What to see and do in Northwest Arkansas, USA

Over the past decade, I’ve returned year-on-year to the American South, relishing the cocktail of music, food and history that the region is famous for. But Arkansas, parcelled between Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri, had always been something of an enigma to me. I was determined to change that on a trip to the state’s Northwest Arkansas region: a bucolic enclave in the Ozark Mountains that I’d been told offered art and nature in spades.

I began in Bentonville, a creative city whose astonishing recent growth means it has more cranes per capita than anywhere else in the US. This is Walmart Country (the superstore was founded by Sam Walton just a few kilometres down the road), and the construction of a new 140-hectare campus is grabbing national attention and attracting newcomers, who are making their mark on the region. My final stop – reached via quaint small cities and state parks along the way – was Fayetteville, a funky college town with a liberal, artsy vibe. Happily, I found this under-the-radar pocket of the South to be every bit as rich in culture and outdoor adventure as I’d hoped.

Highlights

The region’s crown jewel is the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, an already mighty institution in the throes of a major expansion that should be completed by 2026. This Bentonville museum is just one marker of the Walton family’s defining impact on this area. It was opened back in 2011 by Sam Walton’s daughter, Alice, whose own glittering art reserve formed the foundations of the museum’s original collection.

Today the museum represents an incredibly diverse and comprehensive snapshot of American art through the ages. Highlights include Precious jewels by the sea by Amy Sherald (best known for her official portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama) and Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed. On my visit, the galleries displayed a striking installation entitled We the People, in which rainbow-coloured shoe laces were arranged to spell out the opening three words of the US Constitution’s preamble. Traditional portraiture of the Founding Fathers shared space with poignant works by Indigenous artists. The most striking was The Cost of Removal by Titus Kaphar, in which an equestrian painting of seventh-president Andrew Jackson (who signed the Indian Removal Act into law in 1830) is partly hidden by strips of canvas pinned with rusted nails.

The museum building is a feast for the eyes too. Designed by architect Moshe Safdie to blend into the natural surroundings, it spreads out in a series of shell-like structures clad in glass and floating above glistening reflection pools. It’s purposefully low-rise, becoming almost lost in a lush tree canopy, which was an eye-popping green during my spring visit. Looming outside the entrance is Maman, one of artist Louise Bourgeois’ giant bronze spider sculptures; this one includes a nest of delicate marble eggs.

Be sure to book a free ticket to explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House (reservations are essential given the small space), which is on-site at the museum. It was acquired and reconstructed here due to flood risks at its original New Jersey location, and its nature-forward, mid-century Modern design – all mahogany beams and floor-to-ceiling glass – is exemplary of the late architect’s work.

Must-sees

An offbeat art space in a former Bentonville cheese factory, The Momentary is Crystal Bridges’ cool younger sister. Its galleries are filled with changing contemporary exhibitions. During my visit, I explored a moving installation on the precarious future of the Amazon rainforest, including infrared photographs by Richard Mosse. The building also doubles as a concert venue, and its roster of eclectic live shows (everything from country rock to indie folk) is hosted in the Fermentation Hall theatre and on the green outside.

Bentonville excels at public art too. Wander around the city and you’ll find everything from psychedelic neon installations to intricate paintings of flowers and butterflies. Don’t leave without visiting the Walmart Museum Heritage Lab (this is the Walmart Museum’s temporary location as it undergoes a major renovation). It might seem an offbeat stop, but the history of the superstore is synonymous with the region, and the museum explores Walmart’s rippling impact on this slice of Arkansas and beyond. You’ll listen to tales narrated by a hologram of founder Sam Walton and take in fun exhibits such as its customers’ most ridiculous reasons for returning items.

Motor out of Bentonville and make a pit stop at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area, just over 30km to the east. Offering a wild break from artistic city pursuits, this Ozarks bolthole throws weight behind Arkansas’ ‘Natural State’ nickname. Don’t skip the visitor centre, which primes hikers for the wildlife they might encounter, from bald eagles to black bears. Outside, hiking and biking trails skirt Beaver Lake and wriggle past mushrooming karst-rock formations.

Freewheeling Fayetteville should make it onto your itinerary too. The downtown core is pleasingly walkable, and I spent time at the Saturday farmers’ market before ducking into the Clinton House Museum. This modest Tudor Revival-style house was the home of 42nd-president Bill Clinton and fellow politician Hillary Clinton from 1975 – they were even married in the living room. It remains outfitted in gloriously kitsch 1970s decor and is filled with exhibits and memorabilia, including campaign-trail posters and university photos of the pair.

Finish with another hit of north-western creativity at Mount Sequoyah, a former church retreat home to Fenix Arts, a progressive collective whose gallery includes everything from photography to sculpture. There are unrivalled views of the city from its soaring hilltop location too.

Top tips

This region of Arkansas is hailed as one of America’s top places for mountain biking, thanks to its hilly Ozarks terrain, trail network and dedicated cycling community. Plenty of advanced trails zig-zag the parks and forests, and the US Pro Cup 2024 was held in Fayetteville’s Centennial Park while I was in town.

The paved Razorback Greenway provides a smoother way to zip around on two wheels. You can rent bikes or e-bikes from E-Bike Bentonville (e-bikebentonville.com) and travel between Kessler Mountain Regional Park in Fayetteville and Lake Bella Vista (north of Bentonville) on this 64km trail.

Fun fact: Bentonville is also home to what’s said to be the world’s first bikeable building. The Ledger is a modern retail and office space with switchback ramps that climb to the top of the structure.

Cautionary tale

Arkansas is one of the larger Southern states, and although there was plenty to keep me busy in its north-west, more forward planning might have let me hit some other hotspots. Country legend Johnny Cash was born in Arkansas, and his boyhood home lies some 530km to the east of Bentonville; 322km to the south, Crater of Diamonds State Park is one of the only places on the planet where the public can dig for diamonds; and state capital Little Rock is a hotbed of Civil Rights history.

I wish I’d known

A single afternoon is not nearly long enough to take in the galleries and grounds of Crystal Bridges; next time, I’ll set aside a full day.

Anything else

It’s well worth making a detour east of Bentonville to tour the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. For more than 30 years, this accredited sanctuary has been dedicated to the rescue of abused and exploited big cats across the USA (including those bred by Joe Exotic from the Netflix series Tiger King). You’ll explore on an open-air tram tour with passionate guides, who share details of the sanctuary’s work and introduce the resident animals (there is strictly no interaction, as per the requirements for sanctuary accreditation). The leafy Ozarks location is a bonus too.