Eureka Springs is one of those places that brings you back in time. The town was build around the legendary healing powers of the cold springs in the area. Built into the Ozark mountains and around the springs, the downtown area is layered up the hill. To navigate the town, you climb stairs between levels or carefully drive Spring Street aka The Loop.

The buildings were all built around the same time period, so their Victorian style coupled with the stone walls & cobblestone sidewalks makes you feel like you’re in a different time. The entire downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is committed to preserving these historic buildings . Some the houses were build right into the hills or into the stone walls and look like they will fall over at any point.

While the springs are closed now, it was interesting to read about each of their stories on the plaques throughout town. While Basin Spring is in the middle of the town, be sure to walk around and see the other springs in the area. Also, the culture of Eureka Springs as a healing town has transferred over to its current focus on mental and physical well being. The area has several spas & spiritual healing places, and a lot of the stores cater to this same crowd. Outside of the spiritual healing stores, Eureka Springs boasts a thriving artist community, so I thoroughly enjoyed browsing the many local artist shops.

I stayed in one of the many Victorian houses converted into a B&B, which carried over the relaxing theme with a spa tub in the bedroom and a yummy homemade breakfast delivered to the room each morning.

I spent half of my day just walking around the town, looking at the architecture, browsing the stores, and reading about the history of the springs.

I also checked out the following places while I was in the area.

Thorncrown Chapel

Nestled into the woods, Thorncrown Chapel is a nice respite from it all. The architecture of  E. Fay Jones’s building brings in the natural light and colors from the space around it. Jones was part of the Prairie School of design and an apprentice of Frank Llyod Wright. The walls of windows and the crisscross design of the beams give the space depth. Depending on the time of day, the light plays along the beams and the stone floor.

Christ of the Ozarks Statue

While I wasn’t there during the Holy Land’s play season, this property is an interesting place to visit on its own. Standing 66 ft high, the Statue looms over the valley below. On the same property is a section of the Berlin Wall and 2 Israeli bomb shelters. A random assortment of artifacts, but all interesting to see in person & worth a quick detour from Eureka Springs downtown.

Railway Winery

I am always a fan of tasting local cuisine and libations. I especially like the scenic drives and local roads that take me to vineyards. Railway Winery is no exception. Making my way there, I came across Beaver Bridge (nicknamed “Little Gold Gate Bridge”) – a historic one lane suspension bridge – with a nice river view. Also, along the way to the Winery is Inspiration Point. This is just a viewpoint along the road, but it gives you a nice lookout to the valley and surrounding hills. These are the type of explorations that I love.

The Art Colony

Eureka Springs is known as an artists haven, and while the center of town boasts several nice galleries, on the edge of town is the more unrefined Art Colony. When they are open, you can walk around the site & find artists at work in their galleries. The space is full of sculptures and garden art pieces; so much so, that it’s hard to know where to look.

Eureka Springs Music Park

I wanted to visit the Railroad Graveyard during my visit, but sadly it wasn’t open while I was there. However, on my way back, I came upon the Eureka Springs Music Park. It’s a small park along the road that would be easy to miss, but it contains a few interactive sculptures made of repurposed materials. Each of them creates a different sound and can easily be played with just hands. One of them is a canopy of chimes – called Give Peace a Chance. As I walked through and set the chimes off, I felt transported to a different space. It was a small magical moment.

All of these spaces combined to give me the magical and spiritual experience that sets Eureka Springs apart from other places I visited.

Places mentioned in this post appear in yellow in the map below