It’s no secret that Northwest Arkansas is an area experiencing a lot of growth. With growth comes opportunities, and all those freshly employed people need things to do, don’t they? A few museums to visit, maybe? Some really cool places to eat? Well, that kind of growth is exactly what’s happening in Bentonville. This little city of about 40,167 is on the rise, and people are noticing. Bentonville has been named an up-and-coming city for business by Business Insider and an up-and-coming city for tourism by the Huffington Post. You probably know that Bentonville is the home base of Walmart, but what you may not know is that there are a ton of things to do in Bentonville, and several of them are free. This is definitely a little up-and-coming city that you’ll want to experience.
Bentonville is home to Walmart’s headquarters, but the original Walmart is still around too. It has become a museum that’s a perfect place to remember the bygone era before the Waltons made it big.
The Walmart Museum is located at 105 North Main Street.
The Walmart Museum is just one small part of Bentonville’s adorable downtown area.
You’ll definitely want to explore the Bentonville Square while you’re in town.
Bentonville is also home to one of the best American art museums anywhere. It’s called Crystal Bridges.
The architecture at Crystal Bridges is stunning.
The whole place is full of glass and softly curving silhouettes.
Even the gift shop is extraordinary.
The grounds are like walking through a dream.
Of course, the real draw is the art. Their permanent collection is spectacular, and you can find their exhibition schedule on their website.
And maybe the best part is that Crystal Bridges is totally free to visit.
Crystal Bridges is located at 600 Museum Way in Bentonville.
Near Crystal Bridges, you’ll also find the Amazeum, which is a fantastic place to take the kids.
It’s chock full of wonder, as any place called the Amazeum should be.
This museum has over 50,000 square feet of exhibition and learning centers, offering fantastic hands-on experiences for the little ones.
The Amazeum’s address is 1009 Museum Way.
Rounding out the must see museums in Bentonville is the Museum of Native American History.
Their collection is full of astounding artifacts that will fascinate you.
The Museum of Native American History has free admission, so you can enjoy their extensive display at no cost, at 202 Southwest O Street.
If you’re into awesome architecture and astounding gardens, you should take a guided tour at Peel Mansion & Heritage Gardens located at 400 South Walton Boulevard.
Bentonville is also a great little city for foodies. Among the top picks for delicious food are Ramo d’Olivo . . .
This little low key Italian place and wine bar is located at 217 South Main Street in Bentonville.
. . . Tusk and Trotter . . .
Tusk and Trotter is a Bentonville staple for good reason: absolutely fantastic food. They’re located at 110 Southeast A Street in Bentonville.
. . . and Table Mesa.
Located in the heart of downtown Bentonville, Table Mesa offers exciting latin cuisine in a laidback atmosphere. Their address is 108 East Central Avenue Suite 10 in Bentonville. And unless my Spanish is rusty (it is), I believe their name means "table table," which is pretty cool.
In short, Bentonville is an up-and-coming city with a lot of charm and tons of stuff to do, and if you’re looking for a good place to spend a weekend without breaking the bank, you can’t do any better than this little city on the rise.
To learn more about Crystal Bridges, click here. For more inexpensive things to do in Arkansas, try this one.
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