Eureka Springs is a quirky Victorian resort town tucked into the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas. The entire historic downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places — winding streets follow the contours of the hills, lined with ornate Victorian buildings that house galleries, restaurants, and shops. There are no traffic lights in town.
The town was founded in 1879 around natural springs believed to have healing properties, and it quickly became a fashionable health resort. That era's architecture survives remarkably intact. Today Eureka Springs draws visitors for its arts scene, live music, outdoor activities, and general eccentricity — the town has a thriving community of artists, musicians, and independent spirits.
The most unusual building in town is the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa, a Victorian grand hotel with a dark past as a fraudulent cancer clinic in the 1930s. Just outside town, Thorncrown Chapel is a masterpiece of wood-and-glass architecture built into the Ozark forest — one of the most celebrated small buildings in the United States. The Christ of the Ozarks statue on Magnetic Mountain is impossible to miss, and impossible to categorize. The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge south of town rehabilitates lions, tigers, and other big cats rescued from illegal captivity.
The surrounding Ozark landscape offers canoeing and kayaking on the Buffalo River and other waterways, cave tours, hiking and mountain biking trails, and Beaver Lake for swimming and fishing. Blue Springs Heritage Center — built around the largest natural spring in northwest Arkansas — is a short drive from downtown. In winter, bald eagles gather along the lake.