Eureka! - Eureka Springs, Arkansas - Brief Article

Travel America, Nov, 2000 by Margaret Dornaus

You'll find a treasure trove of Victorian charm in the Arkansas Ozarks

Ask natives about the Northwest Arkansas mountaintop retreat they call home and, repeatedly, any number of "M" words creep into the conversation. "Mystical." "Magical." "Monumental." "Magnanimous." "Meaningful." "Magnificent," even. For a town with a population of under 2,000, such meaty adjectives seem like the basis for tall tales meted out by the overly enthusiastic ... until you do a doubletake. At that point, you--like the proud citizens who lay claim to this small, carved-out-of-limestonecliffs community--might find yourself rubbing the sleep from your eyes and searching for yet another "M" word to add to residents' mellifluous list of brags.

Eureka Springs seems to have a history of making boasters out of even the most soft-spoken people. Long before white settlers "discovered" the town in 1856, Native Americans revered the place for both its natural beauty and the restorative powers of the healing waters that gave rise to its modern name. By the mid-19th century, Eureka (residents often abbreviate their town's moniker) had gained a reputation as "America's Medicine Teepee." Soon, visitors were flocking to the diminutive site in pursuit of cures for a wide range of ailments. Today, seasonal migrations still swell Eureka's narrow, winding streets as tourists continue to discover the pleasures of this picturesque Victorian-era village.

Take, for example, the many gingerbread-laden structures sprinkled atop Eureka's hillsides. Among ornately embellished cottages and tour homes are many delightful bed and breakfasts. Or opt to stay in a turn-of-the-20th-century hotel like the Eureka's grande dame--the Crescent. A massive 1886 hostelry set at the top of Eureka's historic loop, the Crescent--in addition to providing guests with sweeping panoramas--is said to be haunted (by benevolent, if not overly friendly, spirits). And the hotel's New Moon Spa is just one of numerous, around-town establishments keeping Eureka's bathhouse tradition alive.

The Basin Park Hotel is another statuesque beauty. Set next door to downtown's pint-sized, bandstand-surrounded park, this Ripley's Believe It or Not hotel has seven hillside stories--all with "groundfloor" entries. Outside, Spring Street blossoms with galleries, boutiques, and bistros.

Street fare--from funnel cakes to fudge--is tempting, but save room for dining at one of Eureka's fine restaurants. Some favorites: Ermillio's for northern and southern Italian dishes; Jim & Brent's for an eclectic selection of new cuisine; Sonny's for New York-style pizza, as well as a weekend chalkboard menu and piano bar; Center Street for authentic Mexican mole and margaritas; and the Plaza, with its canopied second-story dining overlooking pedestrian-filled streets.

Attractions outside of the compact, though hilly, downtown area include such memorable Highway 62 West sites as the architecturally inspiring Thorncrown Chapel, an interdenominational church that rises dramatically out of the surrounding woods, and Eureka Springs Gardens.

In the opposite direction, country music shows dot Highway 62 East. On Highway 23 North, just off the downtown district, there are the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway's steam-operated excursion and dining trains. Nearby, you'll find the Great Passion Play, a religious spectacle that has played to generations of visitors each May-October. And just above Passion Play Road, on a 1,500-foot overlook, towers the seven-story Christ of the Ozarks--a marble sculpture completed in 1968 by one of Mt. Rushmore's sculptors.

For more information, contact the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, (800) 638-7352; www. eurekasprings.org.