My 5 Favorite Things About Bentonville — Trails, Town, and Time Outside
Words by Michele Underwood | Photos by Michele
The first time I came to Bentonville, my reaction was: this is the best place in the world. Basically, I was enamored — or better yet, I fell under the spell of the Bentonville mountain bike scene, which a lot of people equate to “if Disney had a mountain bike park, this is what it would be.”
A year later, I’m back. This time, it’s winter, and I’m doing van life part-time. The crowds of tourists and the hot, humid weather aren’t here. It’s calmer. More contained. The pace is slower. You get more of the community and how locals enjoy this great city.
I revisited some of the places I loved the first time and found a few new ones, too. But this time, I don’t have the haze of that first visit over my eyes. They’re open to what Bentonville actually is — at least from my point of view. These are the five things that stood out to me the most.
What I Love About Bentonville
01. The cycling culture
Yes, Bentonville is referred to as the Mountain Bike Capital of the World. And yes, there are a lot of trails, many supported by the Walton family. But the culture is not only MTB — it’s cycling in general.
Riding features at the Slaughter Pen skills park in Bentonville.
You have roadies. You have commuter electric bikes. And of course, mountain bikes.
You’ll see moms with their kids after school taking a late ride on the paved trails in Coler. People commuting home to and from work. When it isn’t tourist season — spring and summer — you’re not dominated by mountain bikers. You see a culture of cycling and community: family time, chill after-work rides.
It feels normal here — not performative.
02. The ART that’s everywhere
Large floral mural by Ouizi covering the side of a building in downtown Bentonville.
When it comes to this one, I might be a little biased, given my degree in Fine Arts and my career as an Art Director. But when I’m in Bentonville, the art installations throughout downtown — and the ones I see as I run, walk, or mountain bike — feel deliberately placed. They aren’t random or decorative.
Depending on where you start, you’ll more than likely ride past the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its outdoor installations. At Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, art is woven into the trail network in ways that connect you to both the landscape and the creative intent behind it — sometimes as a visual moment, sometimes as a marker that helps you orient yourself.
Dinosaur sculpture along the trails at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve.
If you start near the Frank Lloyd Wright home and take the All-American Trail or the Razorback Greenway, you’ll pass larger-than-life animals that feel integrated into the natural environment rather than set on top of it.
For me, it creates a quiet dialogue between movement, nature, and art. I’m not just passing through space — and again, I’m a bit biased — which changes how a place feels.
03. Coffee
I am a coffee snob. Bentonville has amazing coffee. There are two spots that I dig. They are as different as night and day in terms of their brand, but the coffee is equally delicious.
A year ago, I was chatting with my local coffee shop roaster, and he told me I had to go to Onyx Coffee Lab in Bentonville. He explained why. They’re a highly awarded roaster based in Rogers, Arkansas — and for good reason.
Fun fact: A lot of good things come out of Rogers. For instance, the first Walmart was not in Bentonville but in Rogers.
Onyx Coffee Lab has a number of coffees to choose from, but their highlight for me is Southern Weather — I love the name. It’s their house coffee on tap that I get every morning. At 6:00 a.m., I park my van out front and wait for their 6:30 opening to go in and get my morning coffee. Then I go sit in my van and do my routine: I work on Overland Girl and then on the real work that pays the bills. I love it. Their branding is super dope too. They’re just a spot-on company that delivers a great product wrapped in cool branding. You can visit the Onyx Coffee Lab website here. And they know me by name, which I always love — but I am there every single morning when I am visiting.
Another coffee spot that I like in Bentonville is Airship. They have two locations. One is the Pumphouse, which is a hop, skip, and a jump from Bentonville's downtown. They don’t have as many coffee offerings as Onyx, but they still hit a home run with their coffee. This location allows you to bring your furry friends inside and also has a pump track out back. Neat, huh.
Airship Coffee’s Pumphouse location in Bentonville.
The other location — and the more well-known one — is at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve. Same menu, same coffee offerings. It has a more open floor plan, the Coler aesthetic, and is surrounded by lots and lots of awesome trails.
You can visit the Airship Coffee website here.
04. Neon Signs
Almost every storefront in the downtown area has a neon sign. And not tacky neon signs — but well-designed ones that are super cool. It almost feels like the city quietly decided that if you’re going to have a storefront, you should put something thoughtful in the window.
Bentonville encourages signage that supports a calm, walkable street experience — neon works because it’s warm in tone, legible at pedestrian speed, and visually softer than digital or backlit signage.
From a design standpoint, neon is kind of perfect here. It’s visible without being loud. It works at walking speed. It adds warmth and glow instead of another screen or backlit panel. It gives each shop a little personality without breaking the visual rhythm of the street.
Neon installation on the Walmart parking garage in downtown Bentonville.
I love this touch in the Bentonville landscape. It adds color, a sense of craft in branding, and a subtle nod to older roadside design — without tipping into nostalgia or kitsch.
The Ozark Mountain Bagel Company
I appreciate good food. I did live in Chicago for over 10 years, where good food is everywhere. A bagel sandwich is not complicated. But that doesn’t mean that all are created equal. The Ozark Mountain Bagel Company is family-owned, and at the Square location, you’ll more than likely be served by Mama Ozark Bagel.
What I think makes this bagel recipe make my top five is the bagel itself — the two sides that hold the goodness in the middle. I always get the honey-oat. I can taste the sweetness of the honey in each bite with the turkey, cucumber, onion, and cream cheese. That’s it. Simple, but so delicious. I love this place, and when I’m in town, I’ll often stop in every day to grab this exact bagel sandwich.
In Closing
The five things above are what I like most about Bentonville. They’re mostly part of my everyday routine when I visit — and that’s what makes them matter. If they naturally become part of how I spend my days here, that says something about these places.
Check Out More Articles and YouTube Videos About Oz Trails and Bentonville Riding
Michele Underwood writes Overland Girl, where she shares gear she uses on trips — from the Northwoods of Wisconsin to the Ozarks. She values quality and craftsmanship in everything she buys, from outdoor gear to everyday clothes and furniture. Her choices may seem expensive to some, but she believes in buying less and buying better. Longevity matters, both in terms of function and style. Her couch is five years old and still sold at Design Within Reach — that’s the kind of timelessness she looks for.
Some of the links in this review are affiliate links, which means she may earn a small commission if you buy through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps support her work. She only recommends gear she’d bring herself.
