Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Quigley's Castle is a magical place, a product of the vivid imagination of one very special lady. Located just south of Eureka Springs, the historic house was designed by Elise Quigley and built by her husband and their neighbor using the lumber from their property.

On the outside, the house is covered with stones and rocks she collected during the trips she has taken since childhood.

Unusual for its time, the house has huge windows, and tropical plants are growing from the soil that is left inside of the house. The plants stretch two stories high and are still thriving just as they were during Elise's time.

Elise planted a lush garden outside of the house that she continued to work on throughout her whole life.

The fascinating house is today a museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nobody passing by can resist stopping in to have a look, and the family is now charging admission.

274 Quigley Castle Rd, Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9144, Phone: 479 253-8311

Only five miles from Eureka Springs, Arkansas, you will find The Blue Spring Heritage Center, a 33-acre garden with lush woodlands, sprawling meadows, and rolling hillsides covered with native plants and a range of hardwood trees.

A beautiful lagoon fed by the nearby Blue Spring is filled with trout, and it is a serene place to sit by and relax.

The garden is also a historic site that was inhabited during the Mississippian and Early Archaic periods.

Several Native American peoples lived in the area for thousands of years, and there are artifacts that have been excavated at the Blue Spring Shelter that attest to that.

Blue Spring Heritage Center has been popular among tourists since the late 40's and is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.

1537 County Road 210, Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9418, Phone: 479-253-9244

There is no more entertaining way of exploring Eureka Springs historic downtown than on board one of the colorful trams that bring to life old trams that were roaming the streets of Eureka Springs since 1891.

Knowledgeable local guides narrate the tram tours, and they will share with you the love for their city, bringing to life its history, culture, and architecture.

The tours start at the Visitors Center on West Van Buren Street just west of the stately Queen Anne Mansion and take about an hour and half. The tram makes two stops.

The first stop will allow you 15 minutes to explore the majestic 1886 Crescent Hotel (Video) and to enjoy spectacular views of the city from its 4th floor observation terrace.

A stroll through the hotel gardens is also worth spending a few minutes. The second stop is at Grotto Spring, one of about 63 springs in the city, and there are more than 1,200 springs within a seven mile radius of the city limits.

During the trip, you will pass by hundreds of beautiful old homes and historic structures that tell the story of the city's past.

Eureka Springs Historic District Tram Tours, 137 W van Buren, Eureka Springs, AR 72632-3650, Phone: 479-253-9572

The Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway is a private tourist railway that was established in 1981 in Eureka Springs. It follows the route and brings to life the historic 1882 Eureka Springs Railway. The train offers four and half-mile narrated excursion rides that take passengers on a trip of about one hour to the "Junction" Arkansas and back.

Passengers can also enjoy gourmet lunch or dinner in a beautifully decorated Eurekan Dining Car. The four and half mile-trip takes about one hour, just enough time for you to enjoy your meal. An authentic 1940-era diesel locomotive pulls the train.

299 N Main St, Post Office Box 310, Eureka Springs, AR 72632-3144, Phone: 479-253-9623

What to do if you are traveling with kids:

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is a 459-acre sanctuary in Eureka Springs for abandoned, abused, and neglected big cats, mostly tigers. The Jackson family started with two of their own lions in 1978 but soon acquired a large number of animals from illegal trade that were living in horrendous conditions. At the time, there were very few sanctuaries of the kind, and the number of people who owned exotic pets that grew to be unmanageable grew rapidly.

Today, they offer lifetime sanctuary for those animals that cannot be rehabilitated and returned to the wild. Their spacious ranch offers spacious natural habitats for the large exotic animals that now number 130, among them lions, cougars, black bears, bobcats, tigers, a monkey, a coatinumdi, a grizzly bear, and a serval. The refuge is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture and depends on donations for its funding.

