Continuing the Let’s Go for a Walk series, our family visited Osage Park in Bentonville, AR a few times back in February. If you live in or plan to visit Northwest Arkansas I highly recommend visiting this treasure of a park. Once the rain has settled down we will definitely head back.
VISIT OSAGE PARK IN BENTONVILLE, AR FOR A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
This park is truly unique in our area. According to the park’s Visit Bentonville page, it boasts a wetlands boardwalk, pavilion, pickleball courts, cherry tree grove, dog park, and even an archery range! Take your time playing in the park and head on past the pavilion to enjoy a bite at one of the food trucks. I’m definitely curious to try them on a future visit.
As an added bonus, the park is located close to the Bentonville airport, so while you are enjoying your nature walk you can enjoy the sight of small aircraft taking off. The lake is just past the airport runway, so you’re sure to get a good view.
There are even canoes available for rental, although I did not see that specific information on the park website. Once you’ve enjoyed your walk let the kids run around the playground next to the terminal/visitor center.
Inside the visitor center is a small museum complete with paddle planes for the little ones to roll around in while you check out the models on display.
LET’S GO FOR A WALK… OR A SCOOTER RIDE
The first time we visited the park we simply enjoyed the nature walk, a beaver habitat, and then let the kids run loose at the playground for a bit. The boardwalk literally takes you over the 12-acre wetland ecosystem.
The second time we took a walk at Osage Park we brought along the kids’ scooters. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and wear the kids out.
As you walk throughout the park, be sure to enjoy the art installations. My personal favorite pieces were the “quilts” whose patches are welded together signs in traditional quilt work patterns. Signs with information about the wild and plant life found at the park are located at various points along the trail as well.
We didn’t visit the dog park, but the dogs there did seem to enjoy it immensely. Next to the dog park is the parking lot for the indoor archery range. Osage Park is definitely a great place for the whole family to enjoy.
Wherever you live take the chance when the weather cooperates and get out and go for a walk! And be on the lookout for the next post in this series profiling another park in Northwest Arkansas. Nothing like some good, frugal fun to look forward to with summer break just around the corner!
Great post, we live in Arkansas and we’ll have to go there when we are in the other end of the state. That might be a beaver lodge instead of a beaver dam but its hard to tell from the photo. Lodges look like little mud and stick igloos surrounded by water. They have underwater entrances to protect the beaver and their young from predators. We’ve got beaver in the wetlands next to our home in South Arkansas. Sometimes they’ll try to cut down a tree in the direction of our house, but so far they haven’t hit us yet! Beaver are so prevalent in Arkansas and destroy so much timber that the Fish and Game department stocked alligators to reduce their population. So far I’m not sure if it has worked or not but the sight of an eight foot alligator swimming up to your boat is pretty impressive when you are fishing. Oh and great parenting getting the little ones out in nature to have some fun!
It very well might be a lodge. I don’t know a whole lot about beavers but the kids sure enjoyed it. Thank you!