We love and feel enriched by all the places our RV travels have taken us. One place in particular is The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art located in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The Museum was established by Alice Walton, American billionaire and heiress to the fortune of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club.  The complex was designed by renowned Canadian architect Moshe Safdie and exhibits a broad array of American art. The galleries include numerous paintings by many beloved American artists, such as Peale, Eakins, Calder, O’Keeffe, Cassatt, Moran, Wyeth, Remington, Moses, Parrish, etc., including those discovered during our recent travels such as Frederic Church and Suzy Frelinghuysen.   In addition, sculptures are located along walking paths throughout the 134 acre grounds. Also, as if that weren’t enough, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House, originally constructed in 1954, was dismantled in Somerset County, New Jersey and reconstructed on the museum’s grounds in 2013. Plenty to see and do!

Our Philadelphia friends may remember the controversy created in 2006 when Thomas Jefferson University announced it would sell Thomas Eakins’ 1875 Gross Clinic to the new Crystal Bridges Museum. Through strong civic pride and public outcry (both Gross and Eakins are renowned Philadelphians), the City was able to raise the $68 million to keep the painting in Philadelphia. Phew!

While the art collection was impressive so was the architecture of the Museum itself. The building permits views of the forest that surrounds the museum as well as the Crystal Spring that runs through the center of the structure.

In retrospect, one critique we would offer is the museum’s artwork display which seemed somewhat chaotic to us and too small to do justice to the collection. For example, Thomas Moran’s The Shores of Lake Superior is high on the wall and out of the good viewing range. Or, Suzy Frelinghuysen’s Glass and Bottle painting is in a collage of paintings, each worthy of dedicated wall space. The museum is planning a 50% expansion in gallery space so perhaps this will be rectified in the future.

That said, Ms Walton was able to collect numerous other notable works of art. We were also impressed with her philanthropy in advancing medicine and healthcare, and alleviating food insecurity. She certainly has provided tremendous support for her Bentonville community.

The Museum offers free admission (thanks to Walmart) and both RV parking and a shuttle service are available.

After a long day touring the Museum, we rewarded ourselves with ribs from Wright’s Barbecue. We could tell that the BBQ was great by the number of people in line at the restaurant. The place was packed and people were streaming in and out.

Thanks for following along.