A FALL EVENING AT CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM IN BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS!

Thanks to Crystal Bridges Museum for sponsoring today’s post… All opinions are mine!

If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that we had a quick trip to Bentonville, Arkansas to experience #FallAtCrystalBridgesMuseum events at Crystal Bridges Museum. This museum has already been our favorite, since my family and I have visited over the summer of 2019 (click here to read my Summer at Crystal Bridges blogpost), and we knew that we wanted to visit again. So glad we did, because fall at Crystal Bridges was a whole new experience! You can take a glimpse on my Instagram story highlights saved under CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM. Whether you go to visit Bentonville for work, a weekend getaway or Thanksgiving/Holiday break, you don’t want to miss out visiting the Crystal Bridges Museum in Fall and attending their events. But if you’re visiting Crystal Bridges Museum for the first time, I want to be honest – an evening is not enough time as the museum is huge and there’s lots to see and events to attend at the museum.

So we drove down from Plano Texas on Saturday, October 26th a.m. and reached Bentonville in the afternoon. The drive is a little over 5 hours, but you will reach depending on the breaks. With kiddos, we always tend to take more quick breaks than usual. We reached our hotel and checked-in in the afternoon, and headed to Crystal Bridges Museum.

Fall At Crystal Bridges Museum

Crystal Bridges is the newest American Art Museum to open to more than one generation and offers a wide range of temporary exhibitions each year and the artwork in their permanent collection galleries changes often.  It was such a fun getaway and my family and I accomplished so much in one evening. Our first stop after we reached Crystal Bridges Museum was the Crystals In Art.

“Crystals In Art: Ancient to Today”

Crystals in Art: Ancient to Today is the first exhibition of its kind to explore the complex and varied connections between crystal and art throughout the world, spanning history and geography, featuring more than 75 works from Ancient Egypt, Rome, China, and beyond, discover how the power of crystal transcends the boundaries of time and space. This is a temporary exhibit and is open now until January 6th, 2020.

Dhruv and Krish were so thrilled that there were some Crystals that the visitors were allowed to touch and feel.. and that’s the beauty of Crystal Bridges Museum which makes the experience so unique, is that they have made this museum welcoming for all different ages. Since they opened in 2011, more than 4 million people from 50 states and six out of the seven continents have visited the museum. Admission to the museum and trails is completely free of charge.

Next up, we went to visit the Infinity Mirrored Room by Yayoi Kusama’s!

Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room

Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room is a new installation experience in the Crystal Bridges collection. Yayoi Kusama is a contemporary artist who makes paintings, sculptures, performances, and installations. Dots are a common theme throughout her work—a pattern that she has utilized in her work since she was a child in an effort to escape trauma and anxiety.

Okay, so my first reaction as soon as I enter the Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room is that- if I were a little girl, this would be my dream Bedroom- a wood and glass mirrored room with paper lanterns! The room is dark and small and consists of mirror-lined spaces with LED lights that slowly change color. This exhibit is now a part of their permanent collection at Crystal Bridges, so the visitors can enjoy it for free anytime! However, you have to get the tickets, just so the museum can minimize the long lines.

We then headed to experience the North Forest Lights and grabbed some Hot Chocolate, soup, cheese toast and dessert for dinner.

North Forest Lights

Okay, so the North Forest Lights is an artistic light and sound experience in the middle of the North Forest with special effects. There are Five distinct installations that literally brings the forest to life with light, sound, and sensory effects. Such a fun family-friendly experience and I was amazed to see how many people actually came to view the North Forest lights.  However, I couldn’t capture all of the installations on camera as it just won’t do  any justice, and it is so wonderful to experience it in person. BTW- the North Forest Lights can be experienced until February 16, 2020 and would make a perfect trip for Thanksgiving or Holiday break! A couple of tips if you’re planning to go visit Crystal Bridges Museum and experience the North Forest Lights- This is an evening/nighttime outdoor experience, after sunset and I’d recommend to check the weather before you go and dress accordingly and wear your rain boots as this forest is a natural setting.

Later, we went back to the hotel and went to the downtown to grab coffee and brunch before we drove back to Dallas. After visiting Crystal Bridges Museum and Bentonville twice this year, we want to go back and experience the Fall events at Crystal Bridges Museum again! Where are you all headed this Fall/Winter break? If you haven’t planned any trip yet or want to just have a weekend getaway, I highly recommend you to go experience the Crystal Bridges Museum this fall/Winter!

XX, Avani