239 Turpentine Creek Ln, Eureka Springs, AR 72632, Phone: 479-253-5841

The Eureka Springs Historical Museum is located in the historic 1889 Calif Building in the city's Historic District. Its mission is to collect, preserve, document, and exhibit objects, mostly photographs and art, about the cultural history of Eureka Springs. The first floor of the museum houses permanent collections such as Our Native American History, Fires-The Big Ones!, Eureka Springs, The City That Water Built, and Travel and Tourism.

The temporary exhibit The Original Ozark Folk Festival is also on this floor. The second floor gallery contains exhibits such as Crescent College, Schools, and Medicine, and an Art Gallery that exhibits artwork of artists that contributed to bringing the artist boom to Eureka Springs.

95 S Main St, Eureka Springs, AR 72632, Phone: 479-253-9417

Activities and Attractions for Couples and Singles:

The Crescent Hotel is a historic hotel on Prospect Avenue in Eureka Springs, Arkansas with a reputation as one of America's most haunted buildings. Hotel guests can enjoy a Crescent Hotel Ghost Tour for a small fee, or they can just wait for a ghost to appear in their rooms. Built in 1886 as a luxury resort for the rich and famous who came to Eureka Springs for its healing waters, the hotel had a turbulent history and changed owners and its purpose many times. The hotel is said to be haunted by at least eight ghosts.

Among them, you might find a young woman who is said to have jumped from the roof, a nurse who worked in the hotel while it was a hospital, the ghost of Dr. John Freemont Ellis, Theadora (a cancer victim), and others. The hotel was part of the TV show Ghost Hunters, presenting the ghost of a man wearing a hat and nodding his head. The guests of the hotel are known to roam the corridors, which is nice to know if you're trying to capture an image of ghosts with your camera.

75 Prospect Ave, Eureka Springs, AR 72632, Phone: 479-253-9766

Developed over 100 years ago, Pivot Rock and Natural Bridge is one of the most unique natural attractions in Eureka Springs. Both fun and historical, the park is home to a number of interesting rock formations set against the beautiful Ozark Mountains. Visitors can make their way through the winding walkways and find two of the park’s most iconic formations— Pivot Rock and Natural Bridge. Some of the formations are so unique, they have even been featured on Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Visitors may also be interested in learning that the park was believed to be one of the hideouts of notorious outlaw Jesse James. Visitors are welcome to the park during spring, summer, and fall.

1708 Pivot Rock Road, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Phone: 479-253-8860

Unique to Eureka Springs and famous for its ghost appearances, Intrigue Theater is the creation of illusionist Sean-Paul and his wife, Juliana Fay, who appears as a medium. The couple run their show out of the historic Gavioli Chapel in Eureka Springs' historic district. It was built in 1901 as a church but now serves as a private building used for weddings and other events, including the performances of Intrigue Theater.

The couple started their most famous show on Halloween in 2012 in the mysterious Crescent Hotel's Crystal Ballroom, already famous for its ghost tours and spirit appearances. The rest of the year the couple takes their performances to other mysterious, haunted venues in the region. The mysteries of Golden Age of Magic inspire these illustionists, and they appear dressed in Victorian costumes while performing tricks such as Ghost Talking and Voodoo to Walking through Brick Walls.

80 Mountain St, Eureka Springs, AR 72632-3315, Phone: 855-446-8744

Located just a few miles from the historic Eureka Springs (Video), Arkansas and known as Eureka Springs West, Beaver Lake is a jewel high up in the Ozark Mountains and a source of the beautiful White River. With 487 miles of scenic shoreline and 31,700 acres of spectacular nature, Beaver Lake area is perfect both for those seeking solitude or looking for recreational opportunities.

It's one of the clearest lakes in the country, and because of high visibility, it is particularly popular among scuba divers. You can also enjoy canoeing White River, visiting Thorncrown Chapel, and hiking around Lake Leatherwood. Huge limestone bluffs, deep mysterious caves, and many natural springs will delight photographers and nature lovers alike.

4022 Mundell Rd, Eureka Springs, AR 72631-8911