Over spring break, we spent a few days in Fayetteville. Tylar flew into Fayetteville with UK softball for their series against the Razorbacks, so we made the much quicker trip there to see her.
Before getting into Fayetteville, we had so much fun in Fort Smith at Temple Live seeing Geoff Tate in concert (originally of Queensryche). Temple Live is a very small, eclectic venue that was built in 1928, and was formerly a Masonic Temple. It seats around 1,000 people. While it was fairly pricey for tickets, the setting was very intimate, and the sound was fantastic. I wore Jamie’s Queensryche concert t-shirt from 1991!
The next day, we made the short drive up to Bentonville and visited Crystal Bridges Museum. It is a fantastic place to visit, even for those who don’t know much about art or even have an interest in art. It is free to get in, thanks to Walmart, and there are room after room of art, woodwork, sculptures, and history. You can visit the on-site cafe, or get a latte at the coffee bar and have a seat with the view of the pond outside the window. There are also walking trails surrounding the museum that show off the natural beauty of the area. We visited on spring break week for Arkansas public schools, so it was quite busy for a Thursday afternoon! It took us AWHILE to find a parking spot.
While we were in Bentonville, we walked around the historic downtown area a bit and ate at Table Mesa Bistro. It was a cute, eclectic restaurant right on the main square. It had lots of outdoor seating, which was taken because it was such a beautiful day. Brodie and I shared steak nachos, and Jamie had Mahi tacos. They were both really good. Below are some photos from our time in downtown.
Then, we headed south about 20 minutes and arrived at Hyatt Place in Fayetteville to wait for our girl. We had dinner at Woodstone Craft Pizza + Bar which was directly across the street from our hotel. Brodie and I shared a Margharita pizza, and it was delicious! I also had a blueberry wheat beer from Arkansas brewery Flyway that was so good.
Now, if you’re from our area, you know all about The Catfish Hole, which has locations at Alma and Fayetteville. The have, hands-down, the best hushpuppies I’ve ever tried. A couple of weeks before our trip, Brodie asked if we could eat there. Then a couple of days later, Tylar asked if we could eat there too. That is one place both kids agree on! Their catfish and shrimp are good, but we go for the hushpuppies!
Another great place we tried was The Big Biscuit. This chain breakfast restaurant has a huge menu of coffees and hand-crafted sodas that are reason enough to go there. The also have a big selection of waffles, scrambles, omelets, French toast, and even burgers. I had the Big Scram-bowl which had ham, sausage, mushrooms, and onion. I could only eat about half. Their portions are definitely shareable. Below, you can see what Jamie and Brodie tried.
Brodie wants to go to U of A, so he and I walked part of the campus one afternoon on our visit. It is a beautiful campus, (though not as beautiful as my alma mater UCA) and we walked to Vol Walker Hall, which is where the architecture school is located. It is a beautiful old building right next to Old Main. Before this, Brodie had seen the softball field many times, but no other part of campus! He really enjoyed getting to see other parts of campus, and we talked about college life, transitioning there from such a small high school, and things to do. Here are a few photos from our campus walk.
We did attend the Friday and Saturday Razorbacks vs. Wildcats softball games at Bogle Park-so yes, Brodie got to spend even more time there-and even though UCA softball will always be #1 to me, U of A does a great job making softball games enjoyable for the fans. They have a great atmosphere on their berm, lots of between-innings entertainment, and great music. Fans were lining up and tailgating on the berm hours before the start of the game. This is a testament to what we’ve known for years: softball is a great game!
Of course, the main reason we went to Fayetteville was to see Tylar, and it was soooo good to see her. I think the 2 months we had gone without seeing her was the longest separation from her since she went to college. They didn’t arrive at the hotel that first night until around 9:30. She texted me that they were almost there, and I texted back that I was in the lobby already waiting for her to come through the door! In between UK practices and the games, we were able to spend time with her, and it was good for my soul.
The Fayetteville area really is a great place to visit. Our time was limited, so we weren’t able to walk Dickson Street or visit other attractions in the area, but there are so many activities and attractions. I would definitely recommend the trip!
Leave a Reply