From Spring to Spring

A perfect autumn road trip for Southeasterners is the cruise along Arkansas Scenic Highway 7 from Hot Springs north to Eureka Springs, the two quirkiest cities in the Natural State. Beginning in the Ouachita Mountains are these legendary hot, healing waters.  Then, at the end in the Ozark Mountains, discover a progressive community with one of the most haunted hotels in the country.  Buckle up, and let’s head north.

Hot Springs

Encapsulated in Hot Springs National Park, the city itself is best known for its waters—deemed a neutral ground by Native Americans long before the white man arrived, where disagreements were set aside for all to share in the healing vapors. It is assumed that Hernando de Soto visited the springs, as his expedition covered much of central and western Arkansas circa 1540. After the Louisiana Purchase and the area’s subsequent settlement in the 1800s, the city became a health resort destination. In 1832, Hot Springs became the United States’ first federal reservation (equivalent to a national park).

Bathhouse Row

The liquid bubbling up in Hot Springs is drinkable at the source. Fill your jugs for free in the center of town. Heated by deep tectonic plate friction, the local bathhouses bubble with 4,000-year-old water.

Of eight historic bathhouses, only the Buckstaff and the Quapaw still operate. Those, plus the Arlington Hotel facilities, are your choices for an authentic soak.

The out-of-operation, circa 1910 Fordyce Bathhouse serves as the city’s Visitor Center, with tours of elegant display baths—including the DeSoto Fountain, with its striking stained glass skylight and iconic sculptures.

[Read about Chris Turner-Neal's attempt to find diamonds in Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, here.]

I chose the traditional regime of the Buckstaff, which has been in continuous operation since 1912 and   entails soaking in a hot whirlpool sipping mineral water from a nearby spigot, followed by a sitz bath and a sweat in a personal steam chamber, finished by a trip to the cooling room for a massage.

Oaklawn Park Racing Casino Resort

During the last century and before, illegal gambling was a Hot Springs trademark, with law enforcement on the take. In 1899, disputes over casino territory erupted into a historic shootout between the city police and county sheriff deputies. Get a taste for some of this history at the circa-1904 Oaklawn Park Race Track, which is considered one of the best in the country and has a racing season from December to early May. There is also a full-service casino with a luxury hotel and spa.

The Gangster Museum of America

The Gangster Museum tells the stories of famous thugs who retreated to the vapors—such as how Al  Capone shipped illicit Prohibition moonshine to his Chicago clubs in plain sight by masquerading it as Mountain Valley Spring Water. Capone, Frank Costello, Owney

Madden and more are featured in six galleries depicting organized crime in the city and nation.  Of course, Capone has his room, but so does Alvin Karpis, America’s last official public enemy number one, who tutored John Dillinger, the Barkers and other Midwestern outlaws. The New York Connection covers Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, and Ben “Bugsy” Siegel and their frequent visits to Hot Springs. It is purported that Siegel’s inspiration for his Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel came from his many visits to Hot Springs.

Dining & Night Life

For breakfast, it’s The Pancake Shop, which has been around since 1940.  Order the signature blueberry pancakes, and  your waitress will advise cutting a well in the center of your pancake so the syrup won’t spill. The sausage, creamy grits, and apple buttered toast are complete perfection.

The Ohio Club is the oldest bar in Arkansas, but known for great food thanks to the owner Saddiq Mir who once managed food and beverage at both the San Francisco and New Orleans Fairmont Hotels (now Waldorf-Astoria). Ohio burgers are standouts, though the house Reuben is also excellent. Desserts include shoestring funnel cake fries dusted in powdered sugar.  End the night with “Naughty Milk and Cookies,” a caramel white Russian cocktail with toasted marshmallow garnish, served with chocolate chip and marshmallow filled cookies on a graham cracker base. Look for the photo of Senator Huey Long receiving the key to the city in 1932.

[View Camille DeLaune's photo essay of the fall color changes in Fayetteville, Arkansas, here.]

Find authentic Tri-State pizza at DeLuca’s Pizza, owned by a family from Brooklyn. Try the Franky’s Flatbush, a three-cheese pie made with homemade mozzarella, which reminded me of my favorites from years of business travel to New York City. Be warned: there’s only one size, eighteen inches, so go hungry or with friends.

In a converted bathhouse, the Superior Bathhouse Brewery is the only brewery in a U.S. National Park and the only one in the world brewing with thermal spring water—offering eighteen rotating brews on tap and a farm-to-table scratch kitchen. This fall’s Fouke-Ness Monster nods to two legends: Fouke, Arkansas where Big Foot sightings have been numerous and the Loch Ness monster, because it’s brewed with peated Scottish malt.

