The entire downtown of Eureka Springs is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and walking its winding streets — which follow the contours of the Ozark hillside rather than any grid — is the town's main activity. The streets climb and descend past ornate Victorian storefronts, galleries, independent restaurants, and shops selling local art, crystals, and antiques. There are no traffic lights in the entire town.
The oldest buildings date from the 1880s and 1890s, when Eureka Springs was a fashionable resort. The architecture reflects that boom-era prosperity: Italianate commercial blocks, Victorian cottages with elaborate gingerbread trim, and the odd Queen Anne turret appearing above the treeline. The overall effect is of a Victorian theme park that happens to be entirely real.