6 Most Memorable Small Towns In The Ozarks
For a surprising look at several regions in one, consider the Ozark Mountains. A mountainous region west of the Mississippi River that covers parts of four states, the Ozarks and their points of interest deserve recognition nationwide and around the world. The Ozark plateau runs from the city of St. Louis to the Arkansas River, covering parts of Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and a tiny sliver of southeast Kansas. The whole region covers about 75,000 square miles. The Ozark Mountains include four sub-zones: the Boston, Salem, and Springfield Plateaus and the Saint Francois Mountains. The six small towns below offer a view of the Ozark region as a whole and the many attractions its visitors say they will never forget.
Rolla, Missouri
Rolla, Missouri, population 20,300, blends a small-town attitude with a wide range of activities — for kids especially. The town's history with trains and railroads sits on full display at the Frisco 1501 Engine site downtown. The Ed Clark Museum of Missouri Geology showcases the area's geological history, not least with its rocks, minerals, and fossils. Kokomo Joe's Family Fun Center, as well as the SplashZone Waterpark, offers swimming, waterslides, and a break from the summer heat for visiting families. For older kids and history students of all ages, the Phelps County Courthouse offers dramatic facts about the US Civil War.
Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri, with 12,900 inhabitants, has earned an international reputation as a center of family-friendly entertainment for a half-century and counting. The town, founded in 1882, also offers attractions based on the seasons, from autumn leaf-peeping to visits to its historic downtown district. The town's position between Cooper Creek and Table Rock Lake gives access to a natural wonderland that merits a trip all by itself.
Boating activities in Branson should appeal to travelers of various kinds, especially for the chance to ride the Showboat Branson Belle, an old-fashioned steamboat with a dinner-and-entertainment experience while sailing the waters of Table Rock Lake. As another attraction for children, Branson's Toys and Games complex called the World's Largest Toy Museum, has thrilled kids since the day it opened.
Claremore, Oklahoma
Claremore, Oklahoma, with 20,200 inhabitants, sits in the state's northeast and promises a variety of attractions. Once a territory of the Osage and Cherokee Native American tribes, the town's historic district, which mostly developed after incorporation in 1883, is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Claremore's downtown has the Belvidere Mansion, from 1907, which likewise features on the national places list. (Oklahoma became a state the same year.)
Claremore is also, and famously, the hometown of Will Rogers, the iconic mid-20th-century country and music performer. Tourists can learn more about his life and cowboy-style legacy at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum. (Fun fact: Rogers was born a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.) Beyond Rogers, Claremore's entertainment history runs even deeper: it inspired the legendary Broadway musical Oklahoma!, which is set in Claremore and based on a 1931 play by Lynn Riggs, a Claremore native.
Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas, population 37,000, is a larger Ozarks town most people from near the Ozarks think they know. The famous retail giant Wal-Mart calls Bentonville home. The town offers diverse, often artistic places to visit, especially the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Scott Family Amazeum, one of the best children's museums in the United States.
Bentonville's surrounding area witnessed the pattern of forced migration to Oklahoma, often called by its shorthand, the Trail of Tears — a tragic part of local and Native American history. For outdoor enthusiasts, Bentonville has almost two dozen parks to choose from. It also has a mountain-biking scene strong enough to earn the title "Mountain-Biking Capital of the World," with investment and support from Wal-Mart heir and fellow biking fanatic Tom Walton.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs, Arkansas, with a modest 2,200 residents, owes its existence and history as a spa town to the abundant natural springs in its vicinity. Founded in 1879, Eureka Springs grew to 10,000 residents after just two years. Its historic spas, hotels, and resorts were enough to put the historic downtown of Eureka Springs on the NRHP in 1970. (The entire downtown features on the list.)
Today, the town has architectural standouts like the Municipal Auditorium, which opened in 1929, as well as the former home of Carrie Nation, a prominent activist against slavery. Other visit options include the Basin Park Hotel, which opened in 1905 and is still operating today, and the Palace Hotel & Bath House — the only remaining example of the original Eureka Springs bathhouses. For a look at the surrounding area, Lake Leatherwood City Park provides fishing, boating, and plenty of fresh air.
Mountain View, Arkansas
Billed as the "Folk Music Capital of the World," the north-central Arkansas town of Mountain View, with 2,900 residents, is clearly proud of its cultural contributions to the region. Every year, Mountain View hosts the Arkansas Folk Festival as well as the Mountain View Bluegrass Festival, named after the traditional American folk music style that is heavy on stringed instruments and uptempo songs. The festivals are major occasions here: they routinely attract a total attendance of 40,000-60,000 folk music fans.
Nature lovers visiting the town should seek out Blanchard Springs Caverns. It is the only cave open to tourists that is owned and maintained by the US Forest Service. Fishermen can cast for trout in the White River, while hikers should head for the Ozark National Forest.
Fun For Friends, Families, And Travelers Of Every Type
The Ozarks have more to offer than the casual traveler might think. Yet for those who know, and especially for those who make the Ozarks home, the region offers a long menu of memorable things to see and do. Rolla and Branson deliver kid-focused fun, which will have youngsters thanking their parents for years afterward. Bentonville and Eureka Springs promise nature-based fun, with activities to choose from as diverse as mountain biking and spa treatments. Mountain View holds its own as the so-called folk music world capital — at least, of some distinctly American kinds. Travelers of diverse tastes can all find memories to be made in the fascinating Ozarks region.
