Where to go in NW Arkansas?
February 10, 2022 10:04 AM Subscribe
Pretty much at the last minute (we'd be leaving in two weeks) we've decided to leave cold/snowy Chicago for someplace warmer. Northwest Arkansas looks like it fits the bill for being about one longish day's drive and potentially offering us the sorts of things we're looking for. Can you help us narrow down the destination, based on our interests/preferences?
We will be bringing our dog with us, so we're not able to spend long chunks of time in places where dogs are not allowed (like museums). But galleries and the sorts of shops found in resort towns appeal, as do artisans, unique foodstuffs, and quirky attractions. Having some views of mountains and/or water would be welcome, and a little light hiking would be nice. Mostly we just want to relax and live our lives for a week in a setting far different than where we live in the Chicago area. Can anyone give us a quick orientation to the area, perhaps with some suggestions of locations we might want to visit or use as a base of operations?
We will be bringing our dog with us, so we're not able to spend long chunks of time in places where dogs are not allowed (like museums). But galleries and the sorts of shops found in resort towns appeal, as do artisans, unique foodstuffs, and quirky attractions. Having some views of mountains and/or water would be welcome, and a little light hiking would be nice. Mostly we just want to relax and live our lives for a week in a setting far different than where we live in the Chicago area. Can anyone give us a quick orientation to the area, perhaps with some suggestions of locations we might want to visit or use as a base of operations?
Eureka Springs is pretty dog friendly I feel like. worth a look. I imagine a VRBO there would be good. Very quaint, very hilly.
Alternately you could stay on the east side of Beaver Lake and visit Eureka Springs, Bentonville/Fayetteville. Beautiful rivers and waterfalls in the area. Or a house along the white river might work.
i was there last weekend and there was lots of snow and it was cold. Sunny. Weather can be unpredictable this time of year.
posted by domino at 11:19 AM on February 10, 2022 [3 favorites]
Alternately you could stay on the east side of Beaver Lake and visit Eureka Springs, Bentonville/Fayetteville. Beautiful rivers and waterfalls in the area. Or a house along the white river might work.
i was there last weekend and there was lots of snow and it was cold. Sunny. Weather can be unpredictable this time of year.
posted by domino at 11:19 AM on February 10, 2022 [3 favorites]
We loved War Eagle Cavern not far from there also.
And Blue Springs is very beautiful and interesting for Native American and local history.
posted by domino at 11:23 AM on February 10, 2022
And Blue Springs is very beautiful and interesting for Native American and local history.
posted by domino at 11:23 AM on February 10, 2022
Another vote for Eureka Springs here! It's got the funky gallery/resort town vibe you're looking for.
posted by woodvine at 12:54 PM on February 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by woodvine at 12:54 PM on February 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
We have family in Fayetteville and have often visited Crystal Bridges when going to see them. Yes, it's funded by the heir of a rapacious corporation that exploited cheap labor for the benefit of its executives and shareholders. Welcome to art exhibition in America!!
Admission is free, though some exhibitions require a ticket purchase. It's a very interesting and varied collection of American art. They have one of Yayoi Kusama‘s Infinity Mirror Rooms on permanent display; paintings by Obama portraitists Amy Sherald and Kahinde Wiley; Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter; Frank Lloyd Wright's Bachman-Wilson House, and lots more interesting stuff. There's also a remarkable children's science center nearby, and lots of good restaurants that cater to the business types who come to Bentonville to visit Walmart HQ.
posted by conscious matter at 2:09 PM on February 10, 2022
Admission is free, though some exhibitions require a ticket purchase. It's a very interesting and varied collection of American art. They have one of Yayoi Kusama‘s Infinity Mirror Rooms on permanent display; paintings by Obama portraitists Amy Sherald and Kahinde Wiley; Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter; Frank Lloyd Wright's Bachman-Wilson House, and lots more interesting stuff. There's also a remarkable children's science center nearby, and lots of good restaurants that cater to the business types who come to Bentonville to visit Walmart HQ.
posted by conscious matter at 2:09 PM on February 10, 2022
Seconding Crystal Bridges - it's fantastic. You can enjoy the sculpture trail from downtown to the museum with your pets. The town is weird, but welcoming, and there are a lot of cheap hotels off the highway.
posted by Miko at 11:10 PM on February 10, 2022
posted by Miko at 11:10 PM on February 10, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
Devil's Den State Park was a pretty nice spot some eighteen years ago, when we went there on our honeymoon. The cabins were (as I recall) pretty nice and there was some not-strenuous hiking.
My parents love Crystal Bridges Museum; it does sound like a very nice museum and garden spot, but it's entirely funded with Wal-Mart money, FYI.
posted by daisystomper at 10:23 AM on February 10, 2022