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Home » Blog » How To Make New Friends in Northwest Arkansas

How To Make New Friends in Northwest Arkansas

Phillip ShepardBy Phillip Shepard6 Mins Read
Splash Pads small
Splash Pads small

Northwest Arkansas is a perfect place for making new friends. There are activities to do and places to visit where you can always meet new people along the way. So let’s see how you can make new friends in Northwest Arkansas. 

You can make new friends in Northwest Arkansas through numerous fun outdoor or indoor activities and events. Some of the events include biking, running, and music events. Additionally, you can spark new friendships at the farmers markets, in gyms, or in outdoor activities.

Today, I’ll write about how to make new friends in Northwest Arkansas through some fun outdoor and indoor activities and events that this beautiful place offers in abundance. 

Video:

Biking and Running Events

The first thing we definitely need to talk about when it comes to making new friends in Northwest Arkansas is that, if you want to be any sort of outdoors person at all, there are so many biking and running events in the whole area.

There’s a really cool Instagram page called the Women Of Oz. So maybe if you’re brand new here and you’re female, the Women Of Oz is just a great place to connect with bikers and also anyone “outdoorsy,” but definitely bikers in particular. They have great events every month, and it’s a really fun way to connect with people around the area.

But besides biking, running, rock climbing, or fishing, there are so many groups dedicated to any sort of outdoor activity. So if you’re an outdoorsy person or you want to become one, there are so many connection points. I can’t stress this enough, but the whole area’s really dedicated to the outdoors. 

We’ve dedicated so much time, money, and energy to balancing work, life, and play – all in NWA. So, it’s one of those things where, if you are or want to be outdoors more, even if you’re into gardening, for example, there are plenty of people and groups to connect with. 

However, if you’re an outdoorsy person who doesn’t like biking (or hiking), check out my other article about five different outdoor activities that don’t include biking or hiking.

Gyms, Yoga, and Meditation

This is number two, but it kind of goes hand in hand with the outdoorsy activities; but anyone involved in indoor rock climbing, gyms, yoga, meditation, anything like that, there are so many places for you to connect with new people. 

So if you’re looking to make new friends in Northwest Arkansas, I would definitely recommend checking out some of those places. There are so many of those places that are either up-and-coming, or they’ve already been established for many years now. 

Whether you’re in Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, or Fayetteville, you’ll have plenty of connections when you start making new friends in Northwest Arkansas.

By the way, if you just moved to some of these cities and don’t know what to visit, check out my article about moving to Northwest Arkansas, Bentonville, or Fayetteville and what I did first there.

Also, I have a 3-day itinerary that can help you decide what activities to do if you’re overwhelmed by everything Northwest Arkansas has to offer.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a foodie, a sports person, a sightseer, or want to spend quality time with your kids; I have something for you. Check out the link below to learn more:

https://www.allthingsnwa.com/3-day-itinerary-northwest-arkansas

Farmers Market

This goes without saying, but number three is farmers markets. My gosh, let me tell you, you can strike up some amazing conversations at farmers markets all the time.

One of the things that I quickly realized when I moved down here was the fact that people are so friendly, and they just want to talk, so if you want to strike up a conversation with somebody, it’s not going to be weird. 

I came from the Chicagoland area, and it’s one of those things if you started talking to somebody, they’d freak out. Down here, however, people are much friendlier, and you can strike up so many more conversations. 

Now, you might need to put on your extrovert hat for a minute and start trying to talk to people at a farmers market, but you will have plenty of people to talk to down there, whether you’re in Bentonville, Rogers, or Springdale.

NWA is a wonderful place to move to! Find out the REAL Reasons People Move To Northwest Arkansas

Splash Pads, Kids, and Indoor Events

Number four is for the kids. If you have kids and you’re trying to make new friends, there are so many different places and activities, like splash pads, parks everywhere (including trampoline parks!), and the museums (such as Crystal Bridges Museum).

If you’re coming in the spring, summer, or fall, there are so many things to do outdoors when it comes to activities for kids. You can visit Railyard Park in Rogers, all the splash pads in Bentonville, and the parks in Fayetteville (all 47 of them!). There are so many areas where you can bring your kids and just meet the neighborhood.

Music Events

And last, but certainly not least – music events. If you’re looking to make new friends in Northwest Arkansas, one of the things that are really special about this area specifically is plenty of music events.

Not a weekend goes by without having either a well-known music celebrity or a kind of famous person in your area performing. Whether it be at the amphitheater, JJ’s Live, the Momentary, or George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, there are so many potential options every single week for you to meet new people and listen to music you like. 

Even if you’re not into mid-size and large bands, there are so many “local talents” here who are playing music all week long. So if you’re into any sort of music scene and want to meet people, then definitely check out the music events that Northwest Arkansas offers. 

Music events reach from Bentonville all the way down to Fayetteville. Every single city has its own little subset of adventures and different areas where you can listen to music. So you’ll have no problem finding music events every single weekend and almost every single day, honestly.

Download My 3-Day Itinerary in Northwest Arkansas

If you are thinking about moving down to Northwest Arkansas, download my 3-Day Itinerary of some fun activities to do in NWA. Maybe you’re a foodie, maybe you’re an adventurer, a sports person, or something else – there’s plenty for everyone here. 

Conclusion

Northwest Arkansas has it all, and honestly, it’s one of the best places where you can easily create new friendships. The best thing about NWA is that there’s something for everyone, so you don’t have to feel like you need to take up a sport or a hobby just to meet new people. When you find something you like, friendships will just keep coming. 

Sources

  • City of Fayetteville, Arkansas: Parks and Lakes
  • Visit Rogers, Arkansas: Railyard Park in Downtown Rogers
  • All Things NWA: 3 Day Itineraries
  • Instagram: Women of Oz
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Phillip Shepard

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