A world-class collection of American art, stunning architecture, and 120 acres of Ozark forest with five miles of trails. Admission to the museum is always free.
Planning a visit to Crystal Bridges this spring? Use this guide to learn what’s on and what to expect this season.
We have something for all types of learners. From educator resources to family activities to scholars, find what speaks to you and engage with us.
There’s more to the museum than just the galleries— come enjoy hands-on creative fun with art classes for all ages and experience levels..
Crystal Bridges members receive year-round perks, invitations to member-only events, travel opportunities, and more!
Museum & Buildings
Trails and Grounds open daily sunrise to sunset.
Museum Accessibility and Access and Inclusive Programs
Crystal Bridges is committed to making the museum accessible for all visitors. Please note that our efforts to make our website, programs, and museum more accessible are ongoing. If you encounter any accessibility concerns, please contact us.
Crystal Bridges offers a number of on-site accommodations for guests with disabilities in order to assure an enjoyable and engaging experience at the museum. Below is a list of amenities available. If you have questions, please contact us.
All interior spaces of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art—including galleries, classrooms, meeting rooms, restaurant, Museum Store, library, and lobby—are fully wheelchair accessible. The parking garage offers accessible parking on the lower level.
Wheelchair and family-accessible restrooms and elevators are located throughout the museum.
Wheelchairs and walkers are available on a first-come, first-served basis at no cost and are located at Guest Services in the Garrison Lobby, in the elevator tower, and in the lower lobby checkroom. Personal wheelchairs, canes with rubber tips, and motorized mobility devices are also permitted in the museum.
The Orchard Trail, Art Trail and North Forest Trail are all hard-surface trails. See the CB Outdoors app for accessible tours of our grounds.
Service animals are welcome in the museum. Crystal Bridges abides by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and allows service animals, that is, animals trained to do work or perform specific tasks for the benefit of an individual with disabilities, into all the public areas of the museum. The ADA does not currently recognize emotional support animals, therefore emotional support animals and all other animals not specifically covered in the American with Disabilities Act will not be permitted within the museum. Other leashed pets must remain outside the building, which includes Walker Landing, but are welcome on museum trails and grounds.
Because Crystal Bridges has many large windows that admit daylight, the light levels in the museum can vary considerably between galleries and connecting reflection spaces. Guests with light sensitivity may choose to visit on cloudy days or in the evening when these contrasts are not so pronounced.
When there are exhibitions featuring artworks with flashing lights, signage notifying visitors of where these lights are located will be available.
Assistive Listening Devices are available on a first-come, first-served basis for those participating in lectures or other events in the Great Hall. For all other programs or tours, they are available by request.
Sign Language interpretation for all programs and tours is offered upon request with advanced notice based on availability. Please contact us.
The museum offers select materials and brochures in multiple languages, including Spanish and Marshallese, as well as guided tours in Spanish upon request. All art gallery labels feature bilingual content in English and Spanish, as well as a majority of the audio tours. When multimedia content is included in exhibitions, every effort is made to include bilingual captions. Portions of our website are being translated into Spanish as well.
Open Captioning is available for lectures or other events in the Great Hall. Open captions or transcript binders are also available for videos in our exhibition spaces.
Listen to our free verbal description audio tour. Additional free audio tours that include audio label text for selected artworks from the museum’s permanent collection are available for download on Android or Apple devices.
Free tactile and multisensory tours of the museum are offered upon request with advanced notice based on availability. To schedule a tour, please contact us.
EnChroma colorblind glasses are available for guests who are colorblind to use at no cost during their museum visit. The museum can provide glasses for indoor and outdoor viewing in adult and youth sizes, and there are also fit-over glasses available for guests who wear regular glasses.
These glasses are available for check-out at the Guest Services desks in the Garrison Lobby, as well as the south lobby. To check-out, please present a form of ID to leave at the Guest Services desk while you use the glasses during your museum visit. Color-blind glasses are supported by Neff and Scarlett Basore.
