Our Weekend Trip to Eureka Springs, AR

One of the lessons I’ve learned as a military spouse is how important it is to get away every once in a while, whether that be with your active duty counterpart (they definitely need breaks) or with a group of fellow military spouses. Take a road trip, find cheap flights, or even hop on a Space A flight if your schedule is flexible.

Why is travel so important? Well, let’s get real for a second — the majority of military spouses on any given base are not exactly in their element. We might be working jobs that aren’t quite for us; we might be in a town that doesn’t have our favorite food or hobby or store (looking at you, Target); we might just be a little lonely. Planning trips is a great way to keep your mind occupied and gives you something to look forward to. Not to mention it’s an opportunity to explore places you wouldn’t have thought of from your original hometown.

That’s why this Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I visited a hidden gem in the Ozarks called Eureka Springs. It was a last-minute decision to get out of town, and this was within driving distance, so why not?!

For those who are unfamiliar with this region of the country (like I was until very recently), Eureka Springs is a historic little town nestled in the Ozark Mountains. It’s known for its breathtaking natural beauty, surprisingly diverse community of talented artists, and *pause for dramatic effect* ghosts.

YES – GHOSTS! More on that later.

First, though, let’s talk about nature. Having been in flat, gold-ish brown Oklahoma for 8 months now, I was completely swept away by the lush green treetops surrounding Eureka Springs. Everywhere you turned, fragrant flowers drifted down from above. True to its name, the town is also full of natural springs. You’ll see them in dedicated parks, tucked between buildings, and even inside this restaurant.

Legend has it, the water from these natural springs has special healing powers. It was lore like this that actually brought a lot of the original settlers here and turned the area into a booming tourist destination. They aren’t bottling and selling the stuff anymore, but the town is still a great place to recharge the body and soul.

Where to Stay

And now, back to the ghosts… among other things, Eureka Springs is home to the Crescent Hotel, a grand 19th-century resort that sits on a hill above the town. It’s a popular site for glamorous weddings and has hosted many famous guests. It boasts a sparkling outdoor pool, luxurious on-site spa, and a skybar serving up stiff drinks with a spectacular view.

It also used to be Norman Baker’s “experimental” cancer hospital in the 1930’s and is now one of America’s Most Haunted Hotels. This fun fact was honestly the biggest draw for me when I initially researched the town. Sadly, the rates were over $300/night and we opted to stay at the more affordable, less luxurious, and slightly less haunted sister property downtown: The Basin Park Hotel.

The Basin Park Hotel is situated right in the middle of downtown, so the location was the best you can get as far as tourism goes. We reserved a hot tub room and, while it felt very cheesy and outdated, I have to admit it was really fun having a jacuzzi in the privacy of our own room. You just don’t see that anymore!

Other perks and amenities at the hotel included :

• Spa1905 where we got an amazing couples’ massage for just under $200 – for both of us!
• Balcony Restaurant and Bar with wrap-around porch seating and live music.
  • Pro tip – the bar will allow you to take your food AND drinks to your room! This makes up for the fact that there isn’t room service available.
• Complimentary breakfast buffet (standard, underwhelming hotel buffet but hey, it’s free food)
• Ghost tour where you can try your hand at paranormal investigations (we opted for the ghost tour at the Crescent Hotel instead)
• Free shuttle service that will take you anywhere in downtown Eureka Springs throughout your stay

Oh, and it’s dog friendly!

I will say that the hotels in this town are indeed historic, so the amenities and fixtures aren’t the most up-to-date. If you have more modern taste, there are amazing renovated vacation rentals on Airbnb & VRBO and even well-appointed treehouses that are worth a look. The trade-off is being further from all the downtown action, but if you don’t mind driving and parking in a downtown setting, it’s no biggie.

What to Do

Downtown Eureka Springs is brimming with great shops, restaurants, bars and entertainment. And don’t forget the beautiful natural springs around every corner! I could spend a whole week exploring the downtown area alone.

Here are some of the best things to do in downtown Eureka Springs:

• Eureka Springs & Northern Arkansas Railway: this is a depot of historic trains with one old-fashioned train that still runs. You’ll feel like you’re traveling back in time as you board the train and move (very slowly) along the creeks and springs. I highly recommend the dinner train for a fancy white table cloth meal, but lunch and non-meal rides are also available at a lower price.

