The City of Bentonville extends a warm welcome to all visitors for the 2012 10-Year-Old Cal Ripken World Series. We are home to one of the fastest growing communities in the United States as well as the headquarters of the world's largest corporation, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. This will be the community's second World Series, having hosted the 16-Year-Old Division in 2007.

In 1951, Sam Walton established a variety store in downtown Bentonville which he would open as a Ben Franklin franchise and was called 'Walton's Five and Dime.' The location and interior of that variety store has been carefully preserved as to reflect its humble beginnings and is now known as the Wal-Mart Visitor's Center. "Mr. Sam" was honored one month before his death in April 1992 for all his pioneering efforts in the retail industry by receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George H.W. Bush. In 1998, he was included in Time Magazine's list of 100 most influential people of the 20th Century. He left his ownership in Wal-Mart to his wife and four children, and they would hold five spots in the top 10 richest people in the United States until 2005.

In November 2011, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened and is home to one of the preeminent art collections in the world. The 201,000 square foot museum is housed in eight separate buildings and sits on 120 acres of land that was formerly owned by the Walton family. Admission is free and is funded by a $20 million grant from Walmart that was announced shortly prior to the museum's opening. More than 3.5 miles of trails wind
through the streams, ponds, wetlands, native plants and sculptures around the grounds of the museum.

Memorial Park will play host to the World Series. It is Bentonville's premier community park with 73 acres. The park is the primary home for the Bentonville Cal Ripken League and the Bentonville Youth Softball League. The park also contains facilities for soccer, basketball, tennis and a skateboard park. The Melvin Ford Aquatic Center is the centerpiece of the park with an Olympic size pool, a separate four-board diving pool and a wading pool featuring a rain drop fountain.

The city boosts of numerous recreational outlets including 17 public parks, 19 baseball and softball fields, six soccer fields and a recreation center with two basketball courts and a weight room. There are also numerous trails and pathways within the city for biking and running. Golfing and fishing are also abundant activities within the community as numerous golf courses and Beaver Lake are all just minutes away from country kitchens to gourmet bistros offering a wide array of lunch or dinner possibilities.

Whether your interest is recreation, dining, shopping or just exploring the natural beauty of the city and Northwest
Arkansas, you'll find plenty of things to do before or after games. For additional information, call the Bentonville Advertising & Promotion Commission at (800) 410-2535 or visit their website at www.bentonvilleusa.org for more information. We look forward to your visit to Bentonville!