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Hi there! My family and I have been living here for about two years now, and I'm curious as to what all is out there in terms of recreation/fun things to do in this area. I moved down here from Ohio, and even after a few years of living in Arkansas (first Little Rock, now here in NWA), I'm still having a difficult time adjusting to it here because it is so different than where I'm from.
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but it doesn't seem like this area has a lot to do for families/couples. We tried Crystal Bridges the first weekend of living here, and didn't care for it much (not my type of art museum). The festivals/fairs around here, aside from the Tontitown Grape Festival, which I loved, seem small and underwhelming. There really isn't any premier shopping or any nice indoor waterparks, theme parks, etc. nearby. I'm not trying to bash the area at all, because it's a beautiful place, but I feel as if it falls short when it comes to recreation.
Is there anything in NWA that is considered "fun"? We don't do bars/nightclubs, as we have a young child, but would be willing to try out anything else! We have about one year left here before we move on to another state, so I'm trying to make the most of our experience here before we go. It seems like we have to travel at least an hour to find fun things to do, but I'd like to know of more local recreational activities. Any restaurants that are good and aren't your typical chain restaurants? Bigger fairs/festivals? I'm just curious as to what all of you do to stay entertained.
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but it doesn't seem like this area has a lot to do for families/couples. We tried Crystal Bridges the first weekend of living here, and didn't care for it much (not my type of art museum). The festivals/fairs around here, aside from the Tontitown Grape Festival, which I loved, seem small and underwhelming. There really isn't any premier shopping or any nice indoor waterparks, theme parks, etc. nearby.
If "premiere shopping" and "indoor waterparks, theme parks" are your thing, then it's doubtful NWA will work for you. Branson MO sounds like a better fit.
I'm pretty sure you knew that when you posed the question; mea culpa if I'm wrong.
If "premiere shopping" and "indoor waterparks, theme parks" are your thing, then it's doubtful NWA will work for you. Branson MO sounds like a better fit.
I'm pretty sure you knew that when you posed the question; mea culpa if I'm wrong.
Totally agree with you. I can think of a few things our grandkids love to do: The Amazium (spelling) is one thing. Yes, trips to Branson can be done in one day and there are plenty of things for the kids to do. Our grand kids like to just take family walks or bike rides around Bella Vista lake or other similar lakes in the area. It is fun to visit the farmers market, especially the one in Fayettevile with all music, people walking with their dags, etc. I have never heard our granddaughters complain about not having enough to do. They are grown with kids of their own and love living here. The kids seem to always be busy.
OP, it sounds like you are more into activities you find in large cities, not small communities While you are here just take advantage of the outdoors and the beauty of the region. Maybe your next move will take you back to city life.
Go kayaking/canoeing, go hiking, shopping at one of the open air malls, the drive thru wildlife zoo (can't remember the name of it) or if you're looking for more "indoor" activities, head to Branson for the day and you have loads of options including Silver Dollar City. Not quite sure what else you're looking for?
Try out The Gathering Place in Tulsa. When we visit family in NWA we usually go there with the kids. Kanas City is a good weekend trip if you live in NWA as well. There is a Great Wolf lodge, a zoo, better shopping, and lots non chain food choices.
Branson, MO does have Silver Dollar City which is always a good time & outlet shopping but other than that we think Branson feels very dated.
Our favorite places to eat when we visit the area (no chains) are Fayetteville: Hugo's, Farmer's Table, Mockingbird Kitchen & Herman's . Bentonville: Crepes Paulette, Tusk & Trotter, Preacher's Son, Pressroom, Flying Fish & the Hive.
The county fairs are coming up soon, and that would be a great family option. The lakes and rivers in the area are always family fun. Have you floated any of the rivers? Because of all the rain we've had, the rivers are great to float even this late in the year. The farmer's markets are great. The one in Bentonville is adjacent to Bentonville's splash park, which is something kids love. I'm not sure why Crystal Bridges isn't your kind of museum, but there are plenty of other museums in the area. Rogers Historical Museum is interesting, and right around the corner you have The Rail for pizza, or Parkside Public for burgers. Shiloh Museum in Springdale often has special programs going on. Spring Street Grille and Neal's Cafe are both independent restaurants that have been serving Springdale for decades. And speaking of Springdale, the Jones Center has special programs and entertainments. Eureka Springs is interesting (but crowded in the summer); you could go zip lining there. There's trampoline parks and miniature golf all over Northwest Arkansas. Lake Fayetteville or Lake Atalanta can be fun for a picnic, a little fishing, a little kayaking, feeding the ducks, even skipping stones. And there are hiking trails all over Northwest Arkansas. The Tanyard Creek trail in Bella Vista is an easy hike, and the swinging bridge and the waterfall make for great pictures. There's the military parks, Prairie Grove and Pea Ridge, where you can tour the battlefields and which have re-enactments with people in costume. The old airport in Fayetteville (Drake Field)has some older planes on display and a really good little restaurant. I wish they would have some simulations of flying in and out of Drake Field, because take-offs and landings were nail-biters. There is the Wild Wilderness Drive-Thru Safari in Gentry, and the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs (lots of big cats at the refuge, beautiful!). There's the Hwy 112 Drive-In Movie which shows first-run movies. This past weekend they were showing The Lion King and Toy Story 4. And even though they did away with the speakers that hang on your car years ago (you tune in your radio in your car to get the sound from the movies), it's still a unique way to go to the movies. Some of the marinas on Beaver Lake rent out boats and jet-skis. That's a great way to explore the lake, which is huge.
