May 4-5, 2019 – Crystal Bridges
Last weekend we decided to do a quick trip down to Bentonville, Arkansas. Both of us had been to Arkansas before, but this was the first time we had been together, so huzzah – a new state to check off! (even if we were only 30 min over the border). We chose Bentonville because of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It’s basically a really cool museum that was created by a member of the Walmart family (and sponsored by Walmart – so free entry!). In case you didn’t know Bentonville, Arkansas is where Walmart started – they even have a Walmart museum there (although we didn’t go to it, they seem to have really good reviews, probably because it is free entry and ends with an ice cream, but I suppose I’ll never know since we opted not to go.
Crystal Bridges is a really cool museum. It gets its name because it is right by the Crystal Springs and the museum is constructed out of bridges. If we’re being honest, I was drawn to the museum more for the architecture than the art (I am a structural engineer after all). The main buildings are constructed of concrete with large timbers inset into them to break up the wall. And then the 2 main bridge elements are supported by steel tension cables with timber beams supporting a copper roof with glass all along the sides. The building shapes are unique in that they sort of look like turtle shells. Overall, the complex looks really cool, and the architect did an amazing job of making it feel like it belonged in the landscape around it.
Inside the museum there were several cool art pieces. It kind of walks you through the development of different styles in American Art. Outside, on the grounds of the museum, were several walking trails, some of them including additional sculptures. We were also able to tour a Frank Lloyd Wright House that they had moved onto the museum grounds from its original home in NJ. Seeing the inside of the house was really cool, although there were definitely aspects of the house that I wouldn’t want as part of my house. I guess that was just part of his Usonian style.
Because we were already there, and the museum was free, we decided we may as well buy some of the overpriced lunch from the restaurant on site, Eleven. Apparently the museum opened on 11/11/11 hence the name ‘Eleven’. Andrew ordered an impossible burger, and I ordered red beans and cornbread. The cornbread was the perfect combination of moist and flaky, so I wasn’t too upset about the money spent.
After we got our fill of art from the museum, we took a short break back at our AirBnB before heading out to New Province Brewery for some local beer and relaxing. They had several options that sounded good, so Andrew and I decided to split a flight of 4, plus 1. The “Strawberry Milkshake”, a sour ale with strawberries, was my favorite. The brewery had a really nice vibe to it, so we hung out and played Oregon Trail the board game for a while. (Even with the several made up handicaps we gave ourselves, I don’t think we ever made it half way – guess it’s true to its namesake). For dinner we decided to make our way into Rogers, AR for some fancy grilled cheeses at Hammontree’s. This was a good choice – although I’m a little upset we didn’t save enough room for dessert.
While out in Arkansas, we also decided to make a trip out to the Mildred B. Cooper Chapel. This was a very short trip (15 minutes away in Bella Vista). It’s a really cool glass chapel nestled in the woods and giving a very surreal experience. There’s actually a couple of theses glass chapels in Arkansas, and they are each slightly different, so we’ll definitely be planning to check out the one in Eureka Springs whenever we decide to venture out that way on a future trip.
Since we stayed at an AirBnB we were on our own for breakfast. My only complaint of this trip was that the town didn’t seem to eat breakfast until 9 am! Which seems really late to me, but oh well, guess it forced us to sleep in a little. The first day we went to Crepes Paulette. We showed up just before they opened at 9, and good thing too because we barely beat the long line. This place was really interesting, because unlike most crepe places I’ve been to, this one was a ‘eat with your hands’ kind of place. After hearing the Thai crepes were the most popular, we both ordered veggie Thai crepes – and we weren’t disappointed. It was such a unique flavor for a crepe (I’m used to your standard egg/spinach/mushroom type savory crepes so it was nice to try something so different).
Sunday morning we went to a place called the Pressroom. They were located just off the historic town square, so it was nice to wander around the square as we waited for them to open (We just can’t wait around til 9 am for breakfast!) This one had a crowd gathered as well, but the restaurant was much larger so everyone was seated immediately. The food here was also very good. (Apparently this ended up being a food vacation for us).
So my original plan for our trip out to Bentonville had been for us to bike on Sunday. Bentonville is a very bike friendly town; everywhere we looked there were cyclists, so it was really refreshing. My knee was still acting up a little from our Katy Trail ride, so we opted to leave the tandem at home and instead we went for a hike. (Being the bike heavy area that it is, every hiking trail is also a mountain biking trail that actually gets used – it was nice to have all the trails de-spider webbed for us). We decided to go on the Blowing Spring Loop trail which was about 4 miles. (I wanted to keep it relatively short just in case my knee started to flare up). The trail itself was really nice, it had rolling hills, and for the most part kept us in the forest – which at this time of year was very green. The weather was also perfect. Nothing spectacular to share about the trail, although there was a spot around half way that opened up to a trail head with picnic tables and a view of water coming out of a rock (perhaps the infamous “blowing spring”?) which was pretty cool. The hike also ended with a small creek crossing that we weren’t expecting, but luckily there were enough rocks for us to hop across with no trouble.
Overall, it was a really nice relaxing weekend trip and I’m glad we were able to do it with all the hectic-ness that has been going on in our lives recently.
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