Secluded and peaceful with winding mountainside streets, the city has a flair like no other. Chosen as one of America’s “Dozen Distinctive Destinations” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this Victorian village boasts the country’s only entire downtown on the National Register of Historic Places.
Nestled in the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas are painstakingly preserved Victorian homes that hug the sides of cliffs and hillsides. The city has block after block of one-of-a-kind shops, boutiques, fine art galleries, spas, and restaurants.
Eureka Springs is a small town and proud of it! Less than 2,500 folks live in this magical, friendly village, and yet there’s as little or as much to do as you like.
Visitors can enjoy nightly music shows, festivals, opera, and the country’s oldest folk festival. Other attractions include zip lines, a steam train, ghost tours, and illusionist shows. Additionally, outdoor adventure is endless. There is great fishing, smooth water for canoe/kayak float trips, take a guided cruise, rent a boat or jet ski, or even paddleboard! The 1600-acre Lake Leatherwood City Park is crisscrossed with hiking and biking trails, and the 85-acre spring-fed lake is perfect for a day of swimming or boating. Nearby caves and caverns are perfect for exploring on a hot summer day.
Eureka Springs can satisfy anyone’s appetite for everything from down-home southern food to romantic, candlelit dinners and award-winning restaurants.
There are numerous family-owned motels, historic hotels, and Victorian homes turned into bed & breakfast and nightly rentals. Unique treehouses, rustic cabins, and quaint cottages are tucked into the hillsides and woods.
Despite Eureka Springs’ small population, more than 300 residents are working artists, helping the town make the list of “Top 25 Arts Destination” by American Style Magazine for the past several years.
Eureka Springs first drew visitors in the late 1800s because of the healing powers believed to be present in over 60 natural springs there. The healing tradition spawned by the springs in the early days lives on today in the abundance of day spas, massage therapists, herbalists, and alternative healers.
Fact is, the more you see, taste, do, and experience, the more you realize that this wonderfully weird section of Arkansas can inspire reactions that are as perplexing as they are pleasing. But that’s what makes it great. After all, this is Eureka Springs. And this is a place that is curious, indeed.
