This Arkansas Town Has The Biggest Heart
Imagine arriving in Sweet Home or Promised Land at the end of a journey that took you through Bliss, Joy, Happy, and Hope. Those are the names of real towns or townships in the sunny state of Arkansas. The Arkansas town with the biggest heart is synonymous with feelings of amazement, awe, and wonder: Eureka Springs. In fact, it is named after the crystalline mineral springs that have promised true bliss, through revitalization and renewal, to generations of visitors.
The enchanting springs are a legacy of the land’s most persistent sculptor, the flows of water that shaped a narrow valley in the Ozark Mountains. At the headwaters of what would later be called Leatherwood Creek, nature created an idyllic place for a settlement of dreamers and creative spirits.
Discoveries
In the late 19th century, thousands of travelers discovered what Native tribes had long known: There was something special about the area’s pristine mineral springs. Welling up from deep in the Earth, the magical waters offered healing and rejuvenation, many came to believe. Soon the new town was brimming with health seekers, vacationers, wealthy retirees, and creative transplants of every description, from artists and architects to writers, artisans, and musicians.
More than a century and a half after its founding, Eureka Springs still promises renewal, serenity, and creative freedom. Throughout the year it hosts an array of festivals and celebrations, including many activities that are perfect for families to enjoy. The Festival of the Arts, the Ozark Folk Festival, the Art Gallery Stroll, and the Blues Party are part of the town’s colorful artistic tapestry. The community’s quirkier side is on display at events such as the Ozark Mountain UFO Conference, the Spring Fling motorcycle rally, and the Goggles, Gears, and Springs Steampunk Festival, best described as a steam-powered celebration of sci-fi, Victorian-era fashions, and early industrial revolution gadgets, a Jules Verne story come to life.
Family Favorites
Two miles from the city center, visitors gather year-round to explore a unique Biblical experience: The Great Passion Play. This popular Gospel drama, performed in a 4,000-person outdoor amphitheater, features more than 150 actors and a supporting cast of camels, donkeys, horses, and an assortment of colorful birds.
The 667-acre site also includes a wide variety of scriptural landmarks and adventures. Best known is the Christ of the Ozarks, an alabaster 67-foot statue on glorious Magnetic Mountain. Visitors can also take the Holy Land Tour, visit the Bible Museum and the Sacred Arts Museum, see the Church in the Grove and the Moses Tabernacle in the Wilderness, make some new furry friends at Noah’s Ark Park Petting Zoo, and even view a section of the Berlin Wall.
Another family favorite is the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway, whose vintage trains wind through the Ozark foothills on a journey across nature’s unfurled splendor, and back in time. Located downtown, the station features displays of classic locomotives and railcars. The adventure is a fun way for kids to relive history as they experience the grandeur of the Ozarks.
Historic Downtown
Surrounding the station are the galleries, music, museums, and street performers of downtown. The entire district was honored with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. What it lacks in stoplights, it makes up for with a rich panoply of attractions, including the Eureka Springs Historical Museum, the gardens and springs of Basin Spring Park, the Crescent Hotel, which calls itself “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” and a thrilling spectrum of cafes, restaurants, boutiques, bars, and clubs.
The buildings themselves showcase the timeless elegance and grace of the town. Ornate Queen Anne, Second Empire, Gothic Revival, Italianate, and Romanesque-style structures rise above oak and pine canopies. The buildings also tell a story of the town’s original designers, the 19th-century architects who found a way to build enduringly beautiful homes on steep hillsides. Their solutions included spiraling streets, connective staircases, and plenty of outside-the-box thinking. For example, it is not unusual to find a building whose main entrance is on one street while a second-floor door opens to a different street at a higher elevation.
Heart of Gold
Eureka Springs has always been a town built on reputation. In the 19th century, its reputation as an oasis of healing drew streams of travelers. Many became residents, whose creative energy added a radiant new dimension to that golden reputation. Today, Eureka Springs remains a center for renewal and artistic exploration, but the real magic is found in the community itself, a welcoming place where Bliss, Joy, and Hope are just over the horizon.
