7 Offbeat Towns In The Ozarks To Visit In 2025
In a place that combines a number of regions and geographies into one, the Ozark Mountain range has something for every visitor. A hilly region west of the Mississippi River, and which includes parts of four different states, the Ozarks have been attracting trappers, settlers, and vacationers for generations. The range covers parts of Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and a small chunk of southeast Kansas, for about 75,000 square miles total. As the towns below suggest, the diverse, sometimes offbeat charms of the Ozarks are only the beginning of their appeal for first-time or repeat visitors. Let's visit seven offbeat towns in the Ozarks in 2025!
Rolla, Missouri
Rolla, Missouri combines a small-town feel with a much larger range of options for things to see and do. Rolla's history is connected to railroads, and that legacy lives on at the Frisco 1501 Engine site in town. The Ed Clark Museum of Missouri Geology displays the region's geological and other natural histories, especially with its ample collection of minerals, rocks, and fossils. For kid-friendly fun, Kokomo Joe's Family Fun Center, and the SplashZone Waterpark, hold out potential for waterslides, swimming, and a break from long hours in the car. History buffs will like Rolla's Phelps County Courthouse, with fascinating displays focused on the region's role the US Civil War.
Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri is famous as a wholesome live-entertainment destination. Settled in 1882, Branson also has seasonal attractions, including autumn leaf-peeping, and visits to its historic downtown. For nature lovers, the town's place between Table Rock Lake and Cooper Creek provides easy access to outdoor wonderlands.
Branson also attracts boating enthusiasts. The Showboat Branson Belle, an old-fashioned steamboat with a dinner-and-entertainment experience, provides evening sailing excursions on Table Rock Lake. Branson's Toys and Games complex — which some consider the world's largest toy museum — has made kids and parents happy for years.
Grove, Oklahoma
In northeast Oklahoma, part of the Cookson Hills subregion of the Ozark Plateau, the town of Grove has a legacy as American as the surrounding American West. Once a part of Cherokee Nation territory, Grove was incorporated as a town in 1902. The nearby Grand Lake has drawn leisure-seekers for decades. For a change of pace in town, the Lendonwood Gardens, a botanical garden spanning eight acres with over a thousand plant species, is popular for a break and a stroll among beautiful flora. Outside of town, the Honey Creek area of Grand Lake State Park offers another idea for a peaceful moment outdoors. And for those who just cannot get enough of public gardens, the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, 70 miles southeast of Grove in the state of Arkansas, warrants the drive.
Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas, is most famous as the headquarters of retail giant Wal-Mart. Yet the town, with a higher population (about 60,000) than the others on this list, has much more: an eclectic set of things to see and do, like the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, or the Scott Family Amazeum, considered among the top US museums for kids and families. Bentonville's surrounding lands played witness to the tragic episode of forced migration to nearby Oklahoma. Known as the Trail of Tears, populations of Native Americans were moved through the region against their will. Some of their ancestors remain today. Bentonville and other area towns commemorate that history through historical markers and other efforts.
For outdoor enthusiasts, Bentonville has a mountain-biking scene so popular it has inspired the moniker, "Mountain-Biking Capital of the World." Wal-Mart and other investment groups have built up Bentonville as a world-class place to ride, not least because of the Wal-Mart heir and fellow biking enthusiast Tom Walton.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Its history is in its name. Eureka Springs, Arkansas, sprang up as a spa town, thanks to its abundant natural springs. Settled as a town in 1879, the place ballooned in size, witnessing one of the Ozarks' early tourism booms. Eureka Springs' hotels, spas, and resorts earned the downtown a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
These days, Eureka Springs offers unique buildings to see, like the Municipal Auditorium, open since 1929, and the onetime home of Carrie Nation, a prominent anti-alcohol advocate. The historic Basin Park Hotel has run since 1905 and is still going strong today, as is the Palace Hotel & Bath House — the last standing example of the first generation of Eureka Springs bathhouses.
Greenwood, Arkansas
Calling itself "a small town with big ideas," Greenwood, Arkansas, located just south of the famed Ozark Plateau, makes for a quaint alternative to other Ozarks destinations. The town has a performing arts venue as well as the Vache Grasse ("Fat Cow") Golf Course, beloved among local and out-of-town golfers alike. Greenwood's historical society has rallied to preserve the historic schoolhouse — where the town's study of its past continues today. For visitors on long weekends and national holidays, Greenwood maintains a lively calendar of public events, like the Greenwood Freedom Fest every July 4th, or the town's fall festival, held just before winter, and featuring hayrides, face-painting, and other kid-friendly seasonal fun.
Mountain View, Arkansas
Mountain View, Arkansas, manages to be both a quiet town and a center of folk music. Its diverse festivals, including the Mountain View Bluegrass Music Festival, its Arts and Crafts Festival, and the annual Bean Fest, which honors Mountain View's local love of pinto beans. Tourists can listen for string instruments showing off the "picking" style found in the country and western styles of popular music. In addition, the Ozark Folk Center puts on museum-style displays to further highlight the area's musical heritage. For active types, the region's White River makes for ideal boating, fishing, swimming, and time outside.
Offbeat Ozarks Towns Will Make Visits to Remember
These seven offbeat towns in the Ozarks to visit in 2025 should reveal something special about the interesting places that are scattered throughout the region. Indeed, it seems that parts of four states are just big enough to hold all that the Ozarks can offer the visitor. Gardens and spas in Grove and Eureka Springs have already attracted tourists since the Ozarks' earliest days as a travel destination. Grove as well as Bentonville inform the tourist about important, sometimes tragic Native American histories that shaped the region into what it is today. And from geological wonders in Rolla, to the music in Branson and Mountain View, the Ozarks should please every kind of traveler in 2025, no matter what their tastes might be.
