You Can Watch Planes Land At This Underrated Restaurant In Arkansas
By Carol Ann Carson|Published December 04, 2018
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Carol Ann Carson
Author
Arkansas native, Carol Ann Carson, has written for OnlyInYourState for three years now. She resides in Western Arkansas' Mountain Frontier but calls NWA home as well. The graduate of University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, Carol Ann earned her B.A. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. in Library Science. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite.
Arkansas does have a handful of places where you can fly in for your meal such as Byrd’s Adventure Center or Gaston’s on the White River. However, there’s another place that you may not have known about unless you already live in the area. One of Bentonville’s best kept secrets is the Thaden Field. The Fieldhouse and its restaurant, Louise, are perfect places to watch the planes land. Let’s explore the newly finished Fieldhouse and see what all the area has to offer.
Although the airport has been around forever, the Fieldhouse was recently finished earlier this year.
The vintage planes will be the first things you see. After exploring the exhibition center you can also shop at the outfitter-themed store. The Fieldhouse does have conference space and a flying club, but that's not why we've stopped by today.
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Louise at Thaden Field is anything but your ordinary airport cafe.
This gorgeous cafe is the perfect place to have lunch and watch the planes come in. The eatery is named after Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden, a Bentonville icon. During the mid-1900s, Louise was one of the greatest aviators of her time.
Louise has full menus for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Drool over entrees like Shrimp and Grits, Grilled Coho Salmon, Meatloaf Sammie, or stick to their daily dinner specials.
It may be hard to pull your eyes away from the picture-perfect food on the table, but the window views are certainly worth more than just a glance.
The indoor and outdoor seating both have spectacular views of the grass runway. There's just something oddly relaxing yet thrilling about watching the planes land.
There's still more to explore after you've finished your meal.
On the other side of the runway resides a very pleasant park. The 11-acre Lake Bentonville has ample fishing as well as a playground for kids. It's also the home to the city's first boardwalk trail.
Whether you've come for the food or the aviation atmosphere, the Fieldhouse is well worth a layover.
