Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs is the Bisbee of Arkansas. IYKYK.
If you don't know, Bisbee is an old mining town connected by lots of stairs, and an enclave of hippie weirdness in the middle of bright-red Cochise County, Arizona. Eureka Springs is the same, but humid.
One of the many staircases that connects the city streets.
After about an hour drive from Bentonville, we started by feeding Jeremy's passion for BBQ (see what I did there??) at Sauced BBQ. I was skeptical at first, given the .... ahem ..... ambiance (or lack thereof) but DAMN!!!! That may have been the best BBQ ever. Seriously, friends, if you find yourself in NW Arkansas, make sure you plan a meal here. Legit good shit.
My favorite shop - Adventure Art.
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around town, reading all the historical markers and popping in and out of shops. I spent an inordinate amount of time at an art supply store, chatting with the owners about how hard it is to survive as an artist, and also about all the cool places we both had been. They actually understood my comparison of Eureka Springs to Bisbee!
Based on their recommendation, we hiked up the hilly streets to the grounds of the Crescent Hotel. The history of this place is wild! Over the years, it had been a women's college, a crazy doctor sanitarium, and the home to lots and lots of ghosts, including one of a worker who plunged to his death in the lobby. I'm not a big believer in ghosts, but if ever there was a place for one, this is it.
The Crescent Hotel. Can you see the ghost I'm pointing to?? (Me neither. I totally just made that up.)
We were advised to have a cocktail in the bar on the 4th floor, which would be the highest point in Eureka Springs, with "views to die for". Clearly the person who advised such folly has never actually seen a view.
Yes, in fact, that is a giant Jesus statue out in the distance.
The service was shitty, the drinks overpriced and not very good, but hey, at least we can say we were at the highest point in Eureka Springs. Oh, and we got to see the "Christ of the Ozarks" in the distance. (So many questions .... I thought Christ was for everyone, not just Ozarkians .... and why is he SO WHITE????). Seriously, though, the giant Jesus statue presides over a Passion Play thing that Eureka Springs is famous for, but, more importantly, welcomes mountain bikers. Check out Becky's review here: https://www.twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/passion-play-trails/)
My best froggy pose.
Not so sure about the whole "Switzerland of America" moniker, especially at only 1500' above sea level.
After tooling around the haunted hotel, we wandered down to the Catholic Chapel just below the hotel grounds. I haven't been a practicing Catholic in decades, but I'm always drawn to old churches. The grounds of this one were meticulously landscaped, and a peaceful refuge in the touristy bustle of the city. Despite it being the middle of the afternoon, the doors to the chapel itself were unlocked, so of course I wandered in to explore. I was immediately overwhelmed with bittersweet memories of kneeling-sitting-standing, lighting candles, dodging incense smoke, awful organ music, confessions, and memorizing the stations of the Cross. I lit a candle and said a few words to mom, and then reflexively genuflected and did the sign of the cross with the holy water. Old habits die hard. As I exited the chapel, the path was lined with rose bushes, just starting to bloom. Oh, hi Dad.
Eureka Springs is a cool little town and a nice break from the corporate, landscaped feel of Bentonville. If you're in the area, it makes for a cool daylong diversion.