If you haven’t already, you should go read Ian’s post about our stay at the Crescent Hotel. He talks about the hotel itself and the ghost tour. This post will discuss some of our adventures outside the hotel.

Pictured above are more photos from inside the Crescent Hotel itself. Every corner of the hotel is beautifully decorated and tastefully restored. As a group of five, we stayed in two rooms. Ian and I stayed in the room pictured above, which also had a full bath attached, as did the other room (and, I assume, all of the hotel rooms). The other room’s bathroom was gorgeous, and ours was nice enough; although they were both doubles, if you’re inclined to visit, you should be aware that every room is going to be different and quirky in its own way.

The hotel itself was certainly the highlight of the trip, as it was intended to be. The mountain view from the balcony at their in-house pizza restaurant was breathtaking. I absolutely would have happily sat around for two weeks with some books and just read with a view. But we had other things on the docket!

Personally, I thought Grotto Spring (pictured above) was the most exciting, but I may have been influenced by hot weather to better appreciate a cool, damp cavern. The springs that are around the town center are also very nice, often embedded in their own little gardens with sitting areas. Note that the spring water is not considered safe to drink or to touch.

Other than visiting the springs, you should plan on a visit to Eureka Springs largely as a touristy shopping destination. Buy your snacks and tchotchkes. Visit the bunny cashiers (yes, they’re real…and so soft).

For food, the only place we went that I think is absolutely worth planning on is Ermilio’s. However, do know that it is a more upscale restaurant. Plan on spending around $70 for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Everything there was delicious, but a warning from Ian: don’t get the mussels appetizer and the clam pasta. The clam pasta is excellent, but it isn’t as flavorful as the mussels appetizer, so having them back to back was disappointing.

The other restaurants we visited were good enough and not horribly expensive, as tourist traps go, but I can’t say I particularly recommend any more than the ones we didn’t go to.

For me, some of the best things to do were just outside of Eureka Springs. The big cat sanctuary, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, is not free but was an incredible experience. We got to see many of the rescues on the safari ride, and the stories of where each came from made us feel that the money spent on tickets was worthwhile.

I also visited Thorncrown Chapel. Although I am not a religious person at all, I appreciated the quietude and unique beauty of it. Your mileage may vary.

There was so much we didn’t get to do in the area. On our list for next time: the steampunk inn, visiting more of the springs, visiting a cavern or two, and maybe seeing a performance instead of doing a tour.