The arts stir something deep inside. They shake your perspective, stoke emotion, take you places you’ve never been.
They inspire. They offer an escape. Sometimes, they just leave you standing there in awe. That’s the magic.
Follow these city itineraries for art lovers for a weekend or weeklong dive into Arkansas’ art scene. Each stop delivers creativity in full volume with visual arts, live stage performances, and music from artists ranging from neighborhood names to international voices.
Show up, take it in and let it move you.
City-by-City Art Stops
Fayetteville
Fenix Arts, Terra Studios, Creative Spaces at Mount Sequoyah, Walton Arts Center and Art Ventures are must-visits for visual art. Velesero is incredible as well, but it’s only open by appointment. One look at the website will make you want to book a visit.
Follow this City Public Art Map to find all the unique murals and sculptures around town.
Performing arts play out on the stages of Walton Arts Center and TheatreSquared, both located downtown in the city’s entertainment district. Catch a Broadway series or a new play. Other stops include Arts Live Theatre and the Faulkner Performing Arts Center.
Live music is part of Fayetteville’s DNA. Established in 1927, George’s Majestic Lounge is one of the oldest bar and concert venues in the Midwest. This college town is filled with year-round live music options on both indoor and on outdoor stages.
Festivals like Fayetteville Film Festival, Sundays on the Square and Artosphere Arts + Nature Festival blend music, makers and food for unique fun.
In the city’s downtown entertainment district, take advantage of the Outdoor Refreshment Area, where those 21 and older can stroll the sidewalks between arts venues with a drink in hand.
Bentonville
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is the anchor here with a collection that spans five centuries of American masterworks, ranging from the Colonial era to the current day. Plus, sculpture and walking trails link the museum’s 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville.
Nearby, The Momentary, housed in a decommissioned 63,000 square-foot cheese factory, pushes contemporary art forward across visual, performance and music mediums.
Head to the Museum of Native American History for art and artifacts – from pictographs to pottery and headdresses to textiles. MONAH takes visitors through 14,000 years of Indigenous culture with beautifully curated art and artifacts. Don’t miss its incredible gift shop, especially if you love turquoise jewelry.
Art lovers don’t want to miss a stay or at least a visit to 21C Museum Hotel, a 104-room boutique hotel, contemporary art museum, and cultural center. Take a photo with one of their iconic green penguins and grab a bite to eat at the hotel restaurant, The Hive .
The streets themselves are a canvas with murals, sculptures and art installations enhancing trails, buildings and alleyways. Preview more than 100 pieces here before setting out.
For music, check out Freshgrass and the Crystal Bridges Forest Concert Series. Or catch intimate shows at The House of Songs, Haxton Road Studios and Meteor Guitar Gallery. For other indoor and outdoor music offerings, visit this Bentonville website.
An epic time to visit Bentonville for a full art immersion experience is during the annual Bentonville Film Festival, chaired by Academy Award® winner Geena Davis. BFF is a one-of-a-kind event that champions inclusion in all forms of media.
Rogers
Larger-than-life murals turn ordinary building walls into vibrant artworks. The city’s mural trail features over 10 standout pieces, like Lucas Aoki’s railcar installation at Railyard Bike Park, the two classic Coca‑Cola murals downtown, and a powerful Rosa Parks tribute by Samuel Hale.
Stroll through historic downtown Rogers for the monthly Art on the Bricks Art Walk. On the second Thursday of every month, talented artists, craftsmen, and musicians partner with downtown merchants for the opportunity to explore businesses and meet the artists in pop-up galleries.
For live performances, the Arkansas Public Theatre, housed in the restored Victory Theater, regularly stages community-focused productions.
For bigger-name concerts, the open‑air Walmart AMP seats 11,000 and draws national touring artists—blending art, stagecraft, and atmosphere on a grand scale.
Eureka Springs
Take your time here. Art oozes from every nook and cranny of this Ozark Mountain town. “USA Today” ranked Eureka Springs No. 5 in its Best Small Town Arts Scene and Thrillist has it on its survey of 12 Small Towns in the U.S. with Great Art Scenes. The town is home to about 300 working artists among its 2,000 residents.
