Eureka Springs sits in a corner of the Ozarks that rewards exploration. The Buffalo National River — the first national river designated in the United States — is about 45 miles south, offering canoeing and kayaking through dramatic limestone bluffs, with put-ins at Ponca and other access points along the upper river. The scenery in the upper Buffalo canyon is among the finest in the Mid-South.
Beaver Lake, a large reservoir just east of Eureka Springs along US-62, is good for swimming, fishing, and kayaking. Several marinas rent boats by the hour or day. The dam on the White River below Beaver Lake creates cold, clear tailwaters that are some of the best trout fishing in Arkansas.
Bentonville, about 55 miles east, is home to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art — a significant collection in a purpose-built Frank Gehry-designed building set into the Ozark forest, with free admission to the permanent collection. The Walmart Museum and the surrounding Bentonville arts scene make it a worthwhile half-day trip. Branson, Missouri, is about 50 miles north across the state line, with Table Rock Lake and its own concentration of Ozark attractions. The town of Mountain View, about 80 miles south, is the centre of Ozark folk music culture.