can accommodate adaptive three-wheel bikes for riders with mobility needs. Trails are abundant all across town, but Coler Mountain Bike Preserve is a great one-stop-spot for cyclists, hikers and nature lovers alike. Savor freshly roasted coffee with panoramic views at local gem Airship Coffee’s Coler location: The unique open-air cafe is only accessible via biking and hiking trails.
World-Class Museums
Celebrate the USA’s artistic and cultural heritages at a wealth of incredible museums in the Bentonville area. With artwork representing the colonial era to the present, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art houses a permanent collection with works by Norman Rockwell, John Singer Sargent, Georgia O’Keeffe and Andy Warhol, among others. The dramatic Moshe Safdie-designed museum shares its sprawling grounds with the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Bachman-Wilson House, as well as a network of forest trails, sculpture gardens and waterside pavilions. The museum’s satellite facility, the Momentary, focuses on visual and performing arts, culinary experiences, festivals and hosting artists-in-residence. Best of all, both experiences offer free admission year-round.
Another free museum, The Museum of Native American History (nicknamed MONAH) invites visitors to take a 14,000-year journey through the past, from the early paleo period through the pre-Columbian period, weaving the past and present together to educate future generations about the diversity of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. The museum houses over 10,000 Native American artifacts and regularly hosts Indigenous artists, storytellers and musicians for live presentations.
More thrills await at the Scott Family Amazeum, a hands-on hub of creative exploration and learning geared toward young (and young at heart) travelers. Nearby, the Walmart Museum provides an immersive experience detailing the history of the global corporation, which got its start right on Bentonville’s Main Street. The Peel Museum & Botanical Gardens combines the historical intrigue of an Italianate mansion with the beauty of nature. In addition to these collections, Bentonville is home to more than 100 pieces of public art scattered across the city.
Fun Fact
Bentonville has over 112 kilometers of cycling trails, many of which connect downtown to more than 600 kilometers of trails across Northwest Arkansas.
Photo: Drager Creative/Visit Bentonville
The first Walmart (named Walton’s 5 & 10) opened in 1950 on Bentonville’s Main Street. Today, the site is home to the Walmart Museum. Walmart’s corporate headquarters remains in Bentonville.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which houses masterworks from five centuries of artists, is always free to visit.
Photo: Drager Creative