Bentonville, Arkansas

We’ve been hearing about Bentonville, Arkansas for sometime. During our extended stay in Tucson many of the mountain bikers raved up the Bentonville’s bike infrastructure. Tracy and Cooper recommended Blowing Springs Campground in Bella Vista with downtown Bentonville accessible via six miles of paved bike path.

The campground sits beside the paved Razorback Greenway, a 40 mile path that connects Bentonville with Fayetteville to the south. In addition to the Greenway you have access to miles of mountain biking trails.

Along the Greenway you’ll encounter riders of all ages and skill levels. You will also encounter a variety of bicycle themed sculptures.

Some of the trails had advanced technical features that were more than we could handle but offered great hiking opportunities.

Northwest Arkansas has been undergoing a major transformation during the last two decades. At the center of that transformation is Bentonville, headquarters of the Walmart empire. One of the Walton family heirs, Alice, has made major investments in Bentonville. She’s created a collection of American art and had a museum built(2011) to house the collection, Crystal Bridges.

Miles of wooded walkways showcase the museum’s outdoor art installations.

Fly’s Eye Dome, 1981 by Buckminster Fuller

We also enjoyed wandering through the museum’s indoor exhibits.

Admission to the museum and its grounds are always free. However, special exhibits can have an admission fee($12). While we were in town “Exquisite Creatures “ by Christopher Marley opened. Marley uses “creatures” from the natural world to create his work.

We enjoyed our time exploring Crystal Bridges and the areas bike trails as well as Bentonville. The town is attracting tourists and new residents by the droves. We were there during spring break which attracts lots of young families who all seemed to be on bicycles.

There are numerous bike shops, coffee roasters, entertainment and quality restaurants.

A short distance southwest of Bentonville is Rogers, another up and coming Northwest Arkansas town.

We’ve been here for one week and are already talking about our next trip to the area. Friendly people, excellent biking, interesting art, fun restaurants, good coffee and beer, what’s not to like.