Where: Bentonville, Arkansas
When: year-round
If you like: arts and culture
Why you should go: Since Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened fifteen years ago, the 200,000-square-foot wonder of concrete, glass, and laminated pine pavilions, seamlessly tucked into a verdant Ozark landscape, has welcomed some fourteen million guests. They’ve ogled O’Keeffes and Rothkos, endlessly Instagrammed Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room, and padded along the Cherokee-red tiles of a Frank Lloyd Wright residence painstakingly relocated piece by piece from New Jersey to the campus.
Come June 6, 2026, however, those visitors will find something they’ve never seen before: a 114,000-square-foot expansion from world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie that echoes the original vernacular while maintaining (and building upon) the museum’s connection to the natural environment. Highlights include, naturally, a fresh slate of showstopping art (notably, a nine-foot stained-glass masterpiece from Tiffany Studios, which was held in a Texas chapel for nearly a century), reimagined galleries (according to executive director Rod Bigelow, Safdie says he accomplished “perfect light” in a new temporary exhibition space measuring “five tennis courts”), and a Learning and Engagement Hub, complete with ceramics, painting, woodworking, and digital art studios for all ages and skill levels.
Yet, even with all the change, what’s particularly compelling is the museum’s redoubled focus on its original intent: to broaden access to art in an unexpected region of the country, as championed by Walmart heiress and museum founder Alice Walton. Because whether it’s the new spaces for field-tripping kiddos, wellness programs (linked to the nearby Walton-backed Heartland Whole Health Institute), or even—yes—a splash pad, the new facility makes one thing clear: You can always go back to the drawing board.
G&G tip: While visiting Crystal Bridges, save time for the Momentary, an extension of the main museum that’s sort of like its younger, art-school sibling. Set inside a decommissioned Kraft cheese factory, the Momentary plays host to visual and performing arts, culinary workshops, and concerts all year long.
