When it comes to road trips I am the master. I am always on the lookout for an out of the norm getaway. Eureka Springs, Arkansas fits the bill. An eclectic, fun little town in the Ozarks of Northern Arkansas.
I'd been to Eureka Springs a couple of times for business and each time I told myself I would bring my family. Well, we FINALLY did it. Hubby and I loaded up the kids in the Kia and off we went to scope out one of my fave cities.
Eureka Springs is known for the mysterious Crescent Hotel and the historic Basin Park Hotel. Both have been featured on various syndicated cable shows, particularly during Halloween as both are reportedly haunted. Now although I cannot attest to their validity of these claims, I can definitely say they are quite spooky.
The Crescent Hotel has longed been deemed "America's most haunted hotel" and it lives up to the name. With the resident black house cat and the countless stories of ghostly events, a stay there is truly an adventure. I once had a friend who stayed there, unbeknownst to the ghoulish tales. Unlike some others, she opted to forego a roommate.
When she arrived she was enamored by the splendor of the majestic hotel with it's spacious rooms and well manicured lawns.
The first night she couldn't sleep. "There's just something about this huge room", she said.
The second night she couldn't sleep and the elevator just happened to be out of order one late night.
The third morning she was sharing how she couldn't sleep and how she felt the presence of someone or some thing and then we had to tell her the history of the Crescent. That night, she slept quite well as she invited everyone over for a slumber party!
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| Crescent Hotel |
One of my fave places to stay in Eureka Springs is the Basin Park Hotel. First time I stayed there I was naive to the tales of this historically haunted hotel. Upon entering the room I was taken back to days of old. The claw foot tub and the beautifully spacious suite welcomed me. I was exhausted when I checked into my room and had to tinkle. I sat on the commode giggling like a child as my feet dangled nearly 2 inches off the ground. I'm not a short person but the commode was unusually tall.
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| Basin Park Hotel |
The accommodations were absolutely beautiful but it wasn't long before little things began to happen.
Like the constant sounds of people giggling in the room beside me. I chalked it up to thin walls. However, the following day, my friend and I met for breakfast and she shared how she heard people dancing all night long. "That must've been one heckuva party", she remarked. The waitress overhearing us, told us there wasn't a party... of the living. She shared the history of the Basin Park Ballroom with us and we were in awe. Now granted we saw the Ghost Tour brochures when we checked in but we thought they were for the Crescent Hotel up the hill.
Eureka Springs is more than haunted hotels. It's home to some of the most spiritual views in the world including the Christ of the Ozarks statue, the Great Passion Play and Thorncrown Chapel.
Hubby and the kids weren't as thrilled as I was about going to see a huge statue of Christ but as we neared the property and they caught a glimpse of the towering statue they were in awe. The statue is the 3rd tallest statue of Christ Jesus in the world and is truly a beautiful sight to behold.
Be sure to stop and read the placards about the history of the building of the statue and look for the gravesites of the man who envisioned the work and his wife.
Another beautiful stop is Thorncrown Chapel is truly a work of art. It's an amazingly beautiful structure of glass and steel with a full frontal view of nature like none other. The story of a faithful man, Jim Reed and his mission if you will, to build the structure despite a lack of funding and the challenges of nature. Reed, along with famed architect E. Faye Jones built a structure that has won countless awards and serves as one of the finest examples of spiritual architecture in the world.
This is NOT a sponsored post. These are just my views of some fab places my family and I have visited that I'd love to share with you and your family. As always, if you visit, be sure to tell them Three Boys and an Old Lady blog sent.
During our visit to Thorncrown, Hubby sat down as deer nibbled on grass within an arm's reach as familiar hymns piped throughout the structure. "This is absolutely amazing" he remarked and I couldn't agree more.
I didn't get a chance to take the family to one of Myrtie Mae's, one of my fave Eureka Springs eats. I hate to admit but I have a weakness for fried chicken. I don't fry foods so when I find a restaurant that claims to have the best fried chicken, I surrender. Myrtie Mae's NEVER disappoints. Their fried chicken is crispy, juicy and it's nestled in a local hotel so if you're too full, you can just get a room. Seriously, this is some good fried chicken.
If you are ever traveling on I-40 and you see an exit to U.S. 49, just outside of Alma, Arkansas, head on up to Eureka Springs for a unique peek at something special.
For more info about some of the places to visit in this post, check out the links below:
- Crescent Hotel http://www.crescent-hotel.com/
- Basin Park Hotel http://basinpark.com/http://basinpark.com/index.shtml
- Thorncrown Chapel http://www.thorncrown.com/
- Myrtie Mae's http://myrtiemaes.com/dinner.html
This is NOT a sponsored post. These are just my views of some fab places my family and I have visited that I'd love to share with you and your family. As always, if you visit, be sure to tell them Three Boys and an Old Lady blog sent.
Comments
And I love fried chicken ;)