Bentonville Arkansas-- who knew!?

Last weekend I took a quick trip with some friends to Bentonville Arkansas. Bentonville ARKANSAS. And it was awesome. Probably a strange and unexpected scene if you were following along on Instagram! Bentonville is a surprising hidden gem. There's old: the charming city square complete with a quaint Saturday Farmer's Market. And there is some serious NEW. Let's start with the hotel. I was not expecting my Bentonville accomodations to be anything like this:

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The 21c Hotel also had a pretty amazing museum (I call it more of a gallery). As you stroll through the lobby and restaurant, there are plenty of interesting pieces to look at. Some of them are interactive-- which I love. The restaurant (lounge shown above) was gorgeous and had some delish local food. Rooms were stark and modern, but oh so comfortable. I cannot mention 21c Hotel without saying something about the green penguins-- they are everywhere. And move from day to day. Luckily there was never a surprise penguin in our shower-- that would have given me a heart attack! 5 stars from me.

I could have just enjoyed the hotel, but we did meander through the 'art walk' trail to Crystal Bridges. If you didn't already know this--- Bentonville is the home of Sam Walton-- founder of Wal-Mart. Cyrstal Bridges was founded by Sam's daughter Alice. It's my guess that they were trying to klass-up the Wal-Mart name with some pretigious art and a fancy shmancy museum. Well, I think it worked. Crstyal Bridges is truly stunning-- there are panoramic views of the river from inside the Museum. The museum holds a permanent collection of American art from the 19th & 20th centuries. My faves were Lichtenstein, Warhol, and . Although it was a wonderful colllection, I almost enjoyed the architecture of the museum and restaurant as much as the art itself. Food at the Eleven restaurant was good, but made even better by the live music that echoed through the gorgeous space.

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Crystal Bridges Museum

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Eleven Restaurant at Cyrstal Bridges Museum

Here's my Instagram take on my Bentonville Trip.