The expansion of Crystal Bridges, renderings of the new STEM-university, alongside continued investments in its outdoor and cultural amenities has Bentonville grabbing attention from major national publications and outlets.
📷: Tim Hursley
This ‘Forest Museum’ Is One of America’s Most Exciting Art Destinations—and It Just Unveiled a Massive Expansion
It sounds a little too fantastical to be true: in a forest in Arkansas, you can walk through a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house; hear a U.S. Poet Laureate give a talk; and stand before staggering works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Georgia O’Keeffe. But this vision of an art utopia is real—it’s the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Crystal Bridges Marks 15 Years With a Major Expansion
“It’s hard to overstate how catalytic Crystal Bridges has been for the entire region and really, for the state. Alice catapulted Bentonville onto the global arts scene. Crystal Bridges was founded on Alice’s idea that great art belongs to everyone and people in the middle of the country should have access to world-class art,” says Olivia Walton, chair of the board.
📷: Tim Hursley
📷: Tim Hursley
Billionaire urbanism: How Walmart heir Alice Walton engineered a small-town paradise
If Sam built the wealth that made Bentonville, and Alice set the model for using it to transform the town, Tom and Steuart are part of the third generation stepping up to carry on the family legacy in their hometown. Big projects are in the works, including the university and the healthcare campus, but so are smaller efforts focused on improving the quality of life in the region.
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The Best Mountain Bike Towns in the U.S., Ranked
During the last decade, Bentonville, a relatively small town in the relatively small mountains of Arkansas, hasn’t just entered into the conversation of best mountain bike towns in the country, it’s dominated it.
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📷: Drager Creative
📷: Two Friends Books
36 Hours in Bentonville, Arkansas: Things to Do and See
Beyond the obvious draws (that made it one of Times Travel’s 52 Places to Go in 2026), it’s the enthusiasm and hospitality of those who live and ride through Bentonville that have created a charming, accessible destination in the Ozark Mountains.
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Bentonville Film Festival Embraces Fresh Voices and Regional Talent Drawing From Thriving Cinematic Community
Bentonville, Ark., may seem out of the way for a film festival, but it’s a place where cinema and artists thrive.
Geena Davis, Bentonville Film Festival chair, notes, “As we enter our twelfth year, I’m incredibly proud of how Bentonville continues to grow as a place where artists, audiences, and industry leaders come together to champion bold creativity, meaningful connection, and stories that reflect the richness of the world around us.”
📷: Bentonville Film Festival
📷: Bjarke Ingels Group
A world-class STEM university is coming to small-town Arkansas
A major STEM-focused university in the unlikely location of Bentonville, Arkansas, is starting to take shape.
“Growing up here, we always had a chip on our shoulder about how people thought about Arkansas,” says Walton. He and his brother, along with support from others in the Walton family and the Alice L. Walton Foundation, are hoping to bring a more flexible approach to higher education into a town that has found itself transitioning from company town to regional growth engine.
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BIG Is Designing the Walton Family’s Bid to Build the Stanford of the Ozarks
American universities are rarely built anymore.
New science buildings are constructed. Student centers are renovated. Campuses expand incrementally. But the creation of an entirely new university—especially one designed from the ground up around artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and advanced technology—is almost unheard of.
Yet that is precisely what the Walton family is attempting in Bentonville, Arkansas.
📷: Bjarke Ingels Group
📷: Downtown Bentonville Incorporated
Steve Doocy explores Bentonville, Arkansas, the ‘Mountain Bike Capital of the World’
America would not be as great as it is today were it not for what Walmart did to this town and across the country and around the world. The biggest retailer all got started right here on this Main Street USA.
Live Nation Announces Vision For a New Music Venue in Downtown Bentonville
“We’re honored to work with the Momentary to bring more music to Northwest Arkansas,” said Anthony Nicolaidis, Live Nation’s Arkansas Market President. “This is going to be a special room that brings major artists to Bentonville, and creates a permanent cultural asset for the city – a place where local fans can see their favorite acts without having to travel.”
