Things to do in Lowell

The 2026 guide · checked October 9, 2026

Things to do in Lowell

Lowell sits on I-49 at Exit 78 between Springdale and Rogers, and it still answers to its old nickname, Mudtown, from the stagecoach days on Old Wire Road. The Razorback Regional Greenway runs through town. Ward Nail Park has 72 acres with a splash pad, stage and public golf practice facility, and the newer Kathleen Johnson Memorial Park now hosts the Mudtown Days festival. A volunteer-run history museum opens two Saturdays a month.

Old town: Lincoln Street and Jackson Place

City Hall is at 216 N. Lincoln St., and the Lowell Historical Museum is at 304 Jackson Place, at the corner of Jackson and McClure.

Ward Nail Park and East Monroe Avenue

Ward Nail Park lies south of McClure Road and west of Highway 265. The JB Hunt Senior Activity Center (704 E. Monroe) and First Tee - Northwest Arkansas (715 E. Monroe) are at the end of East Monroe Avenue, and the city plans to extend Monroe east to Highway 265.

Bellview Road and Kathleen Johnson Memorial Park

Leonard Johnson donated about 100 acres to the city in memory of his wife, Kathleen. The park at 307 Bellview St. has a pavilion and a new splash pad, and it now hosts Mudtown Days and Trunk or Treat.

Old Wire Road

The original settlement, Bloomington, nicknamed Mudtown, stood on Old Wire Road, which the city places about a mile east of present-day Lowell. It was a Butterfield stagecoach stop.

1. 1

   Lowell Historical Museum

   Museum · History buffs, kids curious about the Civil War

   Volunteers run this museum on Lowell's history from the Civil War era to the present. It is in the L. P. Davis House, built in 1881, and opened at this spot in 2003. Kids can see "Camp Mudtown," a display of Civil War-era tools, clothing and weapons used by both the North and the South.

   1st and 3rd Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

   304 Jackson Place, Lowell, AR 72745

   Official site

2. 2

   Mudtown and Old Wire Road history

   History

   Before Lowell there was Bloomington, a settlement on Old Wire Road where the Butterfield stagecoach stopped. Travelers called it Mudtown because wagons and coaches sank in the ruts after rain. It had a tavern, hotel, general store and blacksmith. Confederate troops wintered at nearby Cross Hollow in 1861-62, and Union cavalry beat back a guerrilla attack on a wagon train at Mud Town in August 1864. After the Frisco railroad was built a mile west in 1881 and a storm wrecked the old town, residents moved the surviving buildings and renamed the place Lowell. A historical marker stands where Bloomington was.

3. 3

   Ward Nail Park

   Family · Families, picnics, city holiday events

   The city has been building this park since 2005, and it now covers 72 acres. It has playground equipment, a splash pad, a walking trail, pedestrian bridges, basketball courts, a soccer field, picnic tables, a gazebo, a performance stage and electrical hookups for RVs. The city's December holiday events and its Touch a Truck day are held here.

   Official site

4. 4

   First Tee - Northwest Arkansas golf facility

   Outdoors · Beginners, golfers who want practice time

   This youth golf nonprofit inside Ward Nail Park opens its facility to the public. It has an outdoor driving range, an indoor range with six heated bays, putting and chipping greens, a short-game area and a 9-hole, par-3 course. Check in at the golf shop before you play. Proceeds go to its youth programs, and the grounds are tobacco- and alcohol-free.

   Range balls: $13 large bucket, $9 small; seniors 60+ $10 and $7 · Mon-Sat 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (last bucket); may change for weather and events

   715 E. Monroe Ave., Lowell, AR 72745

   Official site

5. 5

   Kathleen Johnson Memorial Park

   Outdoors · Walks, kids in summer (splash pad)

   Leonard Johnson gave this land, about 100 acres, to the city in memory of his wife, Kathleen, for the people of Lowell and the region. It has a walking trail among tall trees on its west end, two barns that are often photographed, and a pavilion. The city lists a new splash pad here among its completed projects. It is now home to Mudtown Days and the city's Trunk or Treat.

   307 Bellview St., Lowell, AR 72745

   Official site

6. 6

   Razorback Regional Greenway (Lowell section)

   Outdoors · Biking, walking, running

   This 40-plus-mile, mostly off-road shared-use trail connects the downtowns of Fayetteville, Johnson, Springdale, Lowell, Rogers and Bentonville. The surface is skinny-tire friendly and striped for two-way traffic, and Arkansas Tourism calls it suitable for all skill levels. In Lowell the city plans to move the trail west of Goad Springs Road and build a tunnel under Monroe Avenue (Highway 264), with construction targeted to start in spring 2027.

   Official site

7. 7

   Mudtown Days

   Family · Families, early June

   Lowell's annual town festival is named for its stagecoach-era nickname. In 2026 it ran Friday and Saturday, June 5-6, at a new home, Kathleen Johnson Memorial Park, with food vendors, other vendors, a business expo and a nonprofit expo. Food vendors ran Friday evening and all day Saturday.

   307 Bellview St., Lowell, AR 72745 (Kathleen Johnson Memorial Park)

   Official site

8. 8

   Lowell's fall and holiday city events

   Family · Families with young kids

   The city runs a short list of family events each year. In 2026, Trunk or Treat is Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. at Kathleen Johnson Memorial Park with costumes and candy. On Dec. 5 the Christmas market runs 4-8 p.m. at Ward Nail Park, with the parade at 6 p.m., a tree lighting, music, food and Santa. The city also lists an Easter egg hunt and a Touch a Truck day, which was Sept. 12 at Ward Nail Park in 2026.

   Official site

Hours and prices as each place posts them, checked October 9, 2026; they change, so confirm before you go. Curation is never sold.