Northwest Arkansas Travel Guide: Fayetteville

The first official day of fall may have been on September 22nd, but the weather in Northwest Arkansas still can’t decide whether it is truly fall or false fall. Southerners are pretty used to wearing a sweater in the morning and shorts and a tank top in the afternoon, so we will survive. Even though the temperature can’t decide the season, my heart is fully into fall mode. I have no issue being called a basic white girl for loving pumpkin spice lattes and decorating with way too many velvet pumpkins around the house. 

Fall is also a gorgeous time of year in our neck of the woods. There has been a glimpse of leaves changing in our neighborhood, and I can’t wait until the rolling hills are adorned with bright yellows, oranges, and reds. We also have more people venturing to the Northwest Arkansas area for football season since Fayetteville is home of the Arkansas Razorbacks. While I will always be a Tennessee fan at heart, I will never say no to a tailgate. 

All of this excitement for the season has me thinking about some of my favorite places in the area. In the past, I have made travel guides for Knoxville, Tennessee and Lakeland, Florida. Now that we have lived in Arkansas for about a year and a half, I have been able to explore and would love to share some of my favorite spots with you.

For context, Northwest Arkansas is made up of four large towns: Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville. Each is unique in their own way, and I will be focusing on each town with different installments in this travel guide series. I wanted to cover Fayetteville first since it is home to the University of Arkansas and will be a happening place in these fall months. I have affectionately been calling the town “Funky Fayetteville” because of its eclectic people and stores. There is something about a college town that brings the area to life. Whether it is rushing to make it to kick off at the Razorback stadium or having a slow morning downtown at the farmer’s market, there are plenty of places to see and things to do in Fayetteville, AR.

The rooftop at Feed and Folly has both spectacular views and drinks.

Best Gameday Spots

While you may fill up on chips and rotel at the tailgate, there are a few restaurants you need to stop by if you are in town for a game day weekend. Hugos has that old time college dive feel and is the perfect place to grab a burger and basket of fries. Open since 1977, this basement restaurant’s walls are lined with memorabilia and make you feel like you are stepping back in time. Just a couple blocks from this gem is another one of my favorite grilled cheese restaurants called Hammontrees. Some of my favorite sandwiches include the “Jack to the Future” and “Chewbacca”.

Where to Shop Till You Drop

There are plenty of stores in the Fayetteville area, but there are a couple that have become my go-to spots to purchase gifts for family and friends. City Supply on the Fayetteville square has plenty of gift options for both men and women. I have found myself there multiple times trying to find a unique gift for White Elephant exchanges. Freckled Hen also has great gifts, but I personally love all of their seasonal items. If I could buy every gadget and book on their cooking wall I would. Finally, you have to stop at what has been coined as the “pink square” at Presley Paige. This colorful store has what I call dopamine decor filled with party supplies and tablescapes. I am enthralled every year by the store’s beautiful balloon displays for sorority bid day. 

Best Farmer’s Market Pairings

The Farmer’s Market in Fayetteville is absolutely fabulous. I love popping by there on a Saturday morning to get flowers and seasonal fruits and vegetables. While I am strolling around downtown, I can’t help but stop by some of my favorite stores. Block Street Records can be heard jamming out from down the street, and I love perusing the boxes for old records and cassettes. Pearl’s Books is my favorite store in Northwest Arkansas and also just so happens to be where I attend book club. This book community means so much to me, and I look forward to our monthly meet ups and going to the Thai restaurant across the street to continue conversations.

Showing off my haul at the International Reading Day celebration at Pearl's Books.

Best Girls’ Night Spots

Besides book club nights, there are a few other places around town that I love hanging out with the girls. For a drink and a nice view, I love going to the rooftop at Feed and Folly. You can’t go wrong with their cocktail list and a charcuterie board. For a more filling meal, Pizzeria Ruby in Johnson has climbed to the top of my list of favorite restaurants in Northwest Arkansas. Everything I have tried there has been absolutely delicious, but make sure to get on their waitlist before you go.

Where to Get A Sweet Little Treat

While I did this activity with gal pals, going to a cake decorating class at Rick’s Bakery would also be fun for spouses or kids. The directions were pretty simple and at the end we got to take home a delicious cake. If cake isn’t your favorite thing, there are plenty of options at Rick’s like donuts, cookies, and pies.

Best Date Night Spot

If you want to dress up a little bit and enjoy a special evening with your special someone, the

Walton Arts Center has a fabulous line up of traveling Broadway shows. Back in January we went to see Le Miserables, and it was honestly a high quality production. This is also one of the smaller theaters I have been to, but that just means you get to see the stage better. I can’t wait to go see Beetlejuice there in a couple weeks.

I am tempted to try something new every time I go to Pizzeria Ruby, bit the "Spicy Italian" is hard to beat.

Best Weeknight Meet Up

Broadway shows may be a special occasion type of outing, but there are a few activities I have found that would be a little more budget friendly on a weeknight. Puritan Coffee Bar constantly has events like trivia or bingo. Not to brag, but we had quite the successful table at Disney Night Bingo. The location is super nice because they offer both coffee and alcoholic drinks and have a food truck park right outside.

 If you are feeling crafty the Heirloom Candle Bar downtown has classes where they teach you to make your own candles. I went a few weeks ago with a friend on “Thrifty Thursday” where we brought our own vessels and only had to pay for the wax. It was difficult to choose scents because everything smelled amazing, but I have been loving my calming lavender eucalyptus candles at home.

Where to Get Your Hot Girl Walk On

This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning a frequent stop on our weekend agenda.

Lake Fayetteville is a beautiful park complete with boat rentals, disc golf course, and a wonderful walking trail that connects to the array of biking trails Northwest Arkansas has to offer. If you are in need of some fresh air or a chat session with your bestie, this is the place to get the miles in. 

There are so many other places I could recommend in Funky Fayetteville and still so many on my list that we have yet to visit. However, there are still a few more towns to discover in Northwest Arkansas. Stay tuned to see what all Bentonville, Arkansas has to offer!

We were so proud of our cake we made at Rick's Bakery cake decorating class.