Beaver Lake, Prairie Creek, AR

On our next trip, we decided to do some outdoor activities. We visited Beaver Lake in Rogers, AR. It was originally a river, but the construction of a dam turned it into a lake. The dam was built to control flood, provide hydroelectric power and public water supply. This lake is the largest lake in Northwest Arkansas and has more than 280,000 surface acres of water, which is why it becomes one of the main attractions for outdoor activity.

Because of its large area, there are many areas to stop around the lake. Our favorite point is one near the dam because we can drive over it. Unfortunately, the dam is about 2 hours from Fayetteville so we decided to visit a closer area called Prairie Creek, which is only about an hour driving away.

There are variety of activities that visitors can do, like speed boating, fishing, tubing, water skiing, swimming, hiking, playing sand volleyball and barbecuing. There is an area to rent boats, but we decided to stay dry, barbeque some chickens, and played sand volleyball. Although we did not go into the water, we had fun playing sand volleyball and enjoying the sun.

Clinton House Museum

 

 

Hey y'all!

This past week we had the opportunity to check out the Clinton House Museum in Fayetteville, AR. The Clinton House Museum is located at 930 W Clinton Drive, which is conveniently located close to campus! This historic site is the first home to President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary. This beautiful home has a cozy, rustic exterior made with stone. Upon entering the museum, we were greeted by the museum director, Kate Johnson. Kate referred to the Clinton's as HillBill, and served as a wealth of information about them. The first room we toured was the living room, which is where Bill and Hillary were married in 1975. In a display case was a replica of Hillary's wedding dress, which we learned was purchased the day before the wedding for a mere $45 at Dillard's! Each of the rooms had an abundance of political memorabilia from Bill's previous races in his early political career. We then toured the kitchen, which was painted bright orange (Hillary's choice). It was in this room that we learned that the house would later become occupied by the Swanson family, and that the first chicken pot pie (EVER) was invented in that very house.

 

After touring the inside of the home, we were lead to the backyard, which is home to the First Ladies Garden. This garden was dedicated by Bill Clinton himself in 2010 and includes the favorite flowers of each First Lady of the United States from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama. Springtime in Fayetteville is the best time to visit the First Ladies Garden, as all of the flowers are in bloom! Upon exiting, our tour guide Kate informed us that Bill always makes a point to visit the museum when he is in Fayetteville, so you never know when you might get the chance to meet Bill in person!

This quaint, historic monument is definitely worth checking out if you ever need something to do in Fayetteville! The Clinton House Museum offers a student rate of $5 for admission and makes for a very interesting and unique history lesson.

 

 

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a museum that focuses on American contemporary art. This museum is located in Bentonville, AR and first founded by Alice Walton on 11 November 2011. The admission of this museum is sponsored by Walmart, so everyone is welcome to come without an entrance fee.

The Crystal Bridges Museum has unique modern architecture designed by Moshe Safdie. It looks like a giant concert hall with a pond in the middle. Not only does the museum have an immaculate architectural design, but it also provides visitors with contemporary arts, such as paintings, sculptures, and outdoor arts. One of the greatest outdoor designs we saw was a giant light-up ball. It is located at the entrance of the museum area, which signals a great welcome to visitors. When we entered the building, a horse sculpture made from branches welcomed us as well as some volunteers that work there. While we toured the museum, one painting we found especially attractive was a painting by Asher Brown Durand in 1849. In fact, it is the second most expensive painting in the museum costing about $36 million!

Our main purpose for coming to the museum was for the International Student Night. This event was a night for international student to display their countries customs and cultures. There were some performances from international students, for example, Brazilian traditional dance, Panamanian traditional dance, Philippines bamboo dance and music by International Culture Team band from University of Arkansas.

Another exciting activity was the international fashion show at the great hall. Many students from different countries wore their beautiful traditional clothes and walked on the catwalk. It was just like a professional fashion show. Some of the participants were: Panama, Brazil, Vietnam, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad and Tobago, and India. It was overall a great experience and is definitely worth checking out if you are ever out and about in the Bentonville area!

Welcome!

Hey Y'all!

Welcome to our blog, Traveling Hogs! We are students at the University of Arkansas with insatiable wanderlust. While we wish we could travel to foreign countries and exotic lands, we thought it would be a good start to explore our own neck of the woods right here in NWA! Our goal is to capture the true essence of local vibes from NWA through a youthful perspective. There are a myriad of activities and events to engage in around the area, and we're here to get the inside scoop for our readers. Whether you're interested in the fine arts, historical landmarks, local cuisine, or the outdoors, this blog will focus on several aspects that makeup the unique Ozark culture.

Before we post about our own adventures, we want y'all to see what NWA has to offer for yourself! We hope you enjoy this short video about the exciting opportunities that await you in NWA.

We value input from our readers. So, if you would like us to check out a certain place, please feel free to comment and let us know! We look forward to sharing our experiences and adventures with you all! WPS!

Ruben, Rebecca, & Sarah