Eureka Springs Trip
 

Searched for a thread and didn't see one although I'd guess this has been asked before. Wife and I are headed to Eureka Springs for a short weekend trip in a couple weeks. Never been but always heard good things about the town.

For those of you with knowledge/experience, what are the must do's while there? We're staying at the Crescent Hotel, which is apparently haunted and I think we're doing some sort of ghost tour. Other than that, pretty sure our itinerary is open. I've always heard there is good hiking trails in the area but haven't done much research yet. Have one recommendation to eat at Ermilio's for italian food as well so far. What am I missing?

Find a bar and drink.

Just remember that ghosts aren't real, and there's no such thing as "haunted". Enjoy!

Get naked

Been a couple times 10-15+ years back with the wife and she really enjoyed walking on the main drag to all the unique shops. I bought her an anniversary ring at one of them. We also stayed at the Crescent and loved it!

If your a religious guy or just like live plays, You could get tickets to The Passion play.

Wanna say I remember something about a big glass church in the woods? We didn't go check it out but probably wouldn't take long.

Ermilio's is really good, but the wait can be long.

Downtown is unique. I don't know how they built so many buildings into the mountain side.

The town is very "artsy". Depending on the weekend you are there, a LGTB parade may be going on. Eureka Springs is very progressive.

Follow Stumpy's advice-Find a bar with outside seating, and drink and watch people.

ghost tour is kinda fun. I stayed at the Enchanted Treehouses; little pricey but would definitely recommend.

Thank God there ain't any Q's

Neither of us struggle to find enjoyment in drinking. And we're going to be sans kids for 3 straight days. Advice considered but not really needed on that front :)

Looking more for a few activities to do before or even along with said drinking.

Ya Eureka has strong church vibes but they dont call it "the hole in the bible belt" for nothin'.

Thorncrown chapel is the big glass church Balto mentioned.

Lake Leatherwood is beautiful and has a good loop trail. Hobbs State park is close by and has a lot of well managed hiking trails. Karst loop is a beaut. Ticks and chiggers are starting to come out so bring your bug spray.

The passion play property has world class downhill mountain bike trails if you feel like breaking your collar bone :thumb:. The trails at hobbs are much more tame.

The rest of NWA is just a short drive away. Bentonville has crystal bridges and the best restaurants. Bentonville tends to get pretty crowded so I stay away.

The people watching is next level. The Rowdy Beaver on the main drag is a good spot for that.


Here is some info on trails near there, there are plenty of them.

https://www.visiteurekasprings.com/c.../parks-trails/

Also don't forget to - " Watch your cornhole bud".

I didn't realize we were traveling to such a "gay" city. Can't wait!

I live about 30 minutes away from Eureka in SWMO. A few things have already been mentioned. Every weekend has a theme, I believe you can go to their Chamber of Commerce page and it will tell you what is going on the weekend you are planning on staying.

Emilio's and Amigo's are pretty good places to eat. If you want something a little nicer go to Gaskin's Cabin or Rogue's Manor. Spring Street Café is good for Brunch.

Lake Leatherwood as mentioned, or you have the Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway, where you can take a train ride. It's a biker destination, so people watching is always good.

Some other options that are near by. Roaring River State Park (In Missouri). Lots of trails and trout fishing. Branson, MO is about an hour away.

Of course, you have to go check out the various Springs in the area.

Ermilio's is great, they make a helluva martini. The town itself is probably unlike any other place in Arkansas, in that it's pride banners and gay stuff everywhere. That said, it's a blast though. Wife and I went a couple years back and stayed in a tree house cabin in the woods outside the town.

Check out the "all faiths" glass Church, pretty cool. Oh and if you want a seriously freaky visit, check out the Christ of the Ozarks statue and museum...it's very culty to be sure, but it's an oddity worth seeing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_of_the_Ozarks

We enjoyed our time in Eureka Springs, though I don't know that we will hurry back. Someday I'm sure we'll go again. It's beautiful for sure.

Eats:
The Rockin' Pig
Mud Street Cafe
Local Flavor
New Delhi Cafe

Trails:
Lake Leatherwood (not flat, kinda difficult)
Passion Play trails (out by the big Jesus statue, mostly difficult - lots of elevation changes)
Black Bass lake (flat and easy)

edit: Drive around and do the springs tour. They do a great job of landscaping some of the ones closer to downtown.

Shopping, eating and the drive there, if you are on a motorcycle, is awesome.

These are all the tips I was looking for...appreciate the input!

And I guess I need to research a little about the history of this place. Pretty unique to be super LGBT friendly, but also a biker town with some crazy religious culty vibes mixed in. Sound like the perfect town to get drunk in and see what happens.

Mud Street Cafe for breakfast for sure

The Crescent Hotel itself has a crazy history. Some quack opened a cancer treatment hospital there in the 1930's and bilked people out of $. Story goes that when the patients would die they would remove the body in the middle of the night and have it cremated but he never told the families and kept collecting monthly payments for their "treatment". That supposed to be why its haunted.