Art galleries are everywhere. The Eureka Springs Gallery Association boasts more than 30 art galleries representing more than 1,000 local, regional, national and international artists and fine craftspeople. At the Arts Colony on the west side of Main Street on the northeastern edge of downtown, you can see artists at work, ask them questions and buy art too.
Public art in the form of murals, sculptures and even architecture are found throughout town. For performing arts, don’t miss shows at Intrigue Theatre and Center Stage. Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point offers an outstanding, not-to-be-missed opera series each summer in a state-of-the-art theater.
The May Festival of the Arts is an artrageous, annual city-wide event packed with one-of-a-kind art exhibits, demonstrations, performances, parades, free music in the park, and the wildest street party thrown by artists –The White Street Walk.
From the long-running Ozark Folk Festival and Eureka Springs Blues Weekend, the Ozark Mountain Music Festival (OzMoMu), and Hillberry Music Festival, Eureka Springs knows the artistry of live music. The historic Auditorium is a gem for touring acts.
Fort Smith
In 2015, Fort Smith’s art scene was transformed by The Unexpected, an urban art initiative. Now, the city is home to world-class murals and sculptures. The growing collection of permanent/semi-permanent outdoor art includes more than 30 pieces by highly sought-after international artists such as D*Face, Ana Maria, Askew, Okuda San Miguel, Bordalo II, Maser, and many others.
In addition to The Unexpected pieces, this website provides names, locations and photos of all of the public art available in Fort Smith.
For fine art, head downtown to the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum (RAM), which features five galleries of global and regional works inside a sleek 16,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility.
Little Rock
For the capital city’s arts and culture scene, start downtown at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the largest cultural institution of its kind in the state, where guests can enjoy a unique blend of visual and performing arts experiences and educational programming.
Nearby, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center uplifts Black artists and tells the story of the African American experience in Arkansas. Head to the Historic Arkansas Museum for a cultural stop with galleries of Arkansas Made art and history, ranging from indigenous Arkansans to contemporary artists and artisans.
Wander through the River Market District to find Arkansas artists practicing their crafts and live music. Located in Riverfront Park, the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden is home otherwise dozens of sculptures of every size.
Don’t miss theatrical performances at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, which has a 340-seat auditorium and 100-seat black box space. Rounding out the arts experience are performances by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Arkansas, Ron Robinson Theater.
Texarkana
Explore the public art gallery at the Texarkana Regional Arts Center, home to works by regional and national artists. Mingle with other arts lovers at performances, public lectures, gallery openings and more.
The city’s downtown is filled with public art and murals. Perot Theatre hosts numerous concerts and movies and the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra ensures the world’s great symphonic compositions are heard, appreciated and valued.
Hot Springs
Hot Springs’ artists community includes Arkansas Living Treasures such as Kimbo Dryden of Dryden Pottery, Jim Larkin of Fox Pass Pottery, sculptor and painter Longhua Xu and egg artist Lorie Poppow. Numerous art galleries and artists fill the town’s creative offerings with everything from pottery and blown glass to photography and paintings.
A complete listing of the art galleries in town can be found on the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance website at hotspringsarts.org.
The Spa City has a strong mural scene, including three located downtown by Italian artist Pepe Gake. On the eccentric side of the stage are the Pocket Community Theatre and the Maxwell Blade show.
Each March, the independent music festival, Valley of the Vapors, features innovative performers from the global underground music scene. The longest-running, all-documentary film festival in all of North America takes place every October. The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival is an Oscar® qualifying festival for ‘Documentary Short Subject’ by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Arkansas Delta
In Newport, the Delta Arts Festival consists of three simultaneous festivals. The Delta Visual Arts Show, the Delta Music Jam, and the Delta Festival of Books, all held the first full weekend in June each year. Also in Newport, the Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts celebrates the visual arts.
In Helena-West Helena, the Delta Cultural Center fills three historic buildings with exhibits related to a variety of Delta topics, including art, music and history.
In Pine Bluff, the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas is a dynamic hub for creativity and learning. With three exhibition galleries, a youth activity space, and the 232-seat Catherine M. Bellamy Theater, the Center blends visual and performing arts with science programming for all ages. The nearby ARTSpace and ART WORKS on Main expand the experience with galleries, studios, workshops, and the intimate Adam B. Robinson Jr. Black Box Theater.
