So long, Nashville. You were a good time.
We wrapped up our final week in town with a little more March Madness, a songwriter night at the Bluebird Cafe, and a couple more hiking adventures out in the Nashville sticks. As we packed up and looked back on our month there, we realized Nashville really grew on us. It has this interesting mix of big-city perks and laid-back charm. You can catch live music any night of the week, wander through some surprisingly beautiful parks nearby, and everywhere you go people seem to carry that classic Southern friendliness.
And just to clear up any rumors: no, we are not house shopping in Nashville. But we are very happy to have checked it off the list.
So whats next? We traded big-city living for a lovely corner of Northwest Arkansas.
Now, some people have definitely asked: Bentonville? Why Bentonville?
Honestly, after two months of bigger-city life, this slower pace is been very welcome. There’s less traffic, fewer people, and just way less chaos in general. And then there’s the biking. Bentonville and the surrounding area are home to more than 550 miles of mountain bike trails, which is honestly a little absurd. This place is basically Disneyland for mountain bikers.
In our first week here, I managed to ride every single day and log just shy of 100 miles, which feels like a pretty solid way to settle in.
We also got to share this stop with our good friends Jenn and Dave, who came out for a little sample of what this adventure lifestyle is all about. During their visit, we've checked out First Friday in Bentonville, and got to witness Arkansauce, a fantastic Bluegrass band that was playing at this community celebration in the town square. We also spent time at Crystal Bridges, which is an incredible art museum, wandered the town exploring, and of course got in plenty of mountain biking!
One of our favorite parts of this whole nomadic season has been getting to host friends and give them a taste of this lifestyle. It’s always fun to show people what life can look like when you shake things up a little.
Now for the question everyone really wants answered: what is it like living in the capital of Walmart?
In one word: weird.
You can’t walk out the front door without noticing the Walton family’s fingerprints all over this city. To be fair, Bentonville is beautiful. There’s very little trash, basically no graffiti, and the whole downtown feels polished, friendly, and easy to enjoy. The infrastructure is impressive. The museum is amazing. The healthcare access seems strong. And yes, there are a lot of Walmart stores around here. Nine of them, apparently, which feels excessive even for Walmart headquarters.
In many ways, it looks like an ideal version of a community.
But the odd part is that everyone knows this version of “ideal” is heavily supported by Walton money. And once you notice that, it’s hard not to keep noticing it. There’s something a little surreal about it all, like living in a place that feels almost too clean, too polished, too carefully maintained. At times it gives off a faint Truman Show energy, where everything works a little too well and you start wondering what holds it all together.
It’s absolutely a nice place to live, no question. I just find myself wondering what the true cost of that stability is, and how much of this community depends on the continued generosity and influence of one family.
So whats next? We’ve still got three weeks left here, along with a laundry list of trails to ride and things to see. We’ve also got more visitors coming through, which makes sense because, unsurprisingly, we seem to know quite a few people who really like riding bikes.
So for now, the adventure rolls on. We’re going to enjoy the slower pace, the trees, the flowers, and the fact that spring is very much doing its thing.