Crystal Bridges art museum and Bentonville, Ark.

The storefront where Sam Walton’s Wal-Mart empire was hatched as a five-and-dime in 1950 in downtown Bentonville.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Rent a bike at the Phat Tire Bike Shop in the old Hotel Massey building in downtown Bentonville.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

At Tusk & Trotter, the emphasis is on local ingredients.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which opened in Bentonville, Ark., last year, is home to Gilbert Stuart’s “George Washington,” Norman Rockwell’s “Rosie the Riveter,” Andy Warhol’s “Dolly Parton” and hundreds of other artworks.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The design of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art features a chain of buildings with glass walls and organic curves.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The museum, which was designed by famed architect Moshe Safdie, incorporates walls of glass into the design.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Dramatic arches add to the architectural interest at the Bentonville art museum, which was founded by Alice Walton, the Texas-based daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Alexander Calder’s “Trois noirs sur un rouge” (foreground). The museum’s collection spans five centuries, from Colonial works to the present day.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

A bust by Evan Penny titled “Old Self: Portrait of the Artist as He Will (Not) Be.”   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

“The Bubble,” a bronze sculpture by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

“Alexander Hamilton,” a marble sculpture by Giuseppe Ceracchi.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

A Charles Wilson Peale painting of George Washington attracts interest at the art museum.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Visitors relax at Eleven restaurant after exploring the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

“Stella,” a bronze sculpture by André Harvey.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)