Do you know what it was like to live in Bentonville back in the 1800s? Now you can explore and see for yourself! The Peel Museum and Botanical Garden takes you on an educational adventure into a unique period in Arkansas’ history.
“When someone visits the Peel Museum and the Botanical Garden, they are first going to enter through the gates and see a beautiful garden space," says Laura Brewer, who is the Botanical Garden Site Manager.
The Peel Museum and Botanical Garden hold quite a bit of history.
The Mansion dates back all the way to the 1800s. Samuel West Peel built the mansion in 1875 for his wife Mary Emaline and their nine children.
“Samuel West Peel was the first naïve born Arkansan to represent our state in the Congress, he was also a prominent lawyer and the Peels were very important and influential in early Bentonville history,” says Kelsey Atwood, who is the Peel Museum Manager, “After the Civil War, the Peels moved up to this area and built their house here and originally this land was surrounded by the Peels farms, they had quite a significant amount of apple orchards.”
It's free to tour the Peel Museum and the Botanical Garden.
“When folks come here, they can walk through the house with a docent and learn about the history of Bentonville and this era and the Peel family, they can visit our parlor, study, dining room, and several bedrooms upstairs to get a feel for life at this time," Atwood continues.
Seven different and beautiful gardens surround the mansion.
“We have 7 unique garden spaces - we have Perennial Garden, the Rose Garden, the Herb Garden, the Cutting Garden, we have a Children’s Memorial Garden, an Apple Orchard, and also the Vegetable Garden. The best time to see our garden space is in the spring and summer, but we do have blooms year around, so right now, the Rose Garden still has a lot of blooms," Brewer explains.
"The Herb Garden is still very interesting, we have a lot of monarch butterflies coming through and other beautiful things to see. It is a great family space, we have big open lawn space and so people are welcome to bring kids and family. It is a great space for holiday photoshoots and there is something interesting going on at all times. Right now, in the Apple Orchard we will have apples falling.”
If you need to book a venue for your next event, this place has you covered with rooms and spaces that can hold large events.
“The Terrace Garden has been created to host large events and it’s a beautiful space for any occasion," Brewer continues.
Just this past November, the Botanical Garden was accredited, which recognizes their achievement in plant conservation.
“We are really passionate about providing this as a free community space to the folks of Northwest Arkansas, so we invite them to come learn and explore at the Peel Museum and Botanical Garden," Atwood says.
The Peel Museum and Botanical Garden is hosting its signature event Christmas at Peel Museum, which will feature food, music, theater and dance performances on December 3rd at 6pm.
For more information about the Peel Museum and Botanical Garden, click HERE.