Northwest Arkansas is one of the best outdoor destinations in the country, packing state parks, mountain lakes, wild rivers, and world-class trails into the rolling Ozarks around Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville, and Bella Vista. Whether you want to pitch a tent, hike to a waterfall, paddle a river, or ride some…
Northwest Arkansas is a hidden gem when it comes to outdoor recreation, and one of the best ways to experience its natural beauty is through tent camping. With a variety of parks and campgrounds to choose from, you can enjoy the great outdoors while still having access to the amenities…
The Veterans Wall of Honor in Bella Vista is one of the most moving memorials in Northwest Arkansas — a circular granite monument inscribed with thousands of veterans' names, wrapped in a bronze timeline of American military history and centered on a peaceful fountain. It's free and open 24 hours…
The Rogers Aquatics Center is Northwest Arkansas's biggest municipal water park — a 3-acre summer playground in the heart of Rogers with water slides, a long lazy river, a rock-climbing plunge pool, splash areas for little ones, and a competition lap pool. It's one of the most popular ways to…
The Peel Mansion Museum & Heritage Gardens is one of Bentonville's most beautiful historic sites — a grand 1875 Italianate mansion surrounded by acres of heritage gardens, and it's free to visit. Once the home of Colonel Samuel W. Peel, the restored house and its rose-filled grounds offer a window…
Horseshoe Bend Park is one of the largest and most popular Beaver Lake recreation areas — a Corps of Engineers park east of Rogers with a swim beach, two boat ramps, a marina, hiking and biking trails, and a big lakeside campground. It's a favorite spot for a full day…
Lake Fort Smith State Park is a beautiful Ozark getaway tucked in the Boston Mountain valley south of Northwest Arkansas — a modern state park on a scenic mountain lake, with full-service cabins, a marina, a seasonal swimming pool, and the southern trailhead of the legendary Ozark Highlands Trail. It's…
Prairie Creek Park is the closest and most popular Beaver Lake recreation area to Rogers — a full-service Corps of Engineers park with a swim beach, a big boat ramp, a lakeside campground, and a full marina. If you want to get on Beaver Lake for the day or camp…
Mount Magazine State Park crowns the highest point in Arkansas — Signal Hill, at 2,753 feet — with jaw-dropping bluff-top views, a full-service lodge and cabins, and some of the best adventure recreation in the state, from hiking and rock climbing to hang gliding. It's a longer drive from Northwest…
Lake Wedington Recreation Area is a scenic, old-fashioned getaway in the Ozark National Forest just west of Fayetteville — a 102-acre lake ringed by historic 1930s cabins, a swimming area, hiking and mountain-biking trails, and quiet camping. Built by the Works Progress Administration, it's a charming, low-key spot for a…
The Ozark National Forest blankets more than 1.2 million acres of northern Arkansas — a vast wilderness of forested mountains, bluff-lined rivers, hundreds of waterfalls, and some of the best hiking and scenic driving in the Midwest. Its northern reaches begin just south of Fayetteville, making the forest the wild…
Tower Park is a quiet neighborhood park in Rogers — a pleasant local spot for a walk, a playground visit, or a picnic. Its half-mile fitness trail is lined with flowering trees planted in memory of loved ones, giving the park a peaceful, well-tended feel, especially in spring when the…
Monte Ne is one of Northwest Arkansas's most fascinating historical curiosities — the ruins of a grand early-1900s resort that now sit, partly submerged, along the shore of Beaver Lake southeast of Rogers. Built by the eccentric visionary William H. "Coin" Harvey, Monte Ne once drew visitors from across the…
Ken McClary is a Northwest Arkansas writer, photographer, and local-guide publisher who has spent more than a decade covering the best of the region — where to eat, drink, ride, hike, and explore across Benton and Washington counties. Based in the Rogers–Bentonville–Fayetteville corridor, he is the founder of the NWAmix…
Whether you’re planning a first visit or you’ve lived here twenty years, WeKnowNWA is the guide to what’s out there. It’s part of the NWA Mix Media Network — explore our sister sites below.
