One of the wonderful things about this area of Northwest Arkansas is the myriad of fun things to see and do within a 30-minute drive of downtown Bentonville. To start at Part 1, click here.
A Wealth of Northwest Arkansas History
During one of our day trippin’ adventures in and around Bentonville we headed east to the War Eagle Mill in Rogers, Arkansas. Founded in the early 1800s, the mill and original homestead were created to serve the community of the day with fresh, natural food using as many natural resources as possible. And from that grew the mill, powered by its own paddlewheel and grinding some of the freshest grain in the country. The mill is also historic as it was occupied by both the Union and Confederate forces for a time who used it to grind their own grain during the Civil War.
The property is set along a beautiful crook of War Eagle Creek where families fish along the banks, skip stones in the water and just kick back and enjoy the country ambiance.
The property is surrounding by a golf course on one side, homes and beautiful countryside on the other; the two connected by a narrow, 104-year old, wood and steel, one lane auto and foot bridge.
The first floor of the building is the working mill and store where visitors can purchase a wide array of the products including, of course, a variety of grains, honeys and jams, baked goods and more. The second floor is a gift shop with chotzkies, gemstones, walking canes, beautiful pottery and other items created by local Northwest Arkansas artisans.
The Bean Palace restaurant on the third floor is a charming, loft, family-oriented, country-style restaurant augmented by a few mill artifact cases. The small but efficient kitchen offers via a chalkboard menu a handful of delicious homemade dishes daily, including light breakfast items like egg plates, steel cut oatmeal and whole grain granola, and for lunch club sandwiches, classic BLT’s, soups and salads.
Our favorites were the Chicken Pot Pie—a sumptuous bowl of an almost chowder-thick stew with sizeable chicken chunks and veggies with a cornbread stack situated in the center. The Beans, Cornbread and Slaw entrée is a flavorful and satisfying bowl of slightly firm pinto beans with ham hock bits and seasonings, with the aforementioned accompaniments (and of course the cornbread was made with grain from the mill). The restaurant is also known for its cobblers.
With a very low key ambiance, meals here are served family style-seating on Styrofoam and/or country-kitchen tableware; the fountain drinks in mason jars.
An added touch to our visit, which just happened to be on St. Patrick’s Day, was a four-piece harp, string, guitar and drum combo, and our table mates said they were very happy with their special holiday corned beef and cabbage entrees.
The travel fun continues in and around Bentonville! To start at Part 1, click here.
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