The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is an American treasure that made me fall in love with Bentonville, Arkansas. Veering off Route 66 to visit this museum was well worth it.
Route 66 Road Trip Day Six: An Afternoon Of Indoor And Outdoor Art
As had become routine, we spent the morning working, which turned out to be a mistake on this day. The Hyatt House was nothing special, but did the job and it was nice to be able to work in the living room while the kids slept in.
Breakfast only went until 9:30 am and I was going to skip it altogether, but this was one of the Hyatt Houses that has not ditched the omelet bar, and I very much appreciated that.
The pool here had greenish water…yuck. Augustine begged and begged to go in anyway and finally I relented, but he took one whiff of the water and said, “On second thought…”
The coffee at the hotel was not drinkable, but I found a wonderful place nearby called Calmo Coffee, which was wonderful.
As I said, I wish we had started earlier and I had no idea what to expect, but we pulled up to the Crystal Bridges Museum at 3:30 pm, which houses artwork from Norman Rockwell to Andy Warhol and includes a 120-acre campus with hiking and, as we would find, outdoor art exhibitions as well.
The museum was founded by Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, opened in 2011, and offers free parking and admission. It’s essentially a philanthropic offering of Walmart and truly a national treasure.
The collection is vast and we enjoyed walking through it (and sadly, did not get through the entire museum, meaning we hope to return).
One reason we did not finish was because there was a hands-on area intended for children where you could draw…what a lovely offering that the kids enjoyed so much.
While the kids doodled, I got coffee for Heidi and me…not as good as Calmo, but still quite respectable.
I also took a stab at drawing for a special Advent wall with candles…I’ll stick to my day job.
We walked outside for a walk before it got dark: the air was crisp, but we enjoyed walking through the woods and saw what appeared to be great expansion plans underway for the museum.
Presently, we came to an outdoor exhibit called Time Loop.
Supplemental tickets were required ($25 each for adults, but kids were free).
We began with hot chocolate for Claire Marie…she was cold after refusing to wear long pants earlier…
We spent the next 90 minutes walking through the outdoor art exhibit…I’m not quite sure how to describe it (maybe avant-garde), but it was quite impressive and utilized sound as well to create several unique art stations.
It was now 7:30 pm and I wanted to go back to the museum to finish looking at the permanent exhibits (I never made it to the neon section), but Heidi and I decided it was getting late, the kids were hungry, and we had a five-hour drive to St. Louis ahead of us, so we just got back in the car.
We stopped at a very nice place called Casa Doner which had very fresh and delicious Middle Eastern food.
I concluded the meal with Arabic/Turkish coffee since I’d be driving and it was now after 8:00 pm.
The drive was somewhat of a blur, but we stopped in Joplin, Missouri to fill the car with gas and get Heidi some Starbucks so she could drive the final leg to St. Louis. I actually fell asleep and woke up as we were just a few miles from our Hyatt Regency Hotel in St. Louis.
As drove through the streets of St. Louis at 2:00 am, we reflected on another great day. A long day, but a lovely one.
This trip report covers my road trip along the old Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Next time you find yourself in NW Arkansas, Make sure to stop by Onyx Coffee in Rogers. They are considered one of the best roasters in the country and are well known within the “coffee-snob” community. And no, I am not affiliated with them. Their coffee is just that good.
Also grab breakfast or lunch at Louise Cafe on the grounds of the Bentonville airport.
I’m feeling very sad I missed this…
You actually didn’t, the coffee bar at 11 at Crystal Bridges is run by and Onyx. What you did miss was the superior Airship Coffee on 5th or downtown at the Ledger.
Also, Calmo uses Onyx beans…..
If you decide to go back, the time to do so is early November, when the fall foliage is on full display. Take the Boston Mountains Scenic Byway down to Fort Smith and enjoy the show.
Do not support anything to do with the Walmart family. Instead of paying their employees a fair wage they build museums and donate money to Trump’s campaign.
The reason they are so rich is that they do not pay their employees enough so the employees have to get food stamps and Medicaid. Tax payers have to help out these employees.
At least you shop at Trader Joe’s which seems to have happy employees who get paid fairly.
@Jill … +1 . I’ve only once entered a Wallmart , in Kahului , and then departed forever , because no one was polite to my disabled self . If no one is polite , they will not have my custom .
Both United and Delta donated $1 million to the Trump inauguration. I guess you’ll never set foot on any of their aircraft now.
I lived in Bentonville for 3 years (2016-2019) and I still have to go back 3-4 times a year. Oh boy do I hate it there. I see why people like it. If all you care about is raising kids, it’s a fine place to be. Crystal Bridges is indeed great. But for those accustomed to living in cities, Northwest Arkansas doesn’t replicate it.
They try. There are lots of breweries and coffee shops and restaurants mimicking being trendy, but nothing is real. It’s all made to copy “cool” things in other places for the massive amount of disposal income that exists in the area. Bentonville is American suburban perfection. Ideal for some, but Hell for many. Onyx; however, is fantastic. Superlative even and it’s a shame you missed it.
Is this click bait or what? What realignment put Rte 66 in Arkansas?? This is the saddest Rte 66 road trip account on record. Hyatt reviews, food pix, gas pump pix, room pix and oh, yeah, Route 66 pix at night in the dark.
Grapes of Wrath it is not. In more ways than one.
Yawn.
And yet, your assessment perfectly encapsulates Route 66. A road that hasn’t existed since 1985, comprised of fake attractions catering to visitors, many of whom aren’t even from the United States. The Petrified Forest and Crystal Bridges are much more worthy of a visit than a teepee gift shop, Carhenge, or the Big Texan. Route 66 is merely a memory, and I think any drive from LA to Chicago captures it.
Unworthy of further reviews. This is NOT a drive along Route 66. It’s a night trip from expensive hotel to hotel. billooltewah
Go bark up a different tree, Bill. What a waste of a breath your comments are.
Maybe you try something constructive, like sharing how you would have done it differently instead of griping like my four-year-old daughter.