As the oldest city in the state of Arkansas, Batesville has a population of over 11,000 people. With this kind of population, you would except a large city with a lot of shopping, dining, and things to do. So where is the best place to spend money at in Batesville?
Grocery Stores
The best grocery store in Batesville is Aldi. They recently opened and are still new to the city but are a lot of people’s first choice for groceries. The store is really clean, has spacious aisles, delicious food that tastes superior to name brand products, and their prices are cheaper than Kroger’s sales and coupons, making them cheaper than anywhere else in the city.
Aldi is a brand that is known for offering cleaner products. Their product line contains less harmful chemicals, preservatives, dyes, and artificial colors and flavors than food found in other stores. Looking at the products, you will quickly notice that most are products of German and Swiss companies. Although, most of the products are manufactured in the United States. Unfortunately, Aldi is a small store and only carries a limited supply of food and other miscellaneous household items. If Aldi was as big as Walmart, I am sure that they would easily put Walmart out of business.
Other grocery stores:
Dollar General
Dollar Tree
Family Dollar
Walgreens
Bill’s Cash Saver
Kroger
Walmart
Harps (Southside)
Entertainment
The entertainment industry is huge, especially if you have kids or are dating. However, Batesville is extremely lacking in this area. I only have two places of entertainment –
Hollywood Bowl is our only bowling alley and hosts tournaments almost every night of the week. They also have a small arcade section, offer parties through a host party planner, and host to a scary haunted house during Halloween. When they are caught up on business tasks, they operate an escape room at the back of the arcade.
Next Level Playground has also made an appearance in Batesville. Catering to little kids, they offer a play pit, arcade games, and a trampoline. They also rent out their facilities for parties. Be sure to watch their hours because they are open seasonally.
Batesville has two movie theaters, in which both run first time movies. There is an updated, modern theater in the middle of town and a restored, historic theater at the end of Main Street. The Melba Theater offers free movies seasonally and supposedly has the best popcorn.
Clothing
A lot of Batesville residents complain about the lack of clothing stores, but I have found that they are certainly not lacking in clothing stores. However, our most notable one is actually in Southside and is a consignment store – Secondhand Swank.
Secondhand Swank is a clean and very nice clothing consignment store. Both their prices and sales are really good deals. Their entire back room is full of prom and formal dresses, so it is the best place to find a good price on formal wear. Consignments include women’s, men’s, formals, babies, and children’s clothing.
Other clothing stores:
Barbara’s Fashions
Cato Fashions
Maurices
The Twisted Spoke
Factory Connection
TJ Maxx
Bellabird
Simple By Design
Main Attire
Clara Jane & Jax Children’s Boutique
Viv & Rose Bridal and Formal
Siloe
Lainey Mae
Little Luxe
Thrift Stores
Batesville has quite a bit of thrift stores, but I think most people shop at Goodwill. Considering Goodwill is a large store and a known brand, it would make sense to start your thrifting journey at Goodwill.
Other thrift stores:
Fresh Start Resale Shop
Fleaman Barkus
Almost New Store
Weeping Willow
Flea Markets
Within Batesville city limits, there is only Olde Towne Mall, Etta’s Attic, and The Rusty Trunk. Both Olde Towne and Etta’s are located on Main Street and offer an entirely different product selection. The Rusty Trunk is a newcomer to Batesville and has more of a rustic design.
Just outside Batesville is The Birdcage Vintage Market (north side of Batesville) and Southern Traditions (Southside). Both are owned by the same family and the buildings were new buildings. More flea markets are located farther away, so plan out your trip if you are visiting just for antiquing.
Restaurants
Batesville is known for having fast food row. You can find all kinds of fast-food places on St. Louis Street. There is quite a bit of family owned and chain restaurants, though. Depending on what you want to eat, here is a list of the best restaurants.
BBQ – Both Cowboy’s Barbecue and Fox Creek BBQ are worth a visit, but Fox Creek offers a bar.
Burgers – Big’s of Batesville has an extensive menu of sandwiches and burgers. If you are interested in eating at a food truck, Meme’s Burgery is the best place to get burgers. They are often located beside The Tea Crate.
Breakfast – The Triangle Café in Southside gets a lot of customers. They offer breakfast and lunch only and a great breakfast selection if you are okay with eating in a small space with a lot of older people.
Chinese – Tailee Chinese Restaurant serves a buffet and menu with quality Chinese food.
Japanese – Sakura Japanese Steakhouse and Dora Express offer an entirely different atmosphere and are both worth a visit.
Italian – Tavolo Italian Ristorante is the only Italian restaurant in Batesville. It is owned by an Italian family and offers a bar.
Fast food – Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is the closest thing to real food that the current fast-food line up offers in Batesville.
The best overall restaurant is a tie between H&H Café (Moorefield) and Whistle Stop Cafe. Both places have great service, good homecooked food, quiet atmosphere, and good prices.
Gifts
If you are looking to buy general merchandise or gifts, Five Below (opening soon) and TJ Maxx is the best place to shop. Five Below carries a lot of products that are perfect for Christmas and birthday gifts, especially for children. TJ Maxx carries more household products and a good selection of dog products.
Pet Products
Batesville has a Petsense that offers everything you need for your pets. There is also Tractor Supply if you need pet food or have chickens or horses. However, TJ Maxx is a great place to buy dog toys and miscellaneous dog and cat products that you cannot find elsewhere.
This list of places to spend your money in Batesville is certainly not comprehensive. Businesses are always coming and going and expanding. Before you head to Batesville to shop or dine, please check the business hours to make sure they will be open. Like most places in Arkansas, a lot of businesses are closed on Mondays and open late in the morning.
Where is your go-to place to spend money when you visit Batesville?