The Best Small Towns In The Ozarks To Chill Out
A relaxing trip through the Ozark Mountains writes itself. The small towns here are the kind of places where the day slows to the pace of the water, with cold springs for swimming, quiet coves for paddling, and shaded trails that lead nowhere in particular. Mammoth Springs, Arkansas, is built around a spring-fed lake and a slow river known for its trout. Up in Missouri, Osage Beach fronts the calm backwaters of Lake of the Ozarks. What these towns share is room to breathe and very little reason to rush.
Mammoth Springs, Arkansas
Mammoth Springs, home to fewer than 1,000 people on the Arkansas-Missouri line, is built around one of the largest springs in the country. The spring is a National Natural Landmark that pushes nearly 9 million gallons of water an hour into the 10-acre Spring Lake at Mammoth Spring State Park. From the lake, the Spring River flows south with a well-known trout fishery.
Pedal boats and kayaks are available to rent at the park for a closer look at the water. On shore, a riverside restaurant and shaded picnic areas make easy stops. The park grounds are walkable year-round. The setting is quiet and compact, the kind of place to slow down for an afternoon.
Branson, Missouri
Branson calls itself the Live Entertainment Capital of the World and brings in more than 9 million visitors a year. Its Entertainment District has dozens of theaters and live shows, along with the Titanic Museum, the Aquarium at the Boardwalk, and the Silver Dollar City amusement park. Silver Dollar City is built on an 1880s theme, with roller coasters and dinner cruises on Table Rock Lake aboard the Showboat Branson Belle.
Silver Dollar City puts on seasonal festivals through the year, including a fall harvest event with a large pumpkin display. The park is a regular winner in Tripadvisor's travelers' choice awards for US amusement parks. Branson is more show town than quiet retreat. It still makes a workable base for exploring the lakes and hills around it.
Hollister, Missouri
Hollister lies about five minutes from Branson and makes a quieter counterpart to it. Close to the shores of Lake Taneycomo, it gives easy access to the water through local outfitters that rent canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards for a day of fishing or paddling.
In the center of town, Historic Downing Street is styled after an English village. The buildings follow a Tudor Revival design, with exposed timber frames and patterned brickwork. The street goes by the nickname The English Village. Along it are the Ye Olde English Inn and a row of small shops and pubs.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs grew up around the natural springs that gave it its name. The Natural Springs Trail links many of them, including the Blue Spring Heritage Center, where the deep-blue Blue Spring feeds 33 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows. The center also traces the area's Native American history.
Lake Leatherwood City Park spreads across about 1,600 acres, with an 85-acre spring-fed lake, roughly 25 miles of trails, and a historic marina. Onyx Cave Park, one of the oldest show caves in Arkansas, offers guided tours nearby. The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, on the edge of town, houses rescued big cats.
Osage Beach, Missouri
Called the Heart of Lake of the Ozarks, Osage Beach gives access to the busier and quieter points of the reservoir alike. The lake has around 1,100 miles of shoreline. Spots like Osage Beach City Park reach the water directly. Boat-rental operators in town put pontoons on the lake for a slower day out.
The main draw is the adjacent Lake of the Ozarks State Park, the largest state park in Missouri. It protects blufftop hiking trails, woodland picnic areas, and two public swimming beaches. The quieter coves are the reason to come, away from the busier stretches of the lake.
Jasper, Arkansas
Jasper, with a population of just over 500, lies near the Buffalo National River, the country's first federally protected national river. The town is small. The country around it is not. Outfitters rent kayaks and canoes for the river's rapids. Bluff-top routes like the Round Top Mountain Trail climb above the valley.
The Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, in the hills outside town, calls itself an adventure destination for all ages. It has more than 900 climbing routes and boulder problems and the longest zipline in Arkansas, along with cabins and campsites for overnight stays. The ranch lies under the dark skies of the Buffalo National River, a certified International Dark Sky Park, which makes for good stargazing.
Bella Vista, Arkansas
Bella Vista, Spanish for beautiful view, lies on the Springfield Plateau in the northwest corner of Arkansas. It began as a summer resort in 1917 and has grown into a community known for outdoor recreation. Its trail network reaches more than 150 miles, including waterfall hikes like the Tanyard Creek Nature Trail and the Back 40 mountain-bike system through the ridges and valleys.
Bella Vista also has seven lakes, most of them private to residents and vacation renters. The largest, the 477-acre Loch Lomond, allows boating, fishing, and swimming. The smaller 112-acre Lake Ann is known for its limestone bluffs. A vacation rental in town is the usual way to reach the waterfronts.
The Slow Way Through the Ozarks
The Ozarks reward a slower pace. Jasper puts a visitor within reach of the Buffalo River and a sky dark enough to see the Milky Way. Eureka Springs offers its springs, caves, and a big-cat refuge. Bella Vista trades those for lake water and more than 150 miles of trail. None of these towns needs a packed itinerary, which is the point of coming.