Baseball

Spring training was invented in Hot Springs when the Chicago White Stockings (Cubs) traveled down in 1886 to “boil out the winter” with the baths and mountain air practices. Over the next three decades, more than 300 major league players trained in the city, including 137 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In a parking lot near Whittington Park, a home plate denotes where Babe Ruth hit the first home run longer than five hundred feet (573, to be exact). The ball landed in a pool inside the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo, still operating today.

Where to Stay

Next year the grand Arlington Hotel and Spa will celebrate the centennial at its current location undergoing major renovations, though it has been a part of Hot Springs since 1875. Until those updates are done, it is still a delight to sleep in the heart of downtown Hot Springs, overlooking Bathhouse Row.  Former guests have included crime boss Al Capone, plus Babe Ruth and other famous athletes, movie stars, and U.S. presidents. Ruth signed his first major league baseball contract in the hotel’s bathhouse.

For a mix of modern and historic boutique hotel, consider The Waters Hotel, a Hilton Tapestry across the street from Bathhouse Row. It was opened in 2017 after a major conversion project of the 1913-built Thompson Office Building designed by George R. Mann, the architect of the state capitol.

On the Road to Eureka Springs

After sweating in the hot baths, it’s time to head north to Eureka Springs, known for equally healing, though chillier, spring waters. Most of the way will be via Arkansas Highway 7—a favorite of motorcyclists because of curves and steepness and the beauty, especially in the fall. Passing across the Arkansas River at Dardanelle, you leave the valley behind, climbing upwards to Jasper, Ponca, and the Buffalo National River—famous for float trips from March until late spring or mid-summer (depending on rainfall).   

Folklorist Vance Randolph once said of the Ozarks “It’s not that the mountains are so high but that the valleys are so deep.”  No greater example is a stop at the Route 7 Rotary Ann Roadside Park. It offers a beautiful 180-degree view of so-called Arkansas Grand Canyon.

Or, stop and dine with a view at Cliff House Inn—a restaurant, motel, and gift shop perched above the canyon. The owners are from Louisiana; po-boys are on the menu. But a traditional Arkansas catfish dinner is served with pinto beans, slaw, fries, pickled green tomatoes, and hot water cornbread.  For dessert “Company’s Coming” pie is a must:  pecan and saltine crackers in a baked meringue crust filled with fresh whipped cream and pineapple. It is the official Arkansas State Pie, decreed in 1986.

Learn about the Arkansas elk and other wildlife at the Ponca Elk Education Center.  Native elk were hunted to extinction in the 1800s. A species from the Colorado Rockies was introduced in 1981. The herd has grown to 600 and can be seen wandering along Boxley Valley roadways most anytime from fall to spring.

"But a traditional Arkansas catfish dinner is served with pinto beans, slaw, fries, pickled green tomatoes, and hot water cornbread.  For dessert “Company’s Coming” pie is a must:  pecan and saltine crackers in a baked meringue crust filled with fresh whipped cream and pineapple. It is the official Arkansas State Pie, decreed in 1986." —Ted Talley

Hawksbill Craig at Whitaker Point is one of the most iconic of Arkansas sights.  A pickup or SVU is recommended for the trek.  The turnoff sign is on Highway 21 six miles south of Ponca, then six miles up a gravel road, past a church to a parking area. Then it’s a moderate three-mile roundtrip hike to the crag and a spectacular view.  (Tip: The Jasper Advertising and Promotion Commission director Lisa Duet is a DeRidder native.  She has the scoop on all the area goings-on. experiencejasper.com.)

Your GPS will offer two options heading northwest to Eureka Springs. My favorite is Highway 21 to U.S. 412 then north on legendary State Highway 23, the “Pig Trail” because it twists and curls as a pig’s tail.

Take a Detour: The True Grit Trail

If you’re a fan of the Western fiction genre or frontier law enforcement non-fiction history, consider a westward detour before continuing on to the Buffalo River and Eureka Springs.

In Dardanelle, just before the Highway 7 bridge across the Arkansas River, is a turn-off to the west. This is the “True Grit Trail” (State Highway 22) made famous by the Charles Portis novel and the two movies it spawned. Though neither was filmed in Arkansas, the 2010 version starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon best resembled its Arkansas locales though filmed in Texas and New Mexico. Still, diehard fans of “The Duke” will forgive John Wayne’s original 1968 version, with towering Rocky Mountains standing in for the book’s gentle Ouachitas as its laughable backdrop. (At least Wayne’s male co-star was himself an Arkansas native Glen Campbell.)

