Things to do in Eureka Springs
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Eureka Springs
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring brings dogwoods, full springs and the arts season, among the best months to visit.
Late September and October bring fall colour, cool evenings and the biggest event calendar.
Coldest and quietest months, with some businesses closed or on reduced days and the play dark.
Peak heat, humidity and crowds, when the lake and springs make midday pleasant.
What's on
- Eureka Gras February
Mardi Gras parades, balls and street party from the Krewe of Krazo, a major town weekend.
- Ozark Mountain UFO Conference Second weekend of April each year
A decades running conference on the second weekend of April at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks.
- Spring Diversity Weekend April, with a fall edition
LGBTQ weekend with parades and downtown events in a famously welcoming small town.
- May Festival of the Arts May
A month of gallery events capped by the ARTrageous Parade of art cars and costumes.
- Volkswagen Weekend August
Hundreds of VWs with a show and parade, the biggest of the town car show weekends.
- Bikes, Blues & BBQ spillover early October
The rally is based in Rogers, but riders fill Eureka Springs via the Pig Trail corridor.
- Hillberry: The Harvest Moon Festival Early to mid October
Five days of bluegrass, Americana and jam bands with camping at The Farm outside town.
- Eureka Springs Oktoberfest A Saturday in mid October
Downtown beer, brats and a tasting mug on the Basin area streets.
- Zombie Crawl Usually a Saturday in late October
A downtown zombie parade at 6pm after a day of macabre market, dancing and haunted season events.
- Ozark Folk Festival November
A long running folk festival held with the Veterans Day parade.
Best things to do in Eureka Springs
Thorncrown Chapel
A glass and timber chapel in the Ozark woods where the forest is the decoration and a visit takes half an hour.
Crescent Hotel Ghost Tours
The nightly ghost tour of the 1886 Crescent Hotel, ending with its morgue story and a remarkable old building.
Basin Spring Park
The small park where the town began and the natural pick for a walk up Spring Street and down Main Street.
Christ of the Ozarks
A 67 foot statue above the town with one of the best free panoramic views over the Victorian rooftops.
The Great Passion Play
A huge outdoor drama in a hillside amphitheatre with over 150 actors, live animals and an Ozark night sky.
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge
An accredited sanctuary for rescued big cats where each animal has a rescue story and guided tours tell it.
Blue Spring Heritage Center
A deep blue spring lagoon, native gardens and bluff shelter history in a gentle 33 acre heritage site.
Intrigue Theater
Close up magic and illusion inside a 120 year old stone church, performed inches from your seat.
Where to stay in Eureka Springs
Historic Downtown
first visit and walking to dinner
In the Victorian streetscape on the trolley loop, with lively streets and scarce parking.
Crescent Mountain and the Upper Historic Loop
couples and quiet
Leafy grand houses and B and Bs around the Crescent Hotel, still on the trolley route.
Van Buren corridor and the west side
families, groups and value
Flatter, easier parking and pools, five minutes or one trolley ride from downtown.
Beaver Lake and Holiday Island
water, golf and space
Lakeside cabins and houses for trips built around the water rather than downtown evenings.
Think twice about
- US-62 and Van Buren motel strip as a first visit base
Not unsafe, but a car oriented highway strip that could be anywhere. Base there for price and parking, not atmosphere.
- Beaver Lake and Holiday Island as a base for a downtown trip
A 15 to 20 minute winding dark drive from every dinner and ghost tour, with no late trolley home.
- Steep upper loop lodging for limited mobility
Several B and Bs and cottages sit up staircases and sharp grades. Ask how many steps from parking to room before booking.
Best restaurants in Eureka Springs
Le Stick Nouveau
A small multi course fine dining room with tableside flourishes, the town formal splurge dinner.
Grotto Wood-Fired Grill and Wine Cave
Wood fired steaks served inside a downtown cave with a wine cave bar and spring water running through.
Ermilio's Italian Home Cooking
Generous Italian home cooking in a Victorian house, with a games lounge that makes the wait fun.
Local Flavor Cafe
A chef owned cafe with a dog friendly patio that works for brunch, lunch and a proper dinner.
