Pea Ridge is a small town in the Ozark foothills of northwestern Arkansas, best known as the site of one of the Civil War's decisive western battles. Most visitors come for the battlefield — and it's worth it.
Pea Ridge National Military Park preserves 4,300 acres of remarkably intact Civil War terrain where, on March 7–8, 1862, nearly 26,000 soldiers fought to determine the fate of Missouri. Major General Earl Van Dorn led 16,000 Confederates — including around 800 Cherokee fighters aligned with the South — against 10,250 Union soldiers under Brigadier General Samuel Curtis. The Union held, and Missouri stayed out of Confederate hands. It's one of the most complete and well-preserved battlefields in the United States.
The park's centrepiece is Elkhorn Tavern, an NPS reconstruction of the building that saw bitter fighting on both days of the battle. A seven-mile driving tour loops through the main sites, and an eleven-mile trail system lets you cover the ground on foot. The park also includes a two-and-a-half-mile segment of the Trail of Tears — the route that thousands of Cherokee were forced to walk during their 1838 removal from the Southeast.
If you're touring Civil War sites across the region, Pea Ridge belongs on the list. It's quieter and more contemplative than the famous eastern battlefields, and the landscape makes the tactical situation easy to read. Wonderland Cave, about 9 miles west in Bella Vista, is worth an hour if you want to extend the day.