Crystal Bridges works with a number of organizations to develop programs for and with individuals with disabilities. Below is a brief listing of our current offerings. If you have questions about any of our Access and Inclusive Programs, or would like to make a suggestion, please contact us.
Family Access Night is a fun night out for families who have children with and without disabilities to visit the museum. Youth with disabilities, siblings, and parents participate in engaging activities including gallery tours, studio art activities, and performances. The event is free, but pre-registration is encouraged.
Play with Passion is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving athletes with disabilities in the Northwest Arkansas area. Once a month, Play with Passion visits a different site to promote activities for youth with disabilities. Crystal Bridges partners with Play with Passion to offer fun outdoor art and activity stations inspired by nature.
Life Styles is a non-profit organization that provides supported employment, living, and educational opportunities for adults with disabilities. Once a month, Crystal Bridges collaborates with Launch—a Life Styles program designed as a college-equivalent program for young adults with disabilities. Launch students visit the museum with their Effective Communications class for a facilitated discussion in the galleries and an artmaking session in the studio. Learn more about participant experiences with Life Styles.
“I love everything I learned here because I love learning about the art history and the artists and it inspires me every day to learn about art. It inspires me to do art. I do a lot of artwork and I love art. Maybe one day my art will be in Crystal Bridges.” —Life Styles participant
Open Avenues is a work center for adults with disabilities. Museum Educators visit the center once a month for hands-on art activities. The program provides an opportunity for Open Avenues’ clients to creatively express themselves during the work day and to learn about the museum’s collection, programs, and exhibitions.
Camp Connect at Crystal Bridges is a summer day-camp for neurodiverse and neurotypical children, presented in collaboration with Project Connect at the University of Arkansas. The camp features fun activities for children to engage with artwork in the museum while making connections with other children. The program is free, but advanced-registration is required.
ArtShare is a program for families who have neurodiverse youth, allowing families to participate in hands-on activities and explore the galleries in a quiet atmosphere. The program is free, but pre-registration is encouraged.
“My daughter enjoyed herself [at ArtShare] tremendously, the happiness was evident on the faces of all the participants and their families, and I must admit each and every aspect was a wonderful joy for myself as well. I only wish it could have lasted a little longer.” —ArtShare participant
Creative Connections is a program for individuals living with early-stage Alzheimer’s or dementia and their care partners. Museum Educators facilitate interactive discussions of artworks in the galleries and lead hands-on art activities in the studio. No prior art experience required. Refreshments and art materials are provided. The program is presented in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association and Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education. The program is free, but registration is required. Register by email or contact the Alzheimer’s Association at 1 (800) 272-3900 ext. 8360. Learn more about participant experiences with Creative Connections.
“Had it not been for Creative Connections, we probably still wouldn’t be in a support group. We avoided support groups for three years, thinking we were not ready. Creative Connections sounded more like fun and fellowship. It was that and more. Participating in Creative Connections has certainly proven to be one of our best decisions. I cannot say either of us is a better artist, but we know that our new network of friends has our back.” —Creative Connections participant
Multisensory Saturday is a program in the galleries for visitors with and without vision loss featuring multisensory explorations of select artworks in the museum’s collections.
The museum has collaborated with Arkansas Council of the Blind to develop tactile and multisensory programs during their annual conference.
To learn more about participant experiences with the Arkansas Council of the Blind collaboration, visit the Multisensory Tours at the Museum page.
Crystal Bridges has collaborated with organizations to provide professional development, including Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (ARID) and NWA Premier Counseling.
The Community Accessibility Advisory Committee consists of a small group of individuals with and without disabilities who are advocates for inclusion in Northwest Arkansas. These individuals offer their experience and expertise to help review and refine inclusive practices at the museum relating to programs, services, activities, and employment. Participants include representatives from the Northwest Arkansas Association of the Deaf, the Arkansas Council of the Blind, LifeStyles, 99 Balloons, Sources, Partners for Inclusive Communities, the ALS Association and participants from our Creative Connections program.
Loreen Arbus
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
