Eureka Springs is one of my favorite places to visit in Arkansas! If I had the money and time (and if I didn’t have a mile long list of other places I need to vacation to) I’d probably visit Eureka Springs every year. It’s home to historical buildings, shopping, natural springs, hiking trails, Beaver Lake – I mean, what else can you ask for?? (I don’t think Arkansas gets enough street cred for being vacation-worthy. Maybe that’s a good thing…it might keep the hordes of tourists away so I can still enjoy my visits there!) When I last visited Arkansas, we stayed in a lake house on Beaver Lake. Even though we did a variety of activities in the surrounding area, I think we all agreed that we most enjoyed our time spent around Eureka Springs. Because of how much we enjoyed our visit there, I wanted to write this post to let y’all know a few of the fun tourist activities Eureka Springs offers! So in no particular order, here’s a list of the top 10 things to do in Eureka Springs! Eureka Springs Historical Downtown Downtown Eureka Springs is a unique and historic area to spend the day in! Main St. and Spring St. are the main attractions through this little town, and are home to shops, restaurants, art galleries, parks, and plenty of Victorian architecture! There are Downtown Walking Tours for those who want to know some of Eureka Spring’s history, but the area is easily navigated without any guidance as well. We had a really great time walking all around town enjoying the shopping and the surrounding beauty. Another fun part about walking through Eureka Springs is coming across many of the natural springs that gave the town its name! 2. Crescent Hotel and SkyBar Gourmet Pizza I’m kind of a sucker for stately, historic buildings that come from a bygone era…so I knew we were going to have to make time for the Crescent Hotel and Spa! The Crescent Hotel dates back to 1886 and is still an impressive sight today. While this hotel offers various activities, including Ghost Tours for the adventurous, make sure that you leave time to explore the 4th floor which offers historical information, an outdoor balcony with a bird’s eye view of the surrounding area, and the infamous SkyBar Gourmet Pizza restaurant! We ate there while visiting and I can personally attest that the pizza is delicious!! Truly a unique place to enjoy a meal while in Eureka Springs. 3. St Elizabeth’s Catholic Church According to Eureka Spring’s website St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church (which is located across the way from the Crescent Hotel) is listed on Ripley’s Believe it or not for being the only church you enter through the bell tower! I’ll be honest, I noticed that we walked through a bell tower but I didn’t think anything much unusual about it! What I did notice was how beautiful the architecture, the gardens, and the general surrounding area was! We were unable to go inside the church, but we did enjoy walking around the outside and, of course, the bell tower! The Gift Shop is open 10-4 every day through the months of April – October. Definitely worth a stop when visiting. 4. Basin Spring Park Basin Spring Park is another must-see when visiting Eureka Springs. Located centrally in the historic downtown (and conveniently across the street from the Chocolate Factory), it makes for a great spot to take a rest from your walking tour and enjoy the area! Often times there are events that occur in Basin Spring Park such as outdoor concerts, but even when it’s deserted there’s a lot to see around the park – including a little hiking trail around the backside of the bandshell! You won’t regret making a stop here! 5. Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway is another fun way to spend a morning or afternoon while visiting the area. You will feel like you stepped back in time when you visit this historic depot! Another cool thing about ES&NA railway is that they let you investigate the out of operation equipment! We spent our time exploring old engine cars and giant tractors while waiting for our train to arrive! There are three different train ride options: excursion, lunch, and dinner. We opted for the excursion ride which is hosted by the conductor. He gave a great narrative and even recommended some of the top things to do downtown before we left! It was overall a very laid back and fun atmosphere, and I recommend giving it a shot! 6. Christ of the Ozarks Sitting atop Magnetic Mountain, this giant hand-made sculpture of Jesus gazes west across the small town of Eureka Springs. Home to the Great Passion Play, this sculpture of Jesus can be visited even without watching the play and offers a unique vantage of town. Whatever your feelings about religion are, this is said to be the third-largest sculpture of Christ between North and South America, which makes it an interesting sight to see in my opinion! Jesus of the Ozarks is located on Passion Play Rd, and is a stone’s throw away from the Great Passion Play location and a section of the Great Berlin Wall! 7. Thorncrown Chapel Thorncrown Chapel is a place close to Eureka Springs that you definitely need to make time for while visiting. Settled amidst lush vegetation and surrounded by trees, this glass-encased chapel is about as peaceful and serene as you can get! Located about 1.5 miles west of Eureka off Highway 62, Thorncrown Chapel is open between March and December for visitors to come and enjoy this inspiring structure. (For tips and directions, check out my post on Thorncrown Chapel!) 8. Staircase Mural Located downtown across Basin Park Hotel is the “Rainbow Staircase”, also known as the Cash and Boardman Mural. This is a pretty “insta-worthy” spot, and deserves a look while touring the downtown area! Start at the bottom end of North Main Street and you can’t miss it. 9. Inspiration Point Inspiration Point is another “insta-worthy” spot close to Eureka Springs. (Click here to check out my short and sweet post on Inspiration Point!) This spot offers a great view of the horseshoe-shaped bend in the White River, and is also a great view of the surrounding hills in all their glory! This spot is located about 5 miles west from Eureka Springs on Highway 62, and won’t take much time out of your itinerary! 10. Beaver Lake Beaver Lake makes a great destination for anyone interested in beautiful scenery, lakeside chilling, and of course water activities!! There are tons of rental options for pursuing water activities! of lakeside vacation rentals to choose from, as well as many There are even outfitters who specialize in scuba diving! You can easily spend an entire vacation just in this little northwest corner of Arkansas! This list, of course, is not all-inclusive of the many interesting and fun things to do around Eureka Springs, but it’s a start! I hope this has helped you plan your trip! Feel free to shoot me a comment with any questions or just to let me know what you think! Until next time!!