[culture] + [sightseeing] Exploring Northwest Arkansas: Bentonville

It's been just shy of three months since the we ditched the big city for our new home in Northwest Arkansas - more familiarly known as NWA.  Fayetteville's funky little college town vibe blends with global headquarters of the world's largest company (yep, Walmart); who's presence here brings us world-class art, architecture and entertainment.

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

[staycation] + [sightseeing] Fayetteville Spring Break '15

We spent Arkansas' spring break hangin' at home in Fayetteville, playing host + hostess to D's pal, and exploring the University of Arkansas campus.

Sunshine and warm temps lured us outside for a stroll down the Frisco Trail - part of the Fayetteville trail system that connects our place in South Fayetteville with Dickson Street...and beyond. Bayla and I have become regulars on this part of the Frisco and at our favorite pitstop, Arsaga's Coffee Roasters. They're a family-run business and are doing it all right. Small batch roasting, great atmosphere (old train depot), tasty/quality/inventive/local menu. Winning! On this particular stop, D gets the best order award: polenta creamed with smoked gouda, topped with sauteed kale, sundried tomatoes, shitakes and blue cheese. // flavor bomb. no meat needed

In an effort to walk off the brunch, we strolled up the trail and over to campus. Why not take advantage of the quiet while the kids are in Cancun and Panama City?

We started at the Inn at Carnall Hall, a 1905 residence hall now functioning as an inn ranked by Conde Nast as a Top Hotel in the South. From there we stepped off the front porch and onto the lawn of Old Main - the oldest building on the U of A campus, built in 1875. The names of the first graduating class of 1876 are etched into the sidewalk that criss-cross the front lawn. This began the tradition of all graduates getting their names etched into sidewalks that run throughout campus. And yep, D's name is there!

Departing form the uber-traditional architecture of Old Main is the new addition to the Fay Jones School of Architecture building housing the architcture, interior deisgn and landscape architecture programs. Now's probably the right time to gush about Fay Jones. A Frank Lloyd Wright disciple, AIA Gold Medal winner and Arkansas native, Fay Jones' work is intimate and organic. I can't wait to go back to his Thorncrown and Mildred B. Cooper chapels.

Walking around hilly Fayetteville really makes ya work up a thirst! We popped into a couple of our favorite spots for an afternoon refreshment or two. Puritan Brew Co. sits at the top of Dickson and serves brew - of the coffee and beer varieties. They just put in their built-in outdoor lounge areas and we couldn't ask for a more perfect spot! Next on the walking tour of our hometown was classic/craft cocktail destination, Maxine's Tap Room, opened in 1950 by charismatic Maxine Miller. Loved them from the start - they make a perfect Aviation. For you Big Lebowski fans, they serve one heckuva White Russian during happy hour. And even dog friendly, what's not to like?!

[travel] + [outdoors] + [history] Central Arkansas

What to do with a long weekend? Visit family, eat your weight in BBQ+catfish and explore Central AR of course.

day one

Explored D's hometown of Stuttgart (rice and duck capital of the world, no less). Saw the rice fields and mills, D's childhood church and school, and took in the slower pace of a smaller town. Even went to Mack's Priarie Wings - sponsor of the World's Championship Duck Calling Contest at Stuttgart's annual Duck Festival. Had some local insight in finding the best BBQ - Craig's BBQ in DeVall's Bluff. The secret is ordering the sliced BBQ pork sandwich (medium) paired with the cheeseburger. Both come with Craig's apple slaw...just wow.

// Must remember to work out when we get home.

day two

Ventured out to Arkansas Post National Memorial in Gillett to check out the first European settlement of the lower Mississippi (and home to Quapaw people, whom Arkansas was named for). Quick run-down of Arkansas Post's history: founded in 1686 by French explorer Henri de Tonti, Spanish gained control in 1763, U.S. took ownership as part of the Louisiana Purchase in  1804. Voila! And not to be overlooked, we ate catfish steaks and hush puppies in DeWitt at The Catfish Shack. Cornmeal breading, big pieces of fish, creamy slaw and tartar made for a perfect lunch stop.
The Potlach Conservation Center was next on the agenda. This place is special because of a teeny tiny little bird that they band and release - hummingbirds! We were able to talk with Tana, one of the educators and leaders of the banding program. Can you imagine the patience involved in catching and tagging these quick little guys?

Another southern meal at dinner - hot n' spicy shrimp boil at a local cajun joint. The waitress meant it when she said "don't let 'em touch your lips"! Another awesome meal, this time topped off with a shake at Stuttgart's Sonic. Perfect small town night.  // Must remember to work out when we get home (again)!

day three

Off to Little Rock for some history and hiking. But first, a quick donut and coffee fuel-up at Stuttgart's Daylight Donuts for my fave apple fritter. Then on the road!
Poked around the Arkansas State Capitol (reminded me of Wisconsin's) while the General Assembly was in session. A beautiful building finished in 1915. From there we popped over to the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. The nine students enrolled into LRCHS in 1957 by the NAACP, after the Supreme Court's Brown vs The Board of Education, changed the course of civil rights history. Even with the 101st Airborne at their side, those students endured taunting, abuse and worse for the span of their enrollment at LRCHS. Shows how far the US has come with equality and upholding the 14th amendment, and how far we still have to go.

The SoMa area of Little Rock is a new, downtown, urban district that is ready to explode with sustainable restaurants, art installations, community shops, and local flavor. We met a friend for lunch at farm-to-table Root Cafe and followed up with a scoops of sweet corn ice cream at Loblolly Creamery at the soda fountain in the Green Corner Store. Couldn't think of better fuel for our afternoon adventure...hiking at Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

The West Summit Trail rises to just over a 1,000-foot elevation in a three-quarters-mile ascent. Another puffer! It's a rocky path, but very well-maintained and very well-traveled (yep, spring break week means lots of families). Even the pup was able to scramble over the rocks to get the top. The views are breathtaking - Little Rock, Lake Maumelle, Arkansas River Valley and Ouachita Mountains. If we didn't have to scoot back to Fayetteville, we would have started later to see sunset. Instead we had time to toss the frisbee and play a little bocce ball before hitting the road. But in true explorer fashion we needed to make one last culinary pitstop at Arkansas' original Whatta-Burger, Feltner's. Fun spot, good burger, shake and fries!

[outdoors] Hemmed-In Hollow

When spring weather hits in Northwest Arkansas people don't stay put, they hit the trail! Ponca Wilderness Area and the Buffalo National River offer a wide variety of outdoor activities - from day hikes to float trips to multi-night camping. Knowing that we've been hit with a good dousing of rain, we opted for a waterfall hike to Hemmed-in Hollow just outside of Compton, Ark. The 1,400-foot descent is just over 2 miles and is no joke - your lungs will be burning on the climb back up! Bring your H2O and snacks...and a swimsuit...if the weather's nice. The falls rise 210 feet and are the tallest between the Rockies and Appalachians and are truly a special spot! Be sure to see the falls from below and look up, you get a beautiful view of the water pouring down overhead.
Side note: We popped into JB Trading for lunch and picked up a guidebook for future hikes in our new home.  Plan your trip here. And try out the Yonder app!