Eureka Springs: city amenities, natural setting

April 4, 2011 - PRLog -- (EUREKA SPRINGS, AR) –  First-time visitors to Eureka Springs are often surprised to learn the entire downtown of this charming little Victorian village – from art galleries to fine restaurants, hopping night spots and quirky little shops - is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There’s no big shopping malls, no straight streets, and not a single stoplight.

And even more surprising, this eclectic getaway town in the heart of the Ozarks boasts more than 60 natural springs inside the city limits and even the downtown is cradled by limestone cliffs alive with greenery.  

In short, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is an eco-tourist’s dream.

Visitors love Eureka Springs’ many self-guided walking tours. Six marked and mapped walking trails take you past historic homes, limestone bluffs, gardens, woodlands, hollows and springs. And if you prefer to just meander and explore, never fear getting lost. Friendly locals will always help you find your way back to where you began.

Known as “the town that water built,” Eureka Springs honors its history by landscaping its many springs and pocket parks with plantings that make them glorious to behold. City gardener DonE Allen maintains it all meticulously, and each changing season brings a colorful new display. Maps showing the locations of the springs and parks are available at city offices and the Chamber of Commerce.

If, however, your ideal vacation includes time away from the sights and sounds of town, miles of hiking and biking trails, nearby lakes and rivers, and a beautiful city park complete with an 85-acre lake for fishing or boating, are all within minutes of downtown.

The town nestles between the Kings River and the White River. Both waterways offer fishing, canoeing, guide services, and accommodations from rustic to luxurious. Seasonal water conditions may determine which activities are best.

At the western edge of town, off US 62W, you’ll find Lake Leatherwood Park, a 1,600-acre municipal park surrounding an 85-acre spring-fed lake.  One of the town’s best kept secrets, it’s a place of natural serenity, with wild beauty only partially tamed.  The lake itself is formed by one of the largest hand-cut native limestone dams in the country. The WPA built the dam and several structures at the park in the early 1940s, and the park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A day fishing on the lake or from the banks might yield blue gill, crappie, bream, large mouth bass or channel catfish, and designated swimming areas are located near the WPA-era diving platform.  

Waterfowl, heron, geese, bald eagles and wild turkey all visit the lake and its banks, and the surrounding woodlands are home to many varieties of wildlife.

Fifteen miles of maintained trails cover the varied terrain surrounding the lake and can take you deep into the forest in other areas of the park.

Trails are closed to motorized vehicles, and even on a busy day, there’s enough elbowroom for hikers and bicyclists to relish the solitude. Surprises delight you at every bend in the trail: cool springs trickling through a bed of bright green moss, the burble of a narrow creek, the unusual rock formations, the sudden appearance of historic stone walls and bridges. The woods are filled with birds, and deer slip silently between light and shadow.

Want to spend more time in the park? Cabins and camping are available from March through November.

Closer to town is Black Bass Lake Park, opened in 2009.  This park follows the rim of the 1894 city reservoir, and the lake is contained by a cut limestone dam blocking one end of Oil Spring Gulch. The lake is fed by several springs under and around the site. Like Lake Leatherwood Park, Black Bass is also on the National Register of Historic Places.  The trail around the lake winds through patches of wildflowers and native plants, and affords splendid views of the fish and other aquatic life living in the shimmering green water.  
Bullfrogs croak at water’s edge, and hundreds of butterflies excite the air during the summer. You are well within city limits, but the deep silence and the embrace of the woods and limestone bluffs makes the park seem very remote.  

Beaver Lake is a 20-minute drive west of town, and if you are hungering for outdoors to explore, 487 miles of shoreline highlighted by limestone bluffs will satisfy the need. Marinas and outfitters are everywhere. Cabins, resorts and other lodging ring the lake, and more than 2,000 acres of campground with 650 individual campsites await your RV or tent stakes.

Electricity and fire-rings, drinking water, showers and nearby restrooms make camping easy. Other facilities -- picnic sites, swimming beaches, hiking trails, boat launching ramps, group picnic shelters and amphitheaters -- are also available.

Beaver Lake is a popular scuba diving destination because the water is unusually clear for an inland lake; scuba diving equipment rental is available.

Narrated tours of Beaver Lake are available aboard a “Belle of the Ozarks” lake cruise.  They last approximately 90 minutes and are relaxing as well as educational.

Also west of town on US 62, is Blue Spring Heritage Center, a Native American sacred site. The spring pours forth 38 million gallons of cold, pristine water each day, and is surrounded by beautifully gardened grounds.

Ten miles north of town  Foundation Farm - named to reflect its mission – has become a blueprint for a sustainable, small-scale organic farm.  You may tour the no-till farm by appointment, and sample their produce at local farmers’ markets or cooking classes offered by Karen Gros, one of the owners of the farm. The Foundation farmers hope to inspire others through their farm school, internship, and other outreach programs.  
Inside the city limits, the pace is still deliciously rural: no one seems to be in a hurry, and folks – locals and visitors alike - stop and chat, if you’re so inclined.

Eureka Springs is also home to the world’s largest sanctuary for big cats – the non-profit Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is located seven miles south of town.  Set on a hilltop with a splendid view of the surrounding countryside, the Refuge houses lions, tigers and cougars, as well as a few other large animals. Feeding time is not to be missed: the cats sing for their supper, a hair-raising cacophony that reminds you of the wildness of these creatures, despite their containment at the refuge.

Geological attractions abound, and show caves, well lit and easy to access, include Cosmic Cavern, War Eagle Cavern, and Onyx Cave, all within a 30-minute drive of town.  
Just outside town, several large state parks offer the gamut of eco-tourism opportunities and facilities.  Withrow Springs State Park is a 30-minute drive south on AR 23.  Roaring River State Park, 45 minutes north, is near Seligman, MO.  And 30 minutes southwest of town, on the shores of Beaver Lake, Hobbs State Park- Conservation Area can provide hours or days of outdoor adventure.

And if you’re the eco-traveler who still likes a comfy bed at the end of a long outdoors day, you can stay close to nature in a treehouse, cabin or cottage in the woods…right in the city itself.  Bed and breakfast inns, five historic hotels and many modern motels and lodges are beautiful landscaped, and often overlook forested areas, as well.

There’s nothing as refreshing and restorative as time spent in the country. Eureka Springs is an oasis of old-fashioned peace in a bustling modern world. You’ll find it’s real fun. And it’s real close by.
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