For Arkansas newbies (my parents!), D and I showed off NWA's cultural pride and joy, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. This museum turned Bentonville into more than just the home of Walmart, but into a bit of an American art destination. The youngest heir to the Walmart empire, Alice Walton, used a large portion of her wealth (Forbes estimates she's worth $37 billion) to build a museum to showcase her extensive collection - with free general admission (score!). That means everyone has the opportunity to see works by Georgia O'Keefe, Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol - pretty amazing considering we're not in a major metropolitan city like NYC or Chicago.
Designed by Moshe Safdie, the museum is a series of galleries and pavilions/bridges set into 120 wooded acres over several creek-fed ponds. The interior galleries are beautifully done - using natural light and reflections from the water to draw you through the spaces. Enough about the commentary - the pictures speak for themselves! (Only complaint is that the water isn't so "crystal" - maybe it was the recent rain, but the ponds could stand to gain a little clarity.)
Photo credit upper left: Huffington Post
Art and architecture aside, the grounds warrant their own visit with over 3.5 miles of manicured trails sprinkled with sculpture and pavilions. The latest addition is the Bachman Wilson residence, a Frank Lloyd Wright Usonion home; relocated from New Jersey thanks to the threat of flooding. The rebuild is underway and should be done in August - can't wait to check it out.
We hooked up with the Art Trail to the Museum on the edge of Historic Downtown Bentonville, where we had brunch at Tusk and Trotter (I'd been wanting to try this place since we moved!). Sadly we weren't wowed - we agreed that our casual outdoor dining the morning before at Arsaga's was far superior to the James Beard chef's food, what a disappointment. But that's part of the fun of trying new places and learning what makes the "favorites" list! Next Bentonville brunch will be Crepes Paulette food truck - the line was at least 20-deep and we couldn't help but notice the banana Nutella crepe on the menu - yes, we will be back.
En route from brunch to the trailhead we ran across the original Walton's 5 & 10 (now the Walmart museum) and 21c Museum Hotel - a combo contemporary art museum, hotel and hip restaurant. I love them for their hard-to-miss, neon green penguins that roam the property - oh and for their restaurant's pimiento cheese spread (The Hive). And last stop was to pick up some teas and spices at the aptly named Tea & Spice Exchange. Needed to mix up the flavors in our kitchen so we added some togarashi, tandoori spice blend, jasmine tea and chai tea.
There's still more to explore in Bentonville - restaurants, community activities, bike paths and walking trails, and of course the Bark Park for Bayla once this outbreak of the doggie flu dies down.
And I failed to mention that NW Arkansas got it's FIRST Eater.com article...ever "How Walmart's Hometown is Fast-Becoming a Restaurant Hotspot". Bentonville has arrived! *update: a New York Times article on the Film Festival and other Bentonville growth
Belfry, northwesterner.com / Tea & Spice Exchange, my own pic / Blu Fresh Fish Marketplace Facebook page
Quick list of future To-Do's:
Compton Gardens | privately-owned gardens and paths
Table Mesa | creative latin dining
Bike Rack Brewing | we've picked up a growler, but need to do some tasting
Ramo D'Olivo | wine, olive oil and balsamic flights
Blu Fresh Fish Market | retail and cafe for...you guessed it...fresh fish *update: they are now OPEN!
Belfry and Old 71 Club | church conversion to contemporary restaurant+cocktail lounge *coming soon
