Special Thanks to Crystal Bridges Museum of Art for Sponsoring our Trip to Bentonville and Today’s blogpost. As always, all opinions are mine.
HIDDEN GEM OF BENTONVILLE- ‘CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF ART’
Good morning, everyone!
I’m so excited to tell you alll about our family road trip to Bentonville, Arkansas and a hidden gem of Bentonville which is ‘Crystal Bridges Museum of Art“. Today I’ll be sharing everything that you need to know, to plan your travels to Bentonville and experience the ‘Summer Series‘ at Crystal Bridges Museum. If you have any questions about our trip, be sure to leave them in the comment section and I’ll answer you there! There is also a glimpse about this trip in my Instagram Stories Highlights, so be sure to check them out as well.
DAY 1: So we started our road trip around 9 a.m. from Plano (Dallas), Texas and we arrived Bentonville around 3 pm. Checked in to the amazing 21C Museum Hotel at 4 pm. We freshened up, so I could attend Artist Panel discussion which was a kickoff to the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art Summer events and was truly an incredible experience!
If Northwest Arkansas might not be on the top of your travel bucket list, it should be- City of Bentonville is the birthplace and current headquarters of Walmart, and the surrounding area has reaped the benefits of having some of the richest people in the world, the Walton family, as residents.
Things to do in ‘Bentonville’
Bentonville is a city in Arkansas. It’s known as the birthplace of the retailer Walmart and a place to experience morning, noon and night! From vibrant Downtown Square, historical areas, food, shopping and the hidden treasure world-class Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the Walmart Museum, Amazeum and much more…
Crystal Bridges MUSEUM of Art, Nature, Color & More..
Crystal Bridges is the newest American Art Museum to open in more than a generation. The museum opened in 2011 and since then, they have had over 4.2 million people visited not just from 50 US states, but from across the world. The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome everyone to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Admission to the museum and trails is always free (due to the generous sponsors), and thousands of school children visit Crystal Bridges for programs and tours, completely free of charge.
Experiencing summer @ Crystal Bridges!
The Crystal Bridges summer events calendar is full of fun family events and irrespective of the age, everyone in the family can create new memorable memories. We truly enjoyed the experience at the museum as there’s so much to explore- the beauty of nature both in the art galleries and on the trail grounds! Guest amenities include a restaurant on a glass-enclosed bridge overlooking the ponds, a Museum Store designed by architect Marlon Blackwell, and a library featuring more than 50,000 volumes of art reference material. Sculpture and walking 4 mile trails link the Museum’s 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. You can easily just spend your entire weekend exploring the museum!
KICK-OFF with Panel Discussion » Color Field: The weekend that we visited was the opening weekend (June 1st) of the outdoor exhibition Color Field.
The kick off was with the panel discussion featuring artists of Color Field exhibition: Claire Helen Ashley, Odili Donald Odita, Typoe Gran & it was moderated by Crystal Bridges Associate Curator Allison Glenn. I was humbled to meet and mingle with the artists during the Happy hour we had before the panel discussion started.
So while the boys were taking a guided tour to the Crystal Bridges Museum where they walked the trails, visited the Studio, I got ME TIME to attend the panel discussion. This lively panel discussions gave insights into each artist’s unique approach to color as it relates to theory, form, light, time, touch and seriously I had the best time listening to the colorful discussion!
In the evening, before we headed to our hotel, we stopped by a restaurant to grab quick dinner. After we reached the hotel, I was all ready to call it a night and headed off to bed, so I could be rested and have more fun the next day.
The next morning, DAY 2– we had yummy breakfast at Tavola restaurant, which is a 3 minute walk from 21C Museum Hotel. BTW- Bentonville’s Downton is so happening on summer Saturday – we got to walk through the farmer’s market. Later, we had brunch at the Crystal Museum’s ELEVEN restaurant.
LUNCH AT ELEVEN RESTAURANT: We got to encounter the culinary experience at the ELEVEN restaurant inside Crystal Bridges Museum. Dining at Eleven was a unique, one-of-a-kind experience with beautiful views on both sides and a special colorful atmosphere. BTW, the food was amazing! They had so many options for vegetarians (like us), vegan, gluten free & even Eleven’s Kids Menu that offers fresh, tasty kid-friendly meal. My kiddos enjoyed a three-course meal including a starter of cheese and crackers, entrée, and dessert.
