This Is The Friendliest Small Town in The Ozarks
The people of the Ozarks didn’t invent friendly small towns, but they may have perfected the concept. In the process, they set a high standard for civic grace, warmth, and neighborliness. So when visitors consistently put Eureka Springs, Arkansas, at the top of their lists of friendliest small towns in this rugged highland region, it’s quite an achievement.
Even more impressive is the fact that Eureka Springs earned its welcoming reputation in a state dotted with towns that carry big-hearted, optimistic names. Hope, Arkansas, is perhaps the most famous of these, but Harmony, Success, Delight, Romance, and Fairplay also brighten the state’s sublime landscape. With everything from a bustling downtown to amazing events like the Ozark Folk Festival, Eureka Springs stands out as the friendliest town in the Ozarks.
Nature’s Masterpiece
The Ozarks is a vast region that extends beyond Arkansas to portions of Missouri, Oklahoma, and southeastern Kansas. Gently rolling hills provide the backdrop for the Ozarks’ glorious panorama. Still, it is the artistry of crystal-clear water, cascading for millennia, that carved the gorges, valleys, caves, and lakebeds that have given the land its intricate beauty.
Tucked into the folds of the Ozark Mountains, Eureka Springs owes much of its charm to the natural beauty surrounding it. In the late nineteenth century, word spread of the purported healing properties of the area’s many mineral springs. This discovery, which was a rediscovery of what local Native tribes long believed, drew thousands of visitors to the town. Moreover, hiking trails and scenic overlooks thread through the forests just beyond the historic center, while nearby lakes and rivers provide endless opportunities for kayaking, fishing, or a reflective moment beside the water.
Creative Energy
State and community leaders heavily promoted the therapeutic value of the springs, and the extension of a rail line literally put Eureka Springs on the map for health-seekers, wealthy retirees, and waves of artists, writers, architects, and musicians. Soon, the town gained a reputation for Southern-fried eccentricity; a place where, as a local writers’ colony has described it, “you're likely to meet a new friend or at least a character for your next novel.” Generations of creative expats infused Eureka Springs with a kinetic energy that explodes year-round in an array of festivals and celebrations. Each season brings a new reason to gather, and the town’s calendar blends art, music, history, and whimsy.
In May, the Festival of the Arts fills the streets with open-air galleries, installations, and performances by local and visiting creatives. The long-running Ozark Folk Festival brings together mountain musicians, traditional storytellers, and craftspeople who celebrate the heritage of the highlands. Visitors can stroll from porch concerts to folk dances and artisan markets, all with a view of the hills.
Those looking for something more unusual can attend the annual UFO Conference, which welcomes believers and skeptics alike for lectures and stargazing sessions. Spring Fling brings a parade of motorcycles and the roar of engines through town. At the same time, the Goggles, Gears, and Springs Steampunk Festival transforms downtown into a Victorian sci-fi fantasy, complete with brass accessories, costumes, and themed performances.
Downtown and Beyond
The town center is alive with galleries, museums, crafts, street performers, and music. Highlights include the Eureka Springs Historical Museum, which chronicles the town’s colorful past, and the Zarks Gallery, showcasing regional and national artists. Visitors choose among various restaurants, cafes, boutiques, bars, and clubs, and enjoy the authentic Victorian-era architecture of downtown, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many buildings feature design cues popular during the town’s mineral-springs boom times, including Queen Anne, Second Empire, Gothic Revival, Italianate, and Romanesque styles. The well-preserved buildings are also a testament to the town’s inventiveness. Steep hillsides required modification of traditional designs, resulting in a labyrinth of winding streets and connective staircases.
Key downtown attractions include the gardens and springs of Basin Spring Park, ghost tours at the Crescent Hotel, which bills itself as “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” and wood-fired dining in an actual cave at Grotto Wood-Fired Grill and Wine Cave. Moreover, the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway is a stepping-off point for a journey across the Ozark foothills on a vintage train, a fun way to recapture the spirit of an earlier time while exploring the region’s natural beauty.
Nature’s surrounding splendor includes three lakes and two rivers, endless forests and caverns, and a constellation of parks, including Hobbs State Park and the Buffalo River National Park. Visitors hike and bike through this magnificent landscape, zipline over it, paddle and row across it, and cast lures into its placid waters.
Where to Stay
The best way to enjoy a stay in Eureka Springs is to seek out accommodations that bring you close to the friendliness of the people and the unique cultural vibrancy of the town. In addition to the 1886 Crescent Hotel, downtown is the location for several other Victorian inns, including the Basin Park Hotel, the Grand Central Hotel, and the New Orleans Hotel, housed in a nineteenth century building notable for its ornate woodwork, authentic period furnishings, and a grand staircase that sweeps guests to uniquely decorated rooms, and back in time.
Closer to the countryside, enchanting cottages and bed and breakfasts compete for tourists. Eureka Springs Treehouses, Caves, Castles & Hobbits features themed treehouses perched on cedar logs, “hobbit caves,” and medieval castle-inspired suites with hidden passages. The Woods Cabins are ideal for guests seeking a luxurious stay on a mountaintop. Visitors walk cobblestone paths and fall asleep to the sounds of a crystalline waterfall.
Peace in Our Time
Since its founding, Eureka Springs’ appeal has been tranquility and rejuvenation. For generations, the revitalizing power of the mineral springs was the answer for travelers seeking healing, restoration, or solutions to life’s challenges. The waters have lost their mystical powers, but the town is still the place to find a special kind of renewal, one centered on creative freedom and strong social bonds. Eureka Springs is the perfect vantage point for looking inward in reflection, or outward at nature’s enveloping beauty. Here, in the Ozarks’ friendliest small town, the journey of discovery is never a lonely one.
