A trail connects the Art Trail with downtown Bentonville: the Crystal Bridges Trail. It is also part of the City of Bentonville trail system and the Razorback Greenway. This route brings together art, the city and a larger trail network. Check current trail conditions before setting out.

Bentonville: Art, Museums and Discoveries

At the Museum of Native American History, prehistoric and historical art offers insight into the diverse Indigenous cultures of the Americas. The Scott Family Amazeum takes a different approach to discovery: interactive exhibits and special pop-up activities combine playful exploration with learning. The Amazeum also includes the approximately one-acre outdoor PlayScape. It features a SpaceNet Climber and a nature discovery area.

The Peel Museum & Botanical Garden adds another cultural dimension. It preserves a 19th-century family home with Italian influences, surrounded by seasonal gardens inspired by the Victorian era. The Peel Museum is also a notable example of Italian architecture. Here, the focus is on the house and garden—a different experience from the Amazeum’s interactive exhibits and activities.

The Spark Café in Bentonville adds a distinctive culinary note to the itinerary: it serves Yarnell’s ice cream made in Arkansas, as well as Walmart-inspired sundaes and sweet treats. The menu may change.

Trails and Forest Landscapes in Rogers

In Rogers, Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area encompasses 12,173 acres of forested landscape along the southern shore of Beaver Lake. Guided kayak tours on the lake are offered from May through October. Dates and registration requirements may change; check them before planning. The Ozark Plateau Trail offers a different perspective: its inner paved section is a quarter mile long, while the outer paved loop is half a mile. The trail is wheelchair accessible and meets ADA requirements. Information panels explain the area’s plants, animals and geology; seasonal trail conditions may change.

Other trails in Rogers each have their own focus. The short, easy Sinking Stream Trail runs above the tunnel under Highway 12 on both sides of Little Clifty Creek and crosses three bridges. Closures may apply during hunting season. The Hidden Diversity Multi-Use Trail is open to hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders; closures may occur in wet weather and during hunting season. The Sinking Stream Trail is short and easy; the Hidden Diversity Multi-Use Trail is open to hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. Both trails may close during hunting season, and the Hidden Diversity Trail may also close in wet weather.

The Historic Van Winkle Trail also leads to a tunnel under Highway 12. From there, information panels offer insight into the historic home and mill sites of the Peter Van Winkle family during and after the Civil War. This makes the trail an opportunity to take in the landscape and local history together.

Waterways and Nature

Beaver Lake offers 28,000 acres of water and 490 miles of shoreline for boating, fishing and water sports. Its natural features include striped bass and diverse fish populations, as well as rich forest habitats, small game and other wildlife. The Upper Illinois River Water Trail in Benton County is described differently: it is 15.5 river miles long and has three river access points and two whitewater parks. The lake and river route represent different waterscapes and ways of exploring.

An important protected area is Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge: the 123-acre site in the Ozark Mountains in Benton County contains a limestone solution cave. Logan Cave is home to the largest population of the endangered Benton cave crayfish, as well as Ozark cavefish and about 25,000 gray bats. Public use of the refuge is prohibited to protect gray bats and other protected cave species.

History at Pea Ridge

At Pea Ridge National Military Park near Garfield, more than 23,000 soldiers fought on March 7 and 8, 1862. The 4,400-acre battlefield commemorates those who fell; the battle’s history is also considered from the perspective of soldiers on both sides. The park was established in 1956 to preserve, commemorate and interpret the events associated with the battle.

The history of the Trail of Tears is also connected with the area: an estimated 10,370 Cherokee traveled through the land that later became the park over a period of two years. The visitor center includes a museum and gift shop; its hours may change seasonally. A visit to Garfield thus combines historical context about the battlefield with a look at other events that took place in the area.

Discover more destinations: Rogers, Bentonville, Siloam Springs, Pea Ridge, Gentry, Bella Vista, Garfield, Pulaski

For the main travel overview: Arkansas.