Local moms share best date night ideas in Northwest Arkansas!

We recently asked local moms where they like to go with their significant other in Northwest Arkansas when they have an opportunity to enjoy date night.

We got some good comments that might inspire you on your next night out without the kids {FYI, we linked to some of the recommendations and made a few notes in brackets to help make the comments more helpful}:

Stephanie Nichols: My husband and I love date nights which are rare in our house but when we get out we love love love going to eat. We try something new every time and its always exciting trying new places in NWA! We love movies (we are extreme movie junkies..shhhh) so we enjoy movies at the Skylight Theatre in Bentonville and ice cream at The Spark Cafe (sooo yummy)!!

Kaycee: We love checking out the new places across NWA! There are almost always new ones! {New restaurants in Northwest Arkansas include Mamaka Bowls in Fayetteville and Freshii in Bentonville! Big Orange and Midici are also newish at the Pinnacle Hills Promenade Mall.}

New sweets spots include Fat Bottomed Girl’s Cupcakes, Fayetteville and Smudgies. For drinks, try the new Vault Bar in Fayetteville. If you’re looking for restaurants that locals have been loving for a while, click here to see a good list of recommendations.}

*Side note on a new place for adults to play: There’s also a new pinball/drinks place in Fayetteville called Pinpoint, for adults. They have over 17 pinball machines, skee-ball and darts. They offer local and regional craft beer + a large liquor/gin selection.

Beth: We love to visit Crystal Bridges and the trails and hit up Apple Blossom for dinner. Those are great things to do with the kids, too, but it’s a more relaxing experience without them every once in awhile. {Now through Sept. 3, Crystal Bridges is hosting The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art. More than 30 of O’Keeffe’s paintings, plust the work of 20 emerging artists. Enormous flowers, luscious colors, landscapes, feminine forms, and still lifes.}

Kathy Hicks: I love to attend music venues at the Amp. And maybe catch dinner before. {Summer concerts include Kenny Chesney, Janet Jackson, Modest Mouse, Halsey, Keith Urban and more. There’s also AMP Fest on September 8, featuring beer sampling, tech activations & live music.}

Cammi Hevener: We love to go out with friends where we can hang out outdoors or inside .. JGBG {in Fayetteville} is great for indoor/outdoor entertainment and great food! {Click here to see the free summer concert series line-up. They do have VIP seating that requires a paid ticket, but if you’re cool to watch the concert at their outside space, you don’t have to pay. On concert nights, it’s $10 a car for parking — or you can park somewhere else and walk. They also have a large outdoor gaming area so you can play things like bocce ball, baggo, ping pong, shuffle board and sand volleyball.}

*If you like food, live music and games like shuffleboard, there’s also a new (BIG) space to hang out called The Holler in Bentonville. It’s 10,000-square-foot space to work, eat, drink, have coffee, meet friends or listen to live music. Located in the 8th Street Market in Bentonville. There’s also three full-sized shuffleboard courts. Their hours are also a little later than most: Monday-Thursday: 7 a.m.–midnight and Friday/Saturday they’re open until 1 a.m. They have late-night bites and desserts.

Robyn: Sushi, coffee and the bookstore is our usual date night! {One of our favorite sushi joints in NWA is Meiji in Fayetteville}

Chelsea Green: Dinner at Mermaids {in Fayetteville} and dancing, sometimes dinner at Mermaids and a movie and drinks in bed without any kids.

Dana Schwiethale: I always like going to Walton Art Center. {Some upcoming shows at Walton Arts Center are the Illusionists and Take Me to the River: Live! in October as well as other musical, dance and comedy shows.}

Shelby: We save our special date nights for plays at the Walton Arts Center or a concert date night at the Amp.

Becky: Great music, food and art!! We love Crystal Bridges, 21c, The preachers son, Ruth’s Chris, painting, or listening to live music with friends.

Lori Homstad: We love to visit downtown Bentonville. We park downtown and make out like we were teenagers, Ha ha. JK and then we enjoy a walk downtown to one of many of our favorite eateries, like the Crepes Paulette or Flying Fish. Then we walk off the calories by strolling down to the Crystal Bridges Museum and enjoy people watching and looking at the flowers and plants. If the Crystal Bridges museum gift shop is open, we will splurge a little. On the way back we enjoy visiting the Art Gallery at the 21c. If we have the availability of overnight, we love staying the night there too. For Breakfast, we enjoy the Press Room and more strolling of the square and downtown streets.

Krystal K: We like to do free pie night on Wednesdays at Village Inn. A couple cups of coffee, free slice of delicious pie, no kids=heaven! {There are Village Inns in Bentonville and Fayetteville. Free Pie Wednesday is 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.}

Brittney Gulley: Razorback game (any sport), movie, dinner and drinks, concert, WAC play, casino. Honestly we have just gone grocery shopping when we have a sitter. Ha ha!

Stacy Schmidt: My husband and I like to go to the square in Bentonville. There are so many local restaurants to choose from and not to far is the 21C hotel. We love to look at the art and sit at the beehive and talk. It’s a perfect place for a nice date.

Jennifer Joyner: Crystal Bridges, 21c and the Hive for dinner… or just dinner, drinks and music on a patio.

Doris Calleja: Fayetteville Square, Bentonville Square, Crystal Bridges, Table Mesa.

Heidi Stephens: Dinner at Tavola and a movie at Skylight in Bentonville.

Amber Long: We rarely get out for a date night but we love yummy food & WAC!

Heidi: A good restaurant and a stroll and talk.

Sara Neufeld: We love to go eat really yummy food then go get great coffee at Onyx or Puritan.

Alisa Frakes: We recently got a babysitter for the day and floated a river near here – it was so much fun! Normally we do dinner and a walk or something low key – any chance to talk without kids interrupting.

Carmen: I love whatever we decide to do, especially if Bordinos is included! That’s actually my fav and I can’t wait for a special occasion so we can go!

Nikole: Hugos is always a great spot to hit! {If you hit Hugo’s — we recommend the grasshopper crepes — you can also walk around the Fayetteville Square, which has several fun stores like The Mustache, The Anchor, Riffraff, Shindig Paperie and more.}

Jane Keen: I love having a night with my husband, and we really need to work on making more time for one another! We like to do all kinds of things, but my favorite night probably involves music. A good show at George’s, the AMP, or WAC can’t be beat!

Kristen Foshee: We go to the movies, dinner with friends or walk the paths behind Crystal Bridges!

Sarah: We like bowling. {Click here to see a list of local bowling spots and more}

Caitlyn Bennett: We always enjoy a walk around Lake Fayetteville, when we have the chance to get away.

Ev Smith: I loooooove to hit up Crystal Bridges in Bentonville and take in all of the new exhibits and take a load off at their restaurant, Eleven. I rarely get a babysitter since I live out in the middle of nowhere,(Cave Springs), but when I do, the museum is where it’s at. Unless it’s on a Tuesday, of course, they’re closed. 😉

*We know one local mom who enjoys her monthly subscription to Datebox for ideas!

Happy dating, everyone!