48 Hours in: Eureka Springs, AR

If you know me, you know I’m not a big traveller. I’m a homebody, and so is my husband. To us, the best part of every trip is settling back into the comforts of home. But…

I’ve been fortunate enough to get quite a few travel opportunities, both last year and in the year to come. And of course, I want to share those experiences with my readers. I’ve just returned from our latest trip, and luckily I did find the time to type this up before the week was over.

Eureka Springs is about a three hour drive from where we live, which isn’t that bad, though it’s sort of tucked up in the mountain, so the winding roads can get a little steep. Greg’s mother sent us on this trip as a Christmas present, so a loving shoutout to her!

We stayed at the Crescent Hotel, and apparently it’s one of the most haunted locations in America. I’m not here to disprove that, but I will say that whatever’s haunting it is perfectly non-threatening. It’s over a hundred years old, so everything creaked and groaned, just like any old building would, but we had an exceedingly pleasant stay. The staff was very friendly, the amenities were excellent; it was in every way a luxury hotel. I’d recommend it to anyone.

If you ever find yourself staying there, definitely go on the ghost tour. It’s not scary–you could even take your kids if you wanted to. And whether you have any interest in ghosts or not, you get to learn a lot about the hotel itself, which has a long and fascinating history.

Okay, rewinding a bit, Greg and I arrived at the Crescent in the middle of the afternoon. I chose to wear my brightest red sweater, and I accessorized with gold. And as a major bonus, I washed my hair that morning and it actually dried into nice, manageable waves (which it almost never does), and so I felt comfortable leaving it down the whole day.

Behind me in that photo is the jacuzzi, which was a lovely surprise when we got to our room.

Speaking of our room, it was spacious and clean, but as you can see with the exposed brick and everything, they’ve fully embraced the antiquity of the place. This picture is taken from the point of view of the bed–you’ll notice my boots there as I was lounging.

The fireplace in the lobby was very inviting on such a chilly day (we forgot our jackets), and just in case you still feel uncertain about haunting spirits, the hotel has a resident feline keeping an eye on everything. I felt nice and safe with him around.

The hotel actually offered a shuttle service that would take us pretty much anywhere we wanted to go downtown, and we learned right away to trust the recommendations of the drivers. Greg and I had picked out a restaurant for dinner beforehand, but it was actually closed. Instead, our driver took us to Local Flavor Cafe, and we could not have asked for a better dining experience.

This was one of the biggest highlights of our stay. We got to have a romantic, candlelit dinner. The food was so fresh-tasting and delicious. They had a really good drink menu (which we could fully enjoy since we didn’t have to drive). And because we were visiting Eureka Springs in the off-season, there were no crowds; everything was quiet and relaxed, everywhere we went.

I went in a sort of nerdy goth direction on the second day. That shirt was a Christmas present from my sister–it’s merch from The Mandalorian (the latest Star Wars show). I’ve just now taken to wearing long-sleeved shirts underneath novelty T’s, a look I should have adopted ages ago.

That morning, we had a spa treatment booked. I have to extend my compliments to the New Moon Spa at the Crescent Hotel. As new guests, we had free access to the outdoor hot tub, which we soaked in for about 20 minutes before spending the next couple hours getting massaged out of our minds. At the start of a new year, it was definitely worth investing in some quality stress relief.

Greg and I then spent the whole afternoon walking around historic downtown. Eureka Springs is a colorful and interesting place to explore. Even with many shops and eateries being closed for the season, we found more than enough to keep us entertained. Tons of small, local businesses for us to patronize–we brought home a small hoard of knick-knacks and treasures–and food and drink were never in short supply.

After grabbing some dinner at a pub, we meandered to the Basin Park Hotel, which is apparently the sister property to the Crescent. We had heard that there was a bar at the Basin Park, so we decided to have a drink before calling the shuttle to take us back. Every bar I’ve gone to in the past has been loud and crowded–not my scene. But this one was very quiet and low-key, exactly the kind of bar environment I’d always wanted to visit. Greg and I sat shoulder to shoulder and had a couple drinks each, just chatting and laughing and being good company for one another. I’d count it as possibly my favorite part of the whole trip.

You’ll notice I made the exact same pose in the mirror for all of these pictures. Don’t be surprised. When I like something, I don’t strive to make changes.

I wore a reddish-pink sweater that day–with the word L’amour across the front. I like to wear a choker with this outfit, as well as a pair of subtle, rose gold earrings (which you probably can’t see that well in this picture unfortunately).

Greg wasn’t feeling too great that morning, so we packed up, had breakfast, and headed straight for home. It was just as well, since we wanted to get the long drive over with. But reflecting back on everything, we had a lot of fun on our little adventure, and some much needed quality time.

The holiday season, for us, was very busy and, in some instances, stressful. Disappearing together into the Ozarks for 48 hours was exactly what we needed. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Have a beautiful week.