Ironically he died of cancer after getting out of prison.

You are officially the first person in 61 years of my life to plan a vacation in Eureka Springs, mention Eureka Springs or be brave enough to discuss Eureka Springs.

Hope where ever that is, what ever they have for excitement and what ever it costs all make you happy and a successful vacation!

Eureka sucks. Wouldn't even trust that CP member.


I hear riding ATV's can be fun.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...vqPNOFPcpptQ&s

Not really what I would consider a vacation but a quick weekend trip without kids. We're going to a concert on Monday in Little Rock so we're going a few days early to do two days in Eureka Springs as we've always heard good things. I suppose its not a brothel so you're like not familiar ;)

The Crescent is a shithole in a bad location. Just do the ghost tour.

I like the New Orleans best. Chelsea’s is a cool bar and Local Flavor is a solid restaurant.

Isn't Eureka Springs in ArrrKansas?

I was thinking it's a scaled-down version of the Ozark's best tourist trap: Branson.

Sounds bates motel ish

Ehhh. The Crescent is far from a shit hole. The main disadvantage staying there is that it's not walkable to the rest of the town. That being said, they usually run shuttles. The location has its own charm, though... beautiful grounds on the top of the mountain with a view across to the Christ of the Ozarks. It also IS walkable to Ermilio's, which is one of their destination restaurants.

Most of the stuff has been covered by others in the thread by now. Thorncrown is definitely worth checking out (my wife and I got married there). Chelsea's for late-night booze and bands. If you're into beer, Gotahold brewery is exceptionally good.

For me, Eureka Springs is three things:

1. Hiking
2. Shopping
3. Eating (if you feel like spending $$$$, I definitely recommend Le Stick Nouveau)

It's very hilly, so most things are a hike. Downtown, there are tons of unique shops. Great artists in that area. There are some quaint eateries. I forget the name of it, but there was a great little coffeehouse with breakfast with a blue awning.

No. I hate Branson. I love Eureka Springs. Eureka Springs is unique. Branson is a hellhole tourist trap.

The Crescent is ****ing awesome...love that place, really enjoyed my stay there.

Eureka Springs is a bizarre place but in a cool way, just has a unique vibe.

The Grotto is nice for a good dinner with wine/cocktails. You'll probably need a reservation though. The Rouge, which was mentioned earlier is also a great spot for upscale food and drinks. Chelsea's usually has something going on when it comes to nightlife.

If you drive down on a motorcycle, or can rent one, you'll be glad you did. There are a lot of scenic rides down there, including the famous Pig Trail. Stop in the Cat House Lounge and ask a local and they will hook you up.

I liked the Crescent and thought the ghost tour was fun.

If you like art, there are a lot of little shops to enjoy.

My wife and I have been a couple times and will probably head back there again as soon as the nest empties.

Wife and I go down there every couple years for a quick getaway weekend. It’s beautiful and I really enjoyed hiking at Leatherwood Lake. The Grotto is a cool restaurant if you want red meat and wine and ambiance. There’s a trolley tour for Victorian homes I will be doing next time we go down.

Eureka Springs rules. Wife and I get there sans kids just to chill. But we kinda like to just loaf around and do whatever we feel so not sure we’re the folks to rely on for entertainment but you will have a nice relaxing time and that’s money for us.

If you are into Civil War history, Pea Ridge National Military Park is about 25 miles away. And Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is about 10 miles away. It's more of a big cat rescue organization, but it's pretty cool. If you are into that sort of thing.

https://www.nps.gov/peri/index.htm

https://www.turpentinecreek.org/

Turpentine Creek was cool if you want to see big cats and bears. And it’s a good cause from what I could gather

You can even stay the night there in a tree house. It's right next to the cats and you wake up to them roaring. Pretty cool.

And so does she.... Amirite!?!

There’s a nice winery north of town.

Bonus because you cross over a couple of old ass 1 lane wooden bridges to get there.

When I visited there, it seemed like a very religious town... and now to read it's very progressive with an LGBTQ takeover? crazy.

Anyway, stayed at a Bed and Breakfast right on the main strip downtown, it was cool.

Last visit was when Jesus was a boy??

It’s a bit of both. The Greaf Passion Play brings a lot of religious tourism, and certain elements of the town cater to that. But there was a huge Folk Festival in like 1973 where a ton of hippies became “back of the landers” and stuck around the area, fleeing San Fran and the other big cities. Since then, the town has kind of had a duality which is another thing that gives it its unique character.

Here’s a cool article on the folk festival and conflict between the groups:
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/e...olk-fair-7958/

Here’s a pretty good article on the back to the land movement in the ozarks in general, a topic convered in depth in a book called HipBillies.
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/e...movement-6237/

Cool place to hang out for a weekend getaway. Wife and I went there last weekend and tried Sauced BBQ for the first time. Brisket and burnt ends were both great. Would add them to the list of good places to eat.

Went there on my honeymoon. Stayed at the Cresent. Downtown shops were kind of cool. Bought some art that I still have on my wall. Best part was riding the dinner train. Great little trip.