10 Things to Do Within 10 Minutes of Alice L. Walton School of Medicine

Alice L. Walton School of Medicine’s innovative medical education facility is located on Crystal Bridges Campus near downtown Bentonville, only a 10-minute drive or bike ride away from some of the most exciting experiences in the city.
Whether you’re an AWSOM student, a faculty or staff member, or you’re planning a visit to Crystal Bridges Campus, this guide is here to help you make the most of your time in Bentonville.

1. Dine out on the Bentonville Square

The Bentonville Square is the hub of Bentonville’s dining and nightlife scene, featuring a wide variety of dining options from some of the area’s most creative chefs. Some of the restaurants located on and around the Bentonville Square include:

• Table Mesa Bistro (a modern take on Latin cuisine)
• Conifer (intimate dining with a 100% gluten-free, farm-fresh menu)
• Tusk and Trotter (gastropub serving American food in a rustic setting)
• The Preacher’s Son (New American plates served in a restored Gothic Revival church)
• Bentonville Taco & Tamale Co. (Arkansas-inspired Mexican Tex-Mex fare)

2. Get sporty at Osage Park

Osage Park is an urban park with a 12-acre native wetlands ecosystem complete with floating boardwalks for visitors. These wetlands are home to beavers, bunnies, minks, and more and are the perfect place for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts.
At Osage Park’s Quiver Archery Range, archers of all skill levels can practice in a safe environment. Osage Park also includes pickleball courts, a dog park, a pavilion, and local food trucks.

3. Visit the Momentary

The Momentary is a satellite of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art that serves as a contemporary art space and creative hub. Built from a decommissioned cheese factory, the Momentary is a one-of-a-kind location to experience rotating exhibitions, live music, culinary pop-ups, and more. General admission is always free. Visitors can relax on the patio, grab a drink from Onyx, or ride the elevator up to the Tower Bar for one of the best views of the city.

4. Catch a movie at Skylight Cinema

Skylight Cinema is an independent movie and dining destination in downtown Bentonville. Skylight exhibits first-run movies from major studios as well as special programming events such as sports and classic films. All theaters feature luxury leather seats. Skylight is also home to Brick Oven Bentonville, The Cutting Room, and the Skylight Bar, which offer delicious food and drink options to movie-goers.

5. Experience the sun from The Way of Color

Sculptor James Turrell’s Skyspaces are freestanding concrete and stone structures designed to manipulate light that shines through an opening in the ceiling. The Way of Color is a Skyspace located on the Crystal Bridges’ Art Trail. It gives visitors a unique, LED light-enhanced experience of the sunrise and sunset daily. To get the best experience, Crystal Bridges recommends arriving 45 minutes before sunrise and 10 minutes before sunset.

6. Step back in time at the Peel Museum & Botanical Garden

The Peel Museum is one of the oldest structures in Bentonville. This historic Italianate home has architecture, artifacts, and period pieces that date back to the 1800s. The house is accompanied by a beautiful botanical garden featuring an apple orchard and rose garden. The Peel Museum is available to tour and hosts community events and classes throughout the year.

7. Create a work of art at Crock A Doodle Bentonville

The Canada-based pottery studio Crock A Doodle opened up their first United States location in Bentonville in 2024. Crock A Doodle Bentonville is a cheerful, welcoming space open to drop-ins as well as group reservations.

Visitors choose from a ready-to-paint piece of pottery from the studio and customize it with a wide range of paint options. After the painting is complete, the piece is professionally glazed and kiln-fired to a brilliant and food-safe finish. Crock A Doodle creations make for one-of-a-kind gifts, keepsakes, and even functional houseware.

 

 

 

8. Get inspired at 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville

21c Museum Hotel Bentonville is a 104-room upscale hotel, contemporary art museum, and home to Arkansas native chef Matthew McClure’s restaurant The Hive. The 12,000+ square feet of exhibition space (with rotating exhibits) is free and worth the visit even if you’re not staying the night. Visitors can finish their tour with a refreshment and a meal at The Hive.

21c is located conveniently off of the Bentonville Square. Just look for the green penguins!

9. Blaze a trail at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve

Coler Mountain Bike Preserve is an outdoor destination with over 17 miles of mountain biking, running, and walking trails for visitors. An open-air café, Airship Coffee at Coler, is tucked deep into the preserve and features wooden swings for guests to rest on. In 2022, Coler added The Rise™, a stairway with 185 steps (equal to 11 flights of stairs) that provides visitors an ergonomic running or walking space leading up to the preserve’s highest point.

10. Explore Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

AWSOM shares a campus with the renowned Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a free-entry museum celebrating the American spirit and the beauty of art, architecture, and nature. In addition to a permanent collection of art, Crystal Bridges offers temporary exhibitions, events, classes, a library with more than 50,000 volumes of art reference material, and a restaurant (Eleven) and coffee bar overlooking the ponds. Through the seamless campus trail system, you can travel from the AWSOM rooftop park directly to Crystal Bridges without ever stepping foot in a car.