One day in August, right before school started up again, we took a little day trip to Bentonville, Arkansas, to visit Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a free art museum sponsored by Walmart. Founded by Alice Walton and designed by Moshe Safdie, this museum is a great way to introduce kids to art and artists from the United States and beyond. We loved our visit. Along with the museum, you can also do some nature hiking or see Bachman-Wilson House, one of Frank Loyd Wright’s designs. The regular collections are free to the public, but there may be some traveling exhibits available, and those may have a fee. Check the website to see what is available and what the costs may be. The Collections at Crystal Bridges We started with the Drawings and Watercolors of the 18th and 19th Century. I loved that they even had an interactive area…
If you’re looking for a great place to make memories with your family, look no further than Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Surrounded by the Ozark Mountains, Eureka Springs is the perfect place to spend a few days. It could be its own destination, or add it on to a trip to Branson, Missouri. My family spent time there one summer, and Jeff and I have been there on numerous occasions as well, so now we feel like we can share the ultimate guide to Eureka Springs for families! We’d like to thank the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center for sponsoring our family trip. As always, all opinions are honest and our own. What is there to do in Eureka Springs? 1. Visit Historic Downtown There is so much to do downtown, including shopping and dining. We had fun checking out the specialty shops and trying treats like homemade…
If you’re looking for a fun way to get out of the heat of the sun on a warm summer day, consider taking a cave tour. Cosmic Cavern, near the Eureka Springs and Branson areas, is a great choice when hoping to get a glimpse of the cave formations in the Ozarks. This cave hosts Arkansas’s largest private cave tour; it’s the perfect tour for summertime, even though it also holds the title of Arkansas’s warmest cave at 64 degrees year round! We’d like to thank the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce for hosting our visit. As always, all opinions are honest and our own. Arriving at Cosmic Cavern As you drive out to Cosmic Cavern, you’ll enjoy a rural road over hills and through wooded areas. This cave attraction fits in perfectly with its surroundings; it’s not overly commercialized. Cosmic Cavern is just a great cave to explore. When…
If you’re looking for a memorable evening experience in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, consider adding The Great Passion Play and The Christ of the Ozarks to your list of family fun. Though the show is seasonal, you can visit all year long and partake in other activities. We visited this attraction on a lovely summer night in July. While it was summertime, we weren’t uncomfortable. As the sun set, we found ourselves immersed in the story of Christ’s last week on earth. We had an amazing experience, and we hope you’ll have one, too! We’d like to thank the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring our visit! As always, all opinions are honest and our own. Arriving at The Great Passion Play We arrived after an early dinner about an hour before the show. It’s a little outside of Eureka Springs proper, but it’s not too far. If time had…
When traveling to the Ozarks, be sure that Eureka Spring, Arkansas, is on your must-see list. The hills are a gorgeous backdrop for having some fun downtown with your family. Since the city is designated as a historical site, it feels like you’ve stepped back in time as you explore the shops and restaurants in downtown Eureka Springs. Here is a list of things so you can have a great time checking out what this little city in Arkansas has to offer. Explore the Historic Beauty of Downtown Eureka Springs Right in the middle of town, you’ll find Basin Spring Park. This park is a hub for entertainment and art, especially on the weekends. It’s hard to resist the trail that leads you to the Basin Spring; this is the spring that launches the narrative of the origin of the city. It’s fun to feel the coolness coming off the…
We’d like to thank the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring our visit to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. As always, all opinions are honest and our own. If you find yourself in the Ozarks, check out the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge near Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This refuge rescues big cats and other animals that often started out as someone’s pet or part of an animal attraction that was neglectful. When you visit Turpentine Creek, you are supporting the care and rescue of animals that may have no other option out there. Plus, you get to see the animals. It’s a win-win! Arriving at Turpentine Creek Normally we try to arrive at attractions at opening, but on this July day, we didn’t get to Eureka Springs until around noon. It had been raining all morning, so we thought perhaps the animals may be active, even though it was midday. We…
We’d like to thank the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce and the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa for our two-night complimentary stay and ghost tour. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. If you’re in the mood for history and ghost stories set in the beautiful scenery of the Ozarks, then Eureka Springs is the place for you. And no other hotel in Eureka Springs fits the bill better than the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, more commonly known as The Crescent Hotel. Even if you don’t believe in ghosts or hauntings, the Crescent Hotel is a gorgeous historic hotel that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time when you set foot in the lobby. The History of the Crescent Hotel I am not a scholar of the history of Eureka Springs, but I can give you a little bit of background. The springs in the…