THE NEON cowgirl surveys the scene from her perch on the old Benton County jail. She's clad in a white tengallon hat, and her red lips are blowing smoke from a gun barrel-she's a glamorous, glowing Bonnie looking for her Clyde. Created by Texas neon artist Todd Sanders, the sculpture, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, hangs across the street from the 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville, where I'm staying. It greets me when I step out in the morning and return in the evening. Each of these brief interactions sparks a little joy during my weekend in Bentonville.
And that's exactly why the cowgirl is there. This Northwest Arkansas city has committed to making public art-130 works and counting-a regular part of life for residents and tourists. While most of these pieces are on display year-round, there's no better time to view them than autumn, when the Ozark Mountains are aglow with color and the weather is ideal for taking it all in. One unexpected pleasure of my visit was discovering that Bentonville is compact and walkable (or bikeable-more on that later), making it an easy art-filled escape that doesn't require traveling far.
START AT THE SQUARE
During my first afternoon, I set out to explore the town square that's fringed with red- and gold-leaved trees. It's small but densely populated with restaurants, bars, and locally owned stores such as Once Upon a Time Books, Phat Tire Bike Shop, and Remedy Road (a boutique that stocks ethically and globally sourced clothing and home goods). The square's main draw for out-of-towners is undoubtedly The Walmart Museum and Walton's 5&10, the original general store that Walmart founder Sam Walton opened in 1950. Both are undergoing extensive renovations and are set to reopen next spring, but a temporary space called The Walmart Museum Heritage Lab is located just two blocks off the square.
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Southern Living.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Southern Living.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Forging a Legacy - A Fredericksburg, Texas, couple is creating a new class of heirloom cast-iron cookware
When Jay Mallinckrodt pitched the idea of crafting cast-iron cookware to his wife and business partner, Heather, in 2020, she was hesitant. I immediately said no, she recalls with a laugh. But I finally agreed as long as we made something that we would actually want to use ourselves. Like many others during the initial throes of the pandemic, their multigenerational family operation, Heartland Enterprises (which specializes in machining parts for jet engines and gas and oil equipment), was seeing a lull. “No one was flying; no one was drilling, says Jay. So we had time to try something different.
A Butterfly Haven - In the Texas Hill Country, a conservationist is helping monarchs adjust to the changing world
Twenty-four years ago, Monika Maeckle bought a small property on the Llano River in Central Texas as an escape from fast-paced San Antonio. A journalist and marketing professional by trade, she didn't at first realize the value of the location on which she and her husband would later build their ranch. She also had no idea how this decision would eventually transform her life.One October evening a few years later, a friend invited Maeckle to their nearby house, which sat on a watershed with several large cypresses. All these butterflies dropped from the sky and started to gravitate toward the trees, she recalls. Stronger people who could swing a big 12-foot-long pole began trying to capture them, and we waited. By the end of the evening, we'd tagged a couple hundred butterflies, and I left there enchanted.
Oktober Feast!
While I respect your right to serve spooky food in October, you won't find any gory grub at my house this month. Instead, I'm hosting a gathering that's inspired by biergartens across the pond. The focus of the menu is a fondue made with Gruyère cheese and crisp Riesling-like beer-cheese dip but more elevated. It's served with a smorgasbord of dippers such as smoked sausage, grapes, apples, and a few amped-up store-bought snacks, like Mustard-Glazed Pretzel Bites and Smoked Paprika Potato Chips. (Just one taste, and you'll want to add this spice to every bag you open.) Pour yourself a Cider Shandy, and get ready for a good time. Prost, y'all!
The Roast With the Most
Embrace the changing seasons with a cozy pork supper
Roll With It
Company's coming? Bake a batch of these apple-stuffed delights
VIRGINIA PASTORAL
IN MIDDLEBURG, THE COMMONWEALTH'S MOST STORIED SMALL TOWN, OCTOBER WELCOMES A HOST OF TREASURED TRADITIONS
TAKING ROOT
Turn the season's freshest veggies-beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots-into colorful fall sides
THE FAMILY PLACE
When it came time for a young Georgia couple to make an 1800s farmhouse their own, they took it apart piece by piece-then rebuilt it into a home ready to welcome the next generation
Loving Life in Fayetteville
This Northwest Arkansas college town is easy to love and hard to leave
The Road That Raised Me
This lesser-known drive offers the most breathtaking views in the Smoky Mountains