Skybar Gourmet Pizza
Gourmet pizza on the Crescent Hotel top floor with 360 degree views, best at sunset before the ghost tour.
Crystal Dining Room
The Crescent grand hotel dining room, most civilised at breakfast and best for its setting.
Mud Street Cafe
The underground breakfast institution since 1995, known for its own coffee blend, pancakes and desserts.
Bombadils
A farm to table food truck cooking a ribeye grilled cheese and thoughtful vegan options in the woods.
Outdoor things to do in Eureka Springs
Lake Leatherwood City Park
A spring fed lake with over 25 miles of trails, paddling and biking minutes from downtown.
Black Bass Lake City Park
A small, quiet lake and easy trail close to downtown that most visitors never find.
Beaver Lake
A huge clear reservoir with swim beaches, bluffs and coves for kayaks on hot Ozark days.
Starkey Marina
Rent a pontoon here and spend the day swimming in Beaver Lake coves under the bluffs.
White River
Stocked trout water below Beaver Dam, fishable from the bank or by drift boat with a guide.
Kings River
A clear, gentle Ozark float stream for canoes and kayaks, quieter than the famous Buffalo.
Buffalo National River
The first national river in the United States, an hour away, with bluffs, trails and Boxley Valley elk.
Ozark Mountain Ziplines
A ten line canopy tour through Ozark hardwoods with guides praised for helping nervous first timers.
Best hotels in Eureka Springs
1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa
The mountaintop grand hotel with a spa, dining, views and the ghost tour, and atmosphere no rival matches.
Eureka Springs Treehouses
Themed treehouses, hobbit caves and castle rooms in the woods, built for anniversaries and romance.
Beaver Lakefront Cabins
Lake cabins with decks, space and water access at the top of the local cabin market.
1905 Basin Park Hotel
The downtown grand hotel in Basin Spring Park, walkable to everything with a spa and shuttle.
Cliff Cottage Inn
A historic cottage inn near Spring Street with suites, porches and delivered breakfasts.
Best Western Inn of the Ozarks
A resort style motel with a big pool, mini golf and real parking, built for families and groups.
Tall Pines Inn
Historic log cabins under the pines, five minutes from downtown, at corridor prices.
Lookout Lodge
A clean, well reviewed budget lodge on the west side that leaves money for dinner and tours.
Is Eureka Springs expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $85 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $155 a person |
| Splurge | $300 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Crescent Hotel Ghost Tours: weeks ahead
- The Great Passion Play: weeks ahead
- Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge: a few days ahead
- Intrigue Theater: weeks ahead
- Starkey Marina: weeks ahead
- Ozark Mountain Ziplines: a few days ahead
- 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa: weeks ahead
- Eureka Springs Treehouses: weeks ahead
- Book Crescent ghost tours days ahead in fall and weeks ahead for Halloween week.
- Reserve Le Stick Nouveau and Grotto before anything else for an anniversary trip.
- Check the seasonal Passion Play calendar and Thorncrown wedding closures before building a day around them.
- Book lodging first for Zombie Crawl, Eureka Gras and bike or car event weekends.
Is Eureka Springs safe?
- The honest risks are steep wet stone, unlit rural roads and alcohol plus hills, not crime.
- The historic district is challenging for wheelchair users, with steep grades, stairs and uneven sidewalks.
- Highways to the lake and cabins are winding, dark and deer crossed after nightfall.
- Check Beaver Lake weather and White River dam generation before launching or wading.
Eureka Springs travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not expect Branson. Almost nothing here is open late and there is no show strip.
- The heritage railway is pleasant nostalgia, not a scenic spectacular.
- Blue Spring is a one to two hour garden visit and its spring is reached by stairs.
- Lower Main Street souvenir stock can carry resort mark ups while Spring Street galleries are the real shopping.
Getting around Eureka Springs: public transport and more
- Park once on arrival and switch to feet and the trolley, whose loops stop near most lodgings.
- An all day adult trolley pass has been listed at 6 dollars, with 5 dollar park and ride lots.
- Trolleys stop in the early evening, so dinner returns are on foot or by local taxi.
- Downtown is close together but stacked vertically, so wear comfortable grippy shoes.
Who Eureka Springs suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Eureka Springs your trip
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