Funk Dispatch · Issue 03
Float season is open. Here's your July weekend, sorted.
Happy Sunday. It's July in the Ozarks, which means the only sane agenda is water in the morning and air conditioning by two. Here's the frequency this week.
Worth your weekend
Get on the Buffalo before everyone else does. America's first national river is roughly 90 minutes to 2+ hours from Bentonville depending on which access point you pick, and it is the single best argument for living up here. Our first-timer's guide covers which stretch to float and what to skip; water levels change weekly, so check the official NPS page before you commit a Saturday to it.
Beaver Lake is closer than you think. If the Buffalo feels like an expedition, the lake is the lazy option that still counts as outside. The Beaver Lake guide has the honest rundown — including which parts to avoid on a holiday weekend.
Stay on the square after dark. If a First Friday lands on your calendar, here's how locals actually do it — and the Visit Bentonville calendar for current listings.
One hot take
The best table in Bentonville in July is a cooler on a gravel bar. Every restaurant in town — including the ones we love in our locals' picks — is fighting for second place until September.
If you do one thing
Put one float trip on the calendar this month. Not "sometime this summer." This month. The river doesn't reschedule well and neither do you.
Like the colors of this place? We bottled them — the ArkFunk Palette is 12 color systems from Northwest Arkansas light, and the first 20 packs are $1.