When you discover Eureka Springs its almost like you are stepping back in time. The business district is full of Victorian style buildings and if you close your eyes you could almost imagine being  there in the days of people seeking the cure from the springs. Eureka Springs is located in the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas, USA and I have had the privilege of visiting this quaint historic town on two occasions all the way from New Zealand where I live. This is a small guide of what you will find, so make sure to add it to your bucket list.

As you head into Eureka Springs on Arkansas State Highway 23 you will notice trees lining both sides of the road, making the area very pictureque. Then as you travel on down main street you will pass a number of places you can  stop on the way, the Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway, the music park, the art colony, homes old and new and then you’ll come to the business district. The main shopping area is up on Spring Street where you will also find the Basin Spring Park

Discover Eureka Springs – History

The business area of the town is mainly made up of Victorian buildings which are constructed from stone found locally.  Eureka springs was founded in 1879 around the healing springs in the area. The magical waters drew so many people that it was turned into a thriving town quite quickly. To access some of the more popular springs today you can find a trail here do note you can look at them but you can no longer bath in them To read more on the history of Eureka springs you can find out more here.

Town Basin

Shopping

When you discover Eureka Springs you will notice that it has quite a thriving shopping area housed within the old shops  From clothing to food to art plus much more the shopping experience will cater to everyone. There were are so many stores to visit, I’ve listed below that ones that I purchased from.

• Studio 34
• Wilson and Wilson Folk Art
• Quicksilver Gallery
• Magpie,
• The Town Shop,
• Tee Rex
• Gazebo books
• Nelsons

Eateries

Some of the places we dinned at and would recommend are listed below. Make sure to see if open due to seasonal hours and/or covid.

Mud Street Cafe – this cafe is a must see even just from the historical aspect. It is underground at what was once street level. Find out more here

Oscars Cafe– what I love about this cafe besides the food and the friendly staff is the decor

Eureka Grill you can dine inside or out. We chose outside,love the great food and view down the street

Local Flavor Cafe Great food, can sit inside or out. If you sit outside you get a good view of the comings and goings on the street

Antiques and Second Hand

I managed to visit a few of the antique/second hand stores, however time didn’t allow for further shopping nor did the luggage allowance. Some of my purchases are shown below and yes I did bring back a speed limit sign.

Romis Vintage on Van Bruyen – what a treasure trove keeping in mind I couldnt fit much in my luggage I only managed a few pieces.

Just Reminiscing – next door to Romis another treasure trove of goods

Dust & Rust Antiques – Pyrex and other goodies pity I couldnt bring it back to NZ.

Hobbies and Homestead – This is like a large warehouse with individual shops where small businesses can display their goods and they don’t have to be there. Not sure what happened to my photos but it was a collectors heaven.

Public Art

Eureka springs is known for its Art too. Take a stroll around town to see the different pieces of street art. Here is a small selection, I’m sure there are more but I didnt have time to see everything but would love to know what I missed.

Aza

• Rainbow Stairs – Also known as The Up Project
• Humpty Dumpty and Celestial Goddess Aza are located near the town basin (Humpty Dumpty is no more, since 2021)
• Mural on 8 S Main Street depicting the first 100 years of Eureka Springs
• Ghost Signs – Old signs painted on the buildings that are still visible

I hope the blog has given you a small overview and why you too should discover Eureka Springs and I can’t wait to visit again. Another blog will be coming at some point about the other things we saw while in Arkansas, hopefully not two years. Please note this trip was taken in 2019.