• Basin Spring Park: this is a magical little park right next to the Basin Park Hotel where you can climb the stairs into the hillside. On the last Saturday of every month around 7pm, there’s a massive gathering of musicians for an impromptu drum circle. Y’all… this was the coolest! There are also several other spring parks you can visit around the town; just Google Maps it 🙂

• Crescent Hotel Ghost Tour: we passed on the Basin Park Hotel ghost tour because we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to sleep in the hotel afterward… but we came for the Crescent Hotel anyway! As mentioned above, it’s known as America’s Most Haunted Hotel, so there was no way I wasn’t going on that tour. They offer the tour in the daytime and at night, so if you’re only wanting to be halfway creeped out, opt for the daytime tour.

• Tee-Rex Toys & Gallery: this random little shop is the stuff of nerd dreams. Retro figurines, superhero artwork, and of course hilarious t-shirts are just some of the offerings here.

• Judge Roy Bean’s Old Time Photos: I am so bummed we didn’t get a chance to take old-timey photos here, but it’s definitely on our list for next time! You can dress up in a wide range of wild wild west costumes and take sepia-toned portraits that you’ll cherish forever (maybe). BONUS – you can even have a legal marriage performed here!

• Eureka Springs Tram Tours: we didn’t actually do this either, but I figured I would include it for anyone who is interested. Catch this trolley and hear all about the history and landmarks of downtown.

Just a short drive in any direction from downtown, you can enjoy activities in the great outdoors. There’s hiking, kayaking, fishing, ziplining, spelunking… the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to hit the outdoorsy stuff that was on our list, but that just means we’ll have to come back!

Here are the fun outdoor activities that I had hoped to get to:

• Lake Leatherwood City Park: this large park is about 20 minutes driving from downtown and offers lake activities and hiking trails.
• Ozark Mountain Ziplines: this zipline adventure features 10 cables and a swinging bridge.
• Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge: this refuge is home to tigers and other large cats that needed a special place to live. Come for just the hour-long tour, or rent a cabin (think glamping) and wake up to a view of tigers every morning.
• Cosmic Cavern: this is one of several caves in the area that offer tours, but it seems to be the largest and most intriguing. For the really adventurous travelers, they offer a “wild” tour that involves a lot of mud slinging.

These are just some of the attractions that caught my eye – there’s so much more to see and do in Eureka Springs than I could possibly put in a blog post. Check out the city’s official page for a full, searchable list of things to do and see!

What to Eat & Drink

Between all those fun activities, a girl’s gotta eat! I’m a huge foodie and almost exclusively plan my trips around where and when I want to eat.

Here are my honest quick-takes of the restaurants and food stands we tried:

• Grotto Wood Fired Grill & Wine Cave: dare I say this is the best food in town, but on the pricey side. This is where you can sit by a natural spring as you enjoy your dinner, but you won’t be dining alfresco – the restaurant was actually built around it! There is also a second-floor loft where you can enjoy drinks and live music in the evenings. We ordered bone marrow, filet mignon, bacon wrapped quail and grilled shrimp, served up with extra dirty martinis.
• Aquarius Taqueria: I would say this is average Mexican food, but I’m coming from an LA palette. On a national scale, it’s probably very good! Lots of margarita flavors and a dog-friendly outdoor patio (also with its own natural spring) add to the pros of this restaurant.
• Local Flavor Cafe: another dog-friendly restaurant, this is a favorite spot for brunch on Sundays, which is what we got to experience before leaving town. The menu is simple but well-done, with much of the ingredients sourced locally!
• Funnel Cake Factory: this is a little stand right next to the old time photos spot. It serves up carnival-type fare like fancy-flavored funnel cakes, corn dogs and deep fried oreos.
• Creekside Cafe: this coffee stand doesn’t have any reviews on Yelp yet, but trust me when I say it’s worth a stop. The coffee itself is about as good if not a hair better than Starbucks, but you’ll want to walk to the back and spend some time in their gazebo. It’s got comfy vintage chairs overlooking a beautiful creek. It’s the best way to start your morning!
• Skybar at Crescent Hotel: we can’t speak to the food here (but the pizza did smell AMAZING), we just know that they serve decent drinks with a stunning view of the lush valleys below. You can also see the Christ of the Ozarks off in the distance from here.
• ESNA Railway Dinner Train: I mentioned this above as a “thing to do” but I’d be remiss if I didn’t include it among the great places to have a meal. The dinner train ran us about $100 for two people, and that got us a multi-course prime rib dinner and an amazing old-timey experience.

On our way out of town, we made a stop at the Pea Ridge National Military Park. Separate post on that coming soon!