I am just absolutely IN LOVE with the little town of Eureka Springs in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas! The entire Downtown is on the National List of Historic Places, has fun ghost tours and even catacombs! You’re also close to Beaver Lake and the White River, incredible trout fishing, some of the most amazing mountain bike trails in that part of the country, and hiking! Near the Missouri border, it’s also a short drive to Branson! Check out these amazing things to do in Eureka Springs, and start planning your Ozark vacation!
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Historical Downtown Eureka Springs This picture-perfect downtown is an incredible romantic getaway, or girl’s trip! My daughter and I had so much fun checking out the shops, while the guys enjoyed a little exploring the Silly Chili Hot Sauce Shop! Everyone on our Christmas list, down to my son’s crossing guard, got hot sauce for Christmas! The entire Downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places!
Scenic Drives Exploring the ribbons of road that lay along the Ozark hills is worth the visit to Eureka Springs! Enjoy the curves in the roads from Eureka Springs to Branson, and don’t forget to check your map for the twisty backroads! In the Fall, there are also some amazing drives to enjoy the Fall foliage, too!
War Eagle Cavern, Rogers A fun cavern located on the shores of Beaver Lake. Once a known hide-out for Frank and Jesse James, it offers a nice tour of the limestone karst caverns that dot Northwest Arkansas and the Ozarks.
Basin Park Nativity The Springs at Basin Park are what created the town and bath houses of Eureka Springs, and it’s located right Downtown, so it’s a neat place to walk around and explore. At Christmas they have a big tree and a nativity! Click HERE for more Christmas experiences in Eureka Springs.
Eureka Springs Trolley A fun way to explore Downtown, click HERE to read more about the trolley schedule and pricing. Only service dogs are permitted on the trolley.
Eureka Springs Tram Tour Lasting 80 minutes, it’s a fun way to explore Eureka Springs in an open-air tram! The tour stops at Grotto Springs and the 1886 Crescent Hotel.
Beaver Lake This fun lake offers great water sports, as well as hiking trails! The tailwaters are a favorite for fly-fishing!
Blue Springs Heritage Center This beautiful garden and waterfall are incredible! Take a walking tour of the site, which is handicap accessible. Pets are not allowed on the trails.
Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway Take a fun hour excursion ride or enjoy a lunch or dinner on board as you ride through the Ozarks!
Onyx Cave Park Located right Downtown, this amazing cave offers tours and gem mining for kids!
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge A 459-acre wildlife refuge for abused, abandoned, and neglected big cats. The Eureka Springs, Arkansas, refuge houses 100 animals, each with unique stories on how they came to live here. The Refuge also offers cabins, RV spaces and even tent camping onsite.
Christ of the Ozarks Much more than just a huge, 7-story statue, you can attend the Passion Play during the Summer months, visit the petting zoo, hike or bike the trails, and explore the museum! From Thanksgiving through Christmas, there is an incredible light display!
Pivot Rock and Natural Bridge An easy walk to the unique rock formations, plus a gift shop.
Eureka Springs Ghost Tours There are a couple of different ghost tours in Eureka Springs, including the Crescent Hotel Ghost Tours and the Haunted Eureka Springs Catacombs Ghost Tour!
Ozark Mountains Zipline Soar through the mountains on a fun zip line!
Lake Leatherwood City Park offers hiking and biking trails, as well as a boat ramp and kayaks and canoes for rent.
Eat
Bavarian Inn Restaurant, 325 W. Van Buren Delicious authentic German-Czech food. The ghoulash, smoked pork chop, roasted duck and schnitzel were all favorites!
Local Flavor Cafe Located right in Downtown Eureka Springs, we loved this little restaurant! The food and the staff were incredible!
Red’s Pizzaria This funky pizza restaurant on the side of hill with a multi-colored bus has great pizza and reminded me a lot of Grateful Head Pizza in Broken Bow, OK. We really enjoyed sitting outside as close to the bus as we could get, and watching the squirrels, chubby little chipmunks and even deer in the forest below!
Mud Street Cafe The breakfast at Mud Street Cafe is amazing!
Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse One of the things I love about Eureka Springs is that the restaurants aren’t very touristy, and that’s certainly true for this nicer steakhouse! The amazing staff makes you feel very welcomed and our steak was amazing!
Rockin’ Pig Saloon It was great to find a place where everyone could get something they liked! My kids loved the pizza, my husband and son the BBQ and I had a great burger!
Stay
Crescent Hotel and Spa Dubbed as one of the most Haunted Hotel in America, this beautiful and historic hotel sits at the top of Eureka Springs! Don’t miss one of their Ghost Tours! During the holidays, the entire hotel is decorated! When the temperatures get cold enough, they even have outdoor ice skating!
Basin Park Hotel The Crescent’s sister hotel, the Basin Park Hotel, sits in the heart of Eureka Springs!
Grand Central Hotel and Spa is also located right in the center of Downtown in a historic building!
Best Western Inn of the Ozarks If you’re looking for an economy hotel in Eureka Springs with a good location and plenty to do for the kids, this is it!
Livingston Junction Cabooses Longtime readers will know that I love unique places to stay, especially train cars and cabooses!
Treehouses Eureka Springs also has a fun assortment of treehouses! They also have a Hobbit Hole in a cave! You won’t believe how cool this is!
Flatiron Flats Lastly, I love Flatiron buildings, and the Eureka Springs Flatiron can be rented! We haven’t stayed here, but it’s on my bucket list!
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
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