I love finding new places to explore and then sharing them with you! Today I am excited to share more about Bentonville, Arkansas. I went there to visit the Crystal Bridges Museum and see the Space Project Celebration launch. That was a lot of fun. I was also able to go on a guided tour of the museum. You can read all about my day at the Crystal Bridges Museum here.
When planning your trip to Bentonville, you will want to keep some things in mind. It gets cold during the winter months, but it is not as busy so you will be able to do more with fewer people. I would love to go back in the warmer months and explore even more of the area, but I love my trip there is January too.
My recommendation for a place to stay while there are the 21C Museum and Hotel. You can soak up all of the art, eat at The Hive, and be close to all of the downtown fun! The green penguins are also super fun for kids and adults alike. You can read more of our review of the 21C Museum and Hotel here.
There are many things to recommend the 21C Museum and Hotel, but one of the biggest is the location. It is just a short walk to the best sites, museums, restaurants and more! Walk to the town square (a block away), visit the Walmart Museum and get ice cream, and step back in time at Waltons 5 and 10. You will also want to eat at The Pressroom, The Hive, get a macaroon and a hot chocolate at Onyx Coffee, and so much more!
Here are our top things you don’t want to miss in Bentonville, Arkansas:
1. Visit (and stay at) the 21C Museum and Hotel
The rooms are gorgeous and so comfortable. There is an art exhibit on the main floor and so many unique and different pieces throughout the hotel. Each room is also decorated tastefully and has some fun quirky things like an old school phone receiver that you can plug into the headphone jack of your cell and use it like “headphones” to make a call. There was a yellow rubber ducky in my shower, and so much more!
2. Eat a meal at The Hive Restaurant
This is a fun place to eat with great food and drinks. Don’t forget to grab a penguin to sit with you at your table! It makes it so much more enjoyable. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as offer room service, so be sure to look at all of the options so you can get what you need. There is also a lot of seating if you just want to go and relax and have a drink or snack before heading out. Check out the menu and more at www.thehivebentonville.com.
3. Explore the Town Square
There is a statue of a Confederate soldier, benches and a beautiful park. This is the center of the downtown area and it is very easy to get to everything from here. The 21C Museum is just a block away. Waltons 5 and Dime and the Walmart Museum are across the street, and many other places we talk about here are within a couple blocks. You can also head Two blocks north on Main Street to get to the Compton Gardens. Here you have access to the beautiful Crystal Bridges Trail, overlooking the Crystal Bridges Museum. I wasn’t able to go on this because of the weather, but I want to go back and do it sometime soon!
4. Visit the Walmart Museum
Just across the street from Town Square is the Walmart Museum. You start in Waltons Five and Dime and then head back into the museum. It is free to go through and you learn a lot about Mr. Walton and how he built his business up to a worldwide powerhouse in a short time. You come out the end in the ice cream shop (you can go in either way, honestly). The ice cream is delicious and only about $1 for a cone. Learn more about the Museum and Walton’s Five and Dime here www.walmartmuseum.com
5. Walk down memory lane in Walton’s Five and Dime store
I loved stepping into this building! There are so many old school toys and treats. They have the retro packaging so you feel like you are back in the 50, 60, 70 etc standing in the store trying to decide what treats you want to buy. Things are also very reasonably priced (not $0.10 lol) but cheaper than I would have expected – much like regular prices at a Walmart store.
6. Get an ice cream cone (at the Walmart Museum)
These are only about $1 and the ice cream is soooo good! You will find this at the end of the Walmart Museum walkthrough or you can just enter the Ice Cream shop and get some. They have a wide variety of flavors and cones (or bowls). They also have drinks, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. You can sit in one of the booths or outside at one of the tables (but it was too cold me to do that, lol).
7. Onyx Coffee Lab
The best place to grab a macaroon and some hot chocolate/coffee is at Onyx Coffee Lab. You can design your own drink, and pick from a wide variety of delicious eats. This place is packed but the line moves quickly. There is a lot of seating as well, and I belive they had free wi-fi. They also provide a complimentary water bar where you can get yourself a cup of ice cold water and add things like lemons, etc. I really enjoyed my macaroons too! Plan your visit here onyxcoffeelab.com
8. Scotch & Soda
I had a delicious fruit mocktail. There are also all sorts of drinks non-alcoholic/alcoholic so you can get just about whatever you want here. We came here before heading over to dinner at The Press Room to get drinks and visit. Since I don’t drink alcohol, I asked the waiter to bring me a fruit mocktail and they did great! I loved it. Everyone else also enjoyed their drinks. It is a great place to visit and relax. Check it out here www.thescotchandsoda.com
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9. Get off the beaten path
Walk around and enjoy the iconic places. Since everything in town is within a few blocks, you can walk around and just soak up the beauty and fun of it all. I love this water tower, as well as the painted walls that I found.
10. Eat dinner at The Pressroom
We had a wonderful dinner at The Pressroom. The service is phenomenal and the food is so good. You will have a hard time deciding what you want to eat. We were able to try several things and everything I put in my mouth was like heaven. Make a reservation because it fills up fast. Visit them at www.eatatpressroom.com
11. Visit Crystal Bridges Museum
I was able to spend most of the day here exploring, taking a guided tour and soaking up all of the beauty and history this place has to offer. You will be wooed not only by the art but the building and grounds as well. You can read all about our experience here, and be sure to visit crystalbridges.org. Also be sure to check out the new Men of Steel, Women of Wonder exhibit that just opened last weekend!
As you can see there is so much to do in Bentonville, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Head on over to www.visitbentonville.com for a full list of everything you soak up while you are there. I hope this has inspired you to make the trip. It really is a fun place to visit and spend time together with friends and family. If you have anything else you think we should add, let me know and I will put include it. Thanks for visiting!
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Bentonville looks like it has a lot of interesting historic sites and great food!