A New American Town - Bentonville, Arkansas
Tune into Visit Bentonville’s podcast series for a weekly update on all things Bentonville, Arkansas. You’ll hear captivating stories and updates from our city—connecting you with the locals that make this town worth visiting.
Episodes
264 episodes
How Northwest Arkansas Built A 40-Mile Trail That Connects Seven Cities
A 40-mile paved trail sounds simple until you ask the real question: how do seven cities agree on a shared vision, find the money, close the gaps, and keep improving it year after year? We sit down with Tim Conklin, Executive Director of the No...
Brightwater: Training the Next Generation's Chefs and Food Leaders In Northwest Arkansas
Bentonville’s food scene didn’t get great by accident. We’re joined by Marshall Shafkowitz, Executive Director of Brightwater, to explain how Northwest Arkansas is building culinary and hospitality careers that actually meet the moment....
Inside A 20,000 Piece Felt Convenience Store At The Momentary with Lucy Sparrow
You’ve walked a thousand grocery aisles, but you’ve never walked one like this. We sit down with artist Lucy Sparrow, creator of The Beginning of Convenience at the Momentary in Bentonville, Arkansas, an immersive felt art installation where ev...
From Grassroots to Gold: Building the Foundation with USA Cycling's Gordon Harrison
Before Gordon Harrison was Sport Development Director for USA Cycling, he was building grassroots programs across a handful of different sports, from the Learn to Skate program with USA Figure Skating to development at the Florida Panthers' pra...
BikeWhip: Creating an easier Bike Rental experience in Bentonville
Bentonville has world-class trails, but the hardest part of the trip can be bike rentals. It can take hours to sift through what local shops have to offer. We sit down with Jeff Ireland, founder of BikeWhip, to unpack how a simple favor for a v...
How Wolfgang Puck Catering Is Shaping Crystal Bridges Dining with Lauren Eck
You don’t usually walk into an art museum wondering what you’ll eat but once you’ve spent a full day at Crystal Bridges, food becomes part of the adventure. We’re joined by Lauren Eck, Regional Vice President of Sales for Wolfgang Puck Catering...
More Than a Market: Cultivating Community in Downtown Bentonville
In this episode, we sit down with Aaron Nolan from Downtown Bentonville Inc to explore how the Bentonville Farmers Market has grown into something much bigger than a place to shop. From local chefs shopping that day's produce, to grabbing a cof...
The Hub 2.0- Building Community by Giving Riders A Place To Land
We sit down with Josh and Sean from The Hub to talk about Hub 2.0. It’s designed for everything that happens around the ride, from a good cup of coffee to start the day to swapping stories after a bike ride. The goal is a space that feels easy ...
Getting Kids Back on Bikes with Scott Fitzgerald, owner of Pedal Kids USA
In this episode, Scott Fitzgerald shares the story behind Pedal Kids USA and his mission to get more kids off screens and onto bikes. From running bike shops in Jackson Hole to building a national model for youth cycling education, Scott has be...
WUF World: Pets Bringing People Together
Loneliness doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like a town full of people who never quite talk to each other. That’s why I loved sitting down with Joe Petrillo and Clint Misamore, co-founders of WUF World, to unpack a surprisingly ...
Inside Bentonville Film Festival 2026: Premieres, Panels, And Previews!
We catch up with Wendy Guerrero to break down what makes Bentonville Film Festival 2026 feel big, buzzy, and still welcoming. We share the biggest premieres, the new experiences beyond screenings, and the simplest way to plan your first trip to...
Introducing the Oz Trails Bike Park with Gary Vernon and Brandon Kelly
A chairlift bike park in the Ozarks sounds like a wild idea until you hear how Oz Trails Bike Park was actually built: carefully, deliberately, and for everyone. We’re joined by Brandon Kelly, director of Bella Vista, and Gary Vernon, who runs ...
Bikefest: How Bentonville Turned Bike Culture Into A Festival with Kenny Belaey
Bentonville Bikefest didn’t get big by only talking to bike people. We’re joined by Kenny Belaey, world champion trials athlete, Red Bull athlete, and the founder of Bentonville Bikefest, to explain how a week of riding in Northwest Arkansas tu...
Looking Ahead: The Crystal Bridges Expansion with Moira Anderson
A museum can add square footage without changing how people feel inside it. Crystal Bridges is doing the opposite. We talk with Moira Anderson, Director of Public Programs for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary, about the ...
A Pro Cyclist’s Family Trip To Bentonville with Lawson Craddock
We sit down with Lawson Craddock, former Olympian and longtime pro road cyclist, right after he visited Bentonville with his wife, two kids, and his parents. Without the pressure of racing or training, Lawson gets to experience the town the way...
What If Dessert Felt Like A 15 Minute Vacation
Meet Tamara Keefe, founder of Clementine's Ice Cream, as she breaks down what separates truly great ice cream from the rest — think small-batch production, all-natural ingredients, and a butterfat percentage that actually changes how flavor lin...
Passing the Baton: Introducing the New Host, Graham Cobb
Beth Bobbitt records her final conversation as host and hands The New American Town to Graham Cobb, a strategist who’s worn plenty of Bentonville hats and still talks about the city with fresh-eyed wonder. Graham shares the story of his first r...
Visitor’s Guide to Crystal Bridges Campus
A 134-acre campus where you can wander from museum galleries to forest trails, step into Heartland Whole Health Institute, and end up on a rooftop garden at a medical school sounds in Bentonville, Arkansas. We sit down with Jennifer Dunham, Sen...
Team USA Paracyclist Trains for Nationals in Bentonville
We sit down with paracyclist Jason Macomb as he readies himself for the 2026 USA Paracycling Road National Championships in Bentonville, where the time trial and road race decide who gets to wear the stars and stripes all year, including on the...
Accessible Travel: Good for Humans and Local Economies
Join us with John Sage founder and CEO of Sage Traveling and Accessible Travel Solutions to explore how inclusive design, empathetic training, and honest information transform guest experience and the bottom line. We dig into the three pillars ...
Club America Comes to Arkansas for the Golden Clash ⚽
We sit down with Claudia Carrión Rojos from Club America Femenil to trace her path from playing as a kid to helping build one of the most ambitious women’s football (soccer) projects in Mexico. We preview the Golden Clash in Northwest Ar...
Gnargo Bikes: A Love Story
What happens when two artists fall in love over bikes, move to a trail town, and decide to build a better way to move families and elders? We sit down with Elysia Springer of Bentonville-based Gnargo Bike Co to share the story of a pandemic gar...
MONAH: Museum that Tells 24,000 Years Across the Americas
We sit down with MONAH Executive Director Jazlyn Sanderson to explore how a museum in Bentonville threads 24,000 years of Indigenous history into the present through art, archaeology, and living partnerships that honor descendant communities. T...
The Rule Of Three: Blending Gravel & Grit
We sit down with Rule of Three co-founders Andy Chasteen and Lauren Pickman to unpack how a simple Bentonville idea became a sold-out fixture blending gravel, pavement, and singletrack into a single unforgettable ride. From the early spark to t...
How Bentonville Turned Unreasonable Hospitality Into A Sports Advantage
Join our conversation with Amy Springer, sports sales manager at Visit Bentonville, to explore how a hometown kid helped shape a destination that wins over event owners and fans alike. From elite turf complexes and ESPN-ready gyms to walkable h...