This is an old-fashioned soda fountain straight out of a classic ’50s television show, planted on the corner of the Square and at the exit of the Walmart Museum (which is free to visit). A selection of malts, milkshakes, Fizzys, egg creams and the like are available from the blender, and sundaes and cones abound. Ten flavors are offered each day, always including Sam Walton’s favored Butter Pecan as well as Spark – a blue-and-gold-tinted vanilla from Arkansas-based ice creamery Yarnell’s.

The Walton family, founders of Wal-Mart, have been a part of Northwest Arkansas for decades. Sam Walton (who, by the way, drove a Ford F150 truck) was reportedly a huge fan of ice cream, and his family has shared numerous stories about his affection for the sweet treat, especially his favorite flavor, Butter Pecan. So, when the Walmart Museum in Bentonville, AR was founded, it made perfect sense to include an old-fashioned soda fountain in the form of the Spark Café.

Known locally as simply “chef Matt,” Matthew Cooper was raised in Arkansas, trained in the Pacific Northwest, and recognized worldwide as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2024. His farm-to-table restaurant, Conifer, focuses on seasonality, aiming to highlight local products in their natural form. There is even a farmstand next door and a chef’s farm in the works to keep the 100-percent gluten-free menu stocked with local ingredients.

If you need some ice cream in your life (and who doesn’t really?), head over to the Spark Cafe. It’s connected to the Walmart Museum and features ice cream cones, sundaes, shakes, and blended coffee drinks – all for a super reasonable price!. You know I had to get the mint chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone.

If you visit Bentonville without paying homage to Walmart, did you even go?. Check out the Walmart Museum in downtown Bentonville where you can learn all about the history of the store, its founder, and its future plans for the city. You can even see old sales pages and find out the cost of bread in the 1970s.

Spark Café Soda Fountain is a unique café with a classic theme based on a 1950s TV show. It is on Main Street, near the Square and next to the exit of the Walmart Museum. Spark Café Soda Fountain serves Yarnell’s ice cream and specializes in ice cream cups, cones, shakes, sundaes, banana splits, and malts.

The Spark Café Soda Fountain is a tribute to Sam Walton’s love of ice cream. The café proudly serves Yarnell's, a family brand made in Searcy, Arkansas, not far from the Walmart Distribution Center. When you visit, you’ll notice a flavor in the scooping bin that looks VERY Walmart: Spark Cream.

When you want to leave the stove off and enjoy a delicious meal that is easy on the budget, Spark Cafe Soda Fountain on the Downtown Square lets you take the entire family out for ice cream for $10 or less, and Thai Kitchen on SW A St offers excellent Thai Cuisine for affordable prices.

The Spark Cafe is the cutest old-fashioned cafe that serves ice cream, sweet treats, and ice cream floats. The cafe is bright and colorful and even has a jukebox to give you the full experience of the past. This is the only place that we know of that serves ice cream for only $1!

One of the highlights of the Walmart Museum is The Spark Cafe Soda Fountain. This is a replica of the original soda fountain that was located in the first Walmart store. You can enjoy a variety of old-fashioned treats here, including ice cream, sodas, and milkshakes.

The Spark Cafe is the cutest old fashioned cafe serving ice cream, candy, and ice floats. The cafe is bright and colorful and even has a jukebox to give you the full throwback experience. This is the only place we know of that serves ice cream for only $1!

The Spark Cafe and Soda Fountain Shop is attached to the Walmart Museum and offers a large menu of ice cream, sundaes and sodas. They even have mug cakes, which I wanted to order but they had run out.

It’s a quaint ice-creamery that feels like a true step back in time (think Pop Tate’s Chock’lit Shoppe from Archie comics). Blue-and-white checkerboard tiles. Yellow diner chairs.

Today this is the site of the Walmart Museum and the Spark Café Soda Fountain. The Museum’s displays relay the story of how Sam Walton built his world famous company.

Then we headed to the Spark Café Soda Fountain at the Wal-Mart Museum on the old town square, which was thankfully open!