Nature’s Nation Tour: After the brunch, we went to the Summer exhibitions at Crystal Bridges, a guided tour to the Nature’s Nation and self-guided tour to Color Field which requires tickets and are pretty reasonable: $16 between June 1st and September 30th. And family membership is only $75. We took an annual membership so our family of four can visit again before September.
The Nature’s Nation features about 100 artworks from 70 eminent US collections, Nature’s Nation exhibition traces 300 years of evolving ideas about the natural world and our place within it. From colonial beliefs about the divine in nature, to artists’ advocacy for national parks, to the emergence of environmental activism, the paintings, photographs, and installations by Thomas Moran & Frank Lloyd Wright just to name a couple. Similar to the mission of Crystal Bridges, Nature’s Nation illuminates the connection between art and nature. It was amazing to soak it all in…
COLOR FIELD TOUR: Our next stop was the Color Field which is an outdoor exhibition featuring large, colorful sculptures against the lush backdrop of Crystal Bridges’ Ozark forest. The fascinating artworks in Color Field invite viewers to engage all the senses, from Spencer Finch’s Back to Kansas, a billboard-sized grid gleaned from the artist’s own repeated viewing of The Wizard of Oz, to Sam Falls’s interactive sculptures that welcome viewers to explore color through sight and sound. Along the way, we learned about color theory, discovered some of today’s exciting contemporary artists.
FOREST CONCERT SERIES: Our evening was well spent at the Summer Saturday evenings at Crystal Bridges, which are a series of musical performances by national and local musicians in the beautiful North Forest. When we visited, the Yarn & The Vine Brothers- a Brooklyn-based, North Carolina raised band was entertaining the huge crowd. I’d recommend to bring your own lawn chair &/or blanket to enjoy live music and dancing under the forest trees. These tickets are $12 general admission, $10 for members, free for youth ages 18 and younger.
They also had food truck, so you can grab meals (and beverage of your choice) along with the music. There is a kids craft area for the little ones where kids have additional fun things to do at the Forest concert.
Modern Art Galleries: My family had so much fun exploring the MODERN ART galleries. The museum offers a wide range of temporary exhibitions each year, and the artwork in permanent collection galleries also changes often. My kiddos have been already insisting on going back to Crystal Bridges Museum, so I would be surprised if this does not become our (last minute) bi-annual ritual since it’s just a little over 5 hour drive from Plano, Texas!
And our stay at 21C Museum Hotel was an intriguing experience as well and I highly recommend staying there, if you plan to visit Bentonville.
21C Museum Hotel
21c Bentonville Hotel features very friendly courteous staff, personal service and thoughtful amenities that are sure to make you feel at home. Right as you walk in, you feel so welcomed by the beautiful art work and ambience. . The guest rooms and suites are spacious with high ceilings, large windows, custom-designed furniture, comfortable beds, plush robes and Malin + Goetz bath amenities. Seriously, feels like home away from home!
I already gave you’ll a mini tour of the Crystal Bridges Museum and the 21C Hotel on my Instastories, but in case you’ve missed it, they’re saved on my highlights.
The Walmart Museum
Okay, I have to admit that we couldn’t resist visiting the Walmart Museum 3 times in 2 days coz first, Bentonville is the birthplace of Walmart and second, The Spark Café Soda Fountain brownies and ice-cream was a hit with my kiddos. The best part was that it was less than a couple minutes walk from 21C Hotel. The Walmart Museum showcases a part of Walmart’s history – when Sam Walton opened his 5&10 on the Bentonville town square in 1950, he had no idea he’d planted the seeds for what would become the global leader in retail, saving millions of people money so they could live better. Today, that humble little dime store is the location of the Walmart Museum and offers a family-friendly experience featuring a world-class exhibit gallery, Walton’s 5&10, and the Spark Café Soda Fountain.
SPLASH PAD: Just next to the 21C Hotel and the square, is a water adventure for summer. My kiddos had to be there once where they got soaking wet at the Splash Park! I would have done the same, if I were a kid.
Before we headed back home on DAY 3 after lunch, we had to drive by Walmart headquarters (of course).
Overall, we created beautiful memorable family moments by visiting Bentonville, exploring the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art and experiencing their summer events, Nature’s Nation tour and the Forest Concert.
Remember, that I’m always here to answer any questions, so you may feel free to send me a DM on Instagram or ask questions in the comment section so other readers can view the responses as well.
Are you planning to visit summer events happening at Crystal Bridges this year? Let me know in the comments below!
XX, Avani