Hi there! My family and I have been living here for about two years now, and I'm curious as to what all is out there in terms of recreation/fun things to do in this area. I moved down here from Ohio, and even after a few years of living in Arkansas (first Little Rock, now here in NWA), I'm still having a difficult time adjusting to it here because it is so different than where I'm from.
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but it doesn't seem like this area has a lot to do for families/couples. We tried Crystal Bridges the first weekend of living here, and didn't care for it much (not my type of art museum). The festivals/fairs around here, aside from the Tontitown Grape Festival, which I loved, seem small and underwhelming. There really isn't any premier shopping or any nice indoor waterparks, theme parks, etc. nearby. I'm not trying to bash the area at all, because it's a beautiful place, but I feel as if it falls short when it comes to recreation.
Is there anything in NWA that is considered "fun"? We don't do bars/nightclubs, as we have a young child, but would be willing to try out anything else! We have about one year left here before we move on to another state, so I'm trying to make the most of our experience here before we go. It seems like we have to travel at least an hour to find fun things to do, but I'd like to know of more local recreational activities. Any restaurants that are good and aren't your typical chain restaurants? Bigger fairs/festivals? I'm just curious as to what all of you do to stay entertained.
NWA is home to some of the best mountain biking trails in the US. That's become our main hobby. If you aren't into mountain biking, most of the trails are multi-use, so you can hike them as well. We also have young children and have season passes to the Amazeum, which they really enjoy. Some great local breweries if you are interested in beer and almost all are kid-friendly. Heck, Ozark in downtown Rogers even has a kids play area with a ton of toys. As far as restaurants in downtown Bentonville and Rogers there are a lot of non-chain options. We just had the Rail in downtown Rogers Friday evening after an 8 mile mountain biking trip out at Hobbs new Monument Trail system and IMO The Rail as the best pizza in NWA.
There's also Beaver Lake which isn't far, we have Kayaks that we take out there somewhat often and when the water level is lower there are a lot of places you can just pull your car up to the water...have a picnic and swim and kayak all day.
Before moving here I only lived in cities...grew up in Saint Louis then lived in Orlando, and Pittsburgh, aside from professional sports, which we likely wouldn't do a ton nowadays with little kids, I enjoy this area more because of how close you are to amazing outdoor activities.
The county fairs are coming up soon, and that would be a great family option. The lakes and rivers in the area are always family fun. Have you floated any of the rivers? Because of all the rain we've had, the rivers are great to float even this late in the year. The farmer's markets are great. The one in Bentonville is adjacent to Bentonville's splash park, which is something kids love. I'm not sure why Crystal Bridges isn't your kind of museum, but there are plenty of other museums in the area. Rogers Historical Museum is interesting, and right around the corner you have The Rail for pizza, or Parkside Public for burgers. Shiloh Museum in Springdale often has special programs going on. Spring Street Grille and Neal's Cafe are both independent restaurants that have been serving Springdale for decades. And speaking of Springdale, the Jones Center has special programs and entertainments. Eureka Springs is interesting (but crowded in the summer); you could go zip lining there. There's trampoline parks and miniature golf all over Northwest Arkansas. Lake Fayetteville or Lake Atalanta can be fun for a picnic, a little fishing, a little kayaking, feeding the ducks, even skipping stones. And there are hiking trails all over Northwest Arkansas. The Tanyard Creek trail in Bella Vista is an easy hike, and the swinging bridge and the waterfall make for great pictures. There's the military parks, Prairie Grove and Pea Ridge, where you can tour the battlefields and which have re-enactments with people in costume. The old airport in Fayetteville (Drake Field)has some older planes on display and a really good little restaurant. I wish they would have some simulations of flying in and out of Drake Field, because take-offs and landings were nail-biters. There is the Wild Wilderness Drive-Thru Safari in Gentry, and the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs (lots of big cats at the refuge, beautiful!). There's the Hwy 112 Drive-In Movie which shows first-run movies. This past weekend they were showing The Lion King and Toy Story 4. And even though they did away with the speakers that hang on your car years ago (you tune in your radio in your car to get the sound from the movies), it's still a unique way to go to the movies. Some of the marinas on Beaver Lake rent out boats and jet-skis. That's a great way to explore the lake, which is huge.
I too had thought about all the fairs coming up in the next 3 or 4 weeks. I am a bit surprised to see someone say there isn't much family type activities in the region.
Hi again everyone! I'm definitely not a "city girl" either. I come from a small town in Ohio with a population of about 7,000. It's just that within like a half hour radius, there are so many things to do up there. Maybe it's just more difficult to find things to do here because I haven't lived here as long as I lived up North (25 years up there, three in AR).
To the individual who seemed unsure as to why Crystal Bridges isn't my type of museum... I'm not really into "modern" art. To be fair, we went an hour before it closed, and only got to view a small portion of the museum. We walked through an installation with blown glass (I believe) in a wooded area and thought it was odd. Perhaps there are other parts of the museum that are really nice.
Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. I'm really wanting to enjoy my time here because it truly is a beautiful area and I want to remember it as somewhere I truly enjoy living and share fun stories with my daughter (who was born in Rogers) about her home when she grows up.
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