A Family-Friendly Getaway to Bentonville, Arkansas

There was this one time that my family went to Disney World, and after one day experiencing the Magic Kingdom, all my children wanted to do was spend the next day in the hotel pool. They cared not that we had already purchased tickets to Hollywood Studios the next day and we were going to have fun there, by golly. Valuable parenting lesson learned: My kids aren’t fancy. They don’t need expensive vacations where we pull out all the stops. In fact, probably the less we work to foster in them a need for bigger and more, the better.

These days when planning family getaways, our parenting load is lifted. Don’t get me wrong, we do like to take longer trips. And we want to raise young adventurers inspired by God’s creation. But for a three-day weekend, staying close and keeping it simple can be rejuvenating, rather than exhausting for the whole family.

When planning our Labor Day weekend, we asked ourselves a few questions. Short drive? Check. Hotel with a pool? Check. A few free or low-cost family activities nearby? Check. And that’s how we settled on a weekend in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Stay

Bentonville is just a three-hour drive from our house in the Kansas-City area and offers lots of activities and amenities that appealed to our family. On our agenda were Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (free!), The Scott Family Amazeum interactive children’s museum (free with Science City reciprocal passes!) and hiking on a few of Bentonville’s many trails (free!).  We wanted to stay at a place nearby all of these activities, and the Best Western Plus Castle Rock Inn and Suites offered to host us in exchange for our honest review.

We arrived at the hotel Saturday evening and right away, our kids wanted to hop in the pool. The hotel offered a clean yet compact setup in the rooms as well as the recreation and main café area. This actually worked to our great advantage because it meant that we could multitask. AKA on Sunday morning, I could watch my kiddos frolic in the hot  tub while I lifted weights while my husband ran nine miles on nearby green spaces and trails. Family fitness winning.

kids playing at a hotel pool in Bentonville, AR

After swimming/working out on Sunday morning we headed to breakfast. Both mornings, it was a pretty great spread of hot foods (sausage, eggs, French toast, breakfast potatoes) as well as oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, pastries, cereal, coffee and juice. Our son went straight for the waffle, always the carb man. Our daughter ate her petite-frame weight in sausage. I was excited to see a sign advertising gluten-free cereal and non-dairy milk. I was happy to add almond milk to my coffee both mornings. The first morning, I ate in shifts. Before working out, I had a plum. Later, a piece of sausage and one of the sweet potato breakfast cookies I’d packed topped with peanut butter. (I always come prepared, not knowing how paleo-friendly our destination will be.)

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Then we were off to our day’s adventures. First stop was Crystal Bridges Museum, of American Art, which boasts amazing collections of modern art as well as art from the colonial period. We spent a few hours wandering the galleries. I loved the color and simplicity of the modern art while David is always drawn to the history. Our kids’ favorite art of the morning was Felix Gonzaelz-Torres ‘Untitled’ piece, which consisted of a 50-pound rectangular pile of green apple candy on the floor of the gallery. Yes, it was free for the taking and no I have no idea how many pieces Gage stuffed in his pocket before I caught him.

Two kids enjoying Felix Gonzaelz-Torres ‘Untitled’ piece at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Dad and kids enjoying the children's area at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, AR

Scott Family Amazeum

We took a break from Crystal Bridges and drove the super short (maybe ¼ mile) distance over to the Amazeum. We wanted to make it there when it opened at 1 to get passes for the Hershey’s science lab. Hershey’s lab passes are free but first-come-first-serve.  We spent nearly three hours exploring all the Amazeum had to offer.

The Hershey’s lab fizzy fun experiment with Ice Breakers mints was definitely a hit. Cards guided us through a short experiment discussing acids and bases. Turns out, sour items produce more fizz due to higher acid content. This is a fun activity we can replicate at home with Jolly Ranchers, too!

Later that afternoon, we headed back to Crystal Bridges to experience a special rotating exhibit,, a wooded art trail dotted with the blown-glass sculptures of artist Dale Chihuly. Crystal Bridges is completely free but this special exhibition was $20 for our family. Completely worth it!

After a day exploring, we were all tired and hungry and ready to EAT. Since it was Labor Day Weekend, sadly for us, all of the fun-looking restaurants on the quaint downtown square were closed. So we ended up ordering pizza and driving back to Bike Rack Brewery to enjoy some brews, pizza and games on the patio. Then we headed to the Spark Café Soda Fountain at the Wal-Mart Museum on the  old town square, which was thankfully open! Happy kiddos!

The next day, we planned to head back in the afternoon but wanted to get in a quick hike first. We set off on the Burns Arboretum Loop and Black Apple Creek Trail of Park Springs Park. Along the way, Gage gathered acorns, rocks and various treasures on the trail and put them in his ‘nature pocket.’ The kids were dragging a little bit after all our fun the previous day, so we ended up hiking less than two miles and heading back to the car.

My husband and I agree that Bentonville would be a lovely fall weekend getaway to experience the colorful foliage, the new Crystal Bridges jazz exhibit opening September 16, as well as all the amazing-looking restaurants we missed out on the first time around! Thanks, Bentonville, you are a lovely weekend getaway!

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Mother’s Day Expectations, Meet Reality