Eureka Springs, AR  is like cliff dwellings with bars and cafes.  Every jewelry store and clothing outlet is perched on curving cliffs ascending from a winding valley below.  The effect is heightened by a proliferation of hotels, bed & breakfasts, and rustic inns beyond what should be sustainable in a small town of 2,073.

Once Upon a Time. . .A Sioux Princess suffered from an eye affliction which had taken away her sight. The young girl bathed her eyes in the waters of Basin Spring, and within a short time her eyesight was fully restored. Her people were overjoyed, and they told the story far and wide until it reached the ears of the first white men exploring the region. Photos from the late 1800’s depict small crowds gathered at the springs partaking of the “liquid cure” from jugs, tin cups and ladles. A bottling operation was quickly set up to capitalize on this new cure and the Ozarka Water label, now bottled by the Perrier Group, can trace its company history to early Eureka Springs entrepreneurs.  https://eurekavacation.com/healing/history/

 

The unfiltered springs are no longer potable, so no one is selling it at spring-side.  Basin Springs is the center of town, with its own park and stairs that used to lead up to majestic hotels that burned down in the early twentieth century. Now you can survey Main Street and Center Street branching north through the city.See this prospect below, along with the Basins

The highlights of a one-day visit included acquiring some winter clothes at Parts Unknown,  a stylish outlet on South Main Street; touring the Historical Museum further down the street; and hitting Brews, a brewpub up Spring Street.  There was plenty more to see that our time didn’t permit, more springs, more restaurants, more craft shops. Post-CoVid it would be a great way to explore the southern Ozarks.