SPRINGDALE -- No need to pitch a tent when camping along the Razorback Greenway.
Two tepees are available for camping at Magnolia Gardens, 501 N. Main St. in Springdale. Each tepee rests on a wood platform so campers aren't sleeping on the ground. Not only that, they're air conditioned.
Sights by bike
From downtown Springdale on the Razorback Greenway, the distance to Crystal Bridges Museum of American art in Bentonville is about 17 miles. Lake Fayetteville is about three miles south. Dickson Street entertainment district in Fayetteville is 12 miles south of downtown Springdale.
Source: Staff report
Each tepee accommodates up to six guests, said Crystal Rascoe with Ropeswing Hospitality, which owns Magnolia Gardens. Tepee camping fee is $160 per night.
Campers may also bring their own tents and camp on the lawn areas at Magnolia Gardens for $45 per night for one to four people. Guests should bring their own sleeping bag and pad and any other camp gear for tepee or lawn camping.
More than a good night's sleep is included. Guests have access to a swimming pool, a common kitchen and shower building and a game room located in a big red barn at Magnolia Gardens.
Campers also get a grab and go continental breakfast so they can hop on their bikes quickly and pedal along the greenway. Breakfast menu items may include muffins, granola bars, cereal and drinks.
Being centrally located in Springdale, riders can pedal to most any Northwest Arkansas attraction north or south, via the greenway, Rascoe said.
Tent camping not your thing? Historic and attractive bed and breakfast rooms are also available for cyclists or anyone. The original home at Magnolia Gardens was built in the late 1880s. It's been expanded over the years. Magnolia Gardens is also a popular wedding and event venue. Staff began welcoming campers last spring.
"We had the idea being so close to the greenway that bicycle camping could be popular here," Rascoe said during a tour of the camping areas and bed and breakfast rooms.
Neatly manicured lawns close to Spring Creek await cycling campers. There aren't designated campsites. People are welcome to camp anywhere on the grass.
There's a small pond and a pavilion at one of the lawn areas. Secure storage is provided for bicycles, Rascoe said.
Advance reservations are required and are made through Airbnb. Typing Magnolia Gardens campsites in a computer search engine reveals camping and room information.
Campers have the option of biking with their gear to Magnolia Gardens on the Razorback Greenway and renting a tepee or pitching their own tent. People are also welcome to arrive by car and pitch a base camp for riding different sections of the hard-surface trail for foot and bicycle traffic. The greenway now extends about 41 miles between Lake Bella Vista and south Fayetteville.
A one-mile section was recently added that runs north from Lake Bella Vista to Blowing Springs Park. A recent addition in south Fayetteville adds more miles. The original Razorback Greenway between Lake Bella Vista and Fayetteville is 36 miles. It opened in May 2015. Planning for the trail started in 2000.
Now a greenway bike ride might include waking up in a tepee.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected].
Sports on 08/14/2018