Bentonville, Eureka Springs & Hot Springs, Arkansas

  We didn't plan to drive into Arkansas but we heard about some interesting cities and routes "you must drive" (hiway #7).

   In Bentonville we visited the Museum of Native American History --

   

   And on Main Street (Bentonville) we saw the first Five & Dime store (Ben Franklin) that Sam Walton managed.  The store is now a Visitor's Center/museum for the history of Wal Mart.

 We watched several short movies and read timelines that continued from one room to the next.  Sam's pickup is on display, complete with keys and registration papers in a plastic display box.

  There was even a display of items returned - one, this thermometer that the customer said didn't keep good time.

   Eureka Springs in the beautiful Ozark Mountains is a hilly town with narrow streets and old buildings that are now arts and crafts shops.

We toured the preserved Fordyce Bath House (above) in Hot Springs National Park, learning the strange cures (mercury, etc.) that were practiced 100 years ago.

  Leaving Hot Springs, Arkansas, we rode the elevator to the top of Mountain Tower for a 140 mile view of Hot Springs, the beautiful Ouachita Mountains and the surrounding Diamond Lakes area.