Where fiction meets reality is a left turn on Highway 22, running 75 miles from where Mount Nebo is seen in the distance, and following the route to Fort Smith where protagonist Mattie Ross finds Rooster Cogburn and potential justice. The Trail itself starts in Dardanelle, where a state park offers a mountain view, camping, biking and hiking.

Further along, the countryside is filled with plenty of creeks and recreational areas with fishing accesses, such as Jones Creek, Delaware Creek, and Shoal Bay Recreation Area. At Paris, there’s True Grit Grounds, where you can get a cup of Rooster's Roast (a double shot of espresso dropped  in a mug of black coffee, with a hint of hazelnut) and a Trail's Triple Meat hoagie sandwich.

In Subiaco is the beautiful Subiaco Abbey and historic Academy founded by Benedictine monks in 1878.  Contrast:  Outside my hometown in Covington, St. Joseph’s Abbey monks build wooden coffins; in Subiaco they brew beer, like Abbey Amber or True Grit Ale.

The town of Charleston has a big wide main street in the Old West tradition where you find small shops and well-preserved brick buildings. For a nostalgic treat and mid-century roadside architecture, go for a burger and soft serve at the Dairy Diner on Main Street.

At the end of the trail are two larger river cities, Fort Smith on the south banks and Van Buren to the north. The Fort Smith National Historical Site is maintained by the National Parks Service with admission charges for indoor exhibits (which are covered if you have National Parks Pass). There is no charge for walking the grounds. The site focuses on the eighty-year period from the founding of the first fort in 1817 until the final days of “Hanging Judge Parker” in 1896, when the region was still Indian Territory.   Historical facilities include the barracks and dining hall, the courthouse, and of course, the gallows.

Less than two miles upstream is the United States Marshals Museum, a distinctively modern structure in contrast to the old fort site. The museum—which only just opened its doors in July, 2023—shares the story of the legendary marshals service begun in 1789.  Inside, you’ll encounter topical galleries tracing not just the history of the service but its changing function over the decades, from frontier law enforcement to modern-day crime. Having just learned of Hot Springs gangsters, you might find it an ironic juxtaposition to see how marshals risked life and limb to bring the bad guys to justice, as in one display of illicit whiskey confiscation during Prohibition. More poignant images are of marshals protectively escorting African-American grade school and college students into previously segregated facilities.

Across the river is Van Buren, which has a historic downtown district with the expected array:  Victorian architecture, gift and antique shops, candy kitchens, and eateries. Of special note is the old train station that still operates. The Arkansas and Missouri Railroad operates a daily excursion through the Boston Mountains to and from Springdale.

For a quick return to Russellville and Highway 7, hop on Interstate 40, or for a slower pace, choose U.S. 64 which roughly parallels the Arkansas River. The highway lends its name to “Bargains Galore on 64,” the 160 mile-long yard sale from Van Buren to Beebe held the second weekend of August each year.    

In the town of Ozark, the historic bridge over the Arkansas River, completed in 1931, is considered the most beautifully designed bridge in the United States by the American Institute of Steel Construction. At this place, one may ponder the origin of the term “Ozark,” which is not Native American but corrupted from what French explorers saw in this region. One origin story claims the name is derived from “Aux Arc” or “of the arc or bend”—a comment on the distinct river bend here.  Think of Ozark, Arkansas as a small “Crescent City” and chuckle at the thought—if Monsieur Iberville hadn’t eagerly named his new outpost after the Duke of Orleans, but rather from the pronounced curve of the Mississippi, then Louisiana’s largest city might be called Ozark.  Others say the root of the word is “Bois d’arc,” literally “wood of the bow” seen in the hands of Native Americans, as reported by the French exploring the region.

Altus makes an appropriate end for your detour, as the center of Arkansas’s wine industry. The legacy of winemaking in Arkansas began with two European winemakers: Jacob Post, who came to America in 1872, and Johann Wiederkehr, who immigrated to Altus from Switzerland in 1880. The climate and topography of this particular part of the river valley were similar to the fine wine-making regions of Germany and Switzerland. Wiederkehr was drawn to the area specifically because of his ties to the Swiss monks at Subiaco Monastery.  His first wine cellar is now the restaurant at Widerkehr Wine Cellars Inc.

Tours are available at some locations; the most notable is Wiederkehr Village, with a wine tour and lunch or dinner at the Old World-themed Weinkeller Restaurant.  The fondue and wurst sampler appetizers are authentic, and main course selections like Matterhorn Schnitzel and beef Stroganoff signal your later destination, the Little Switzerland of America (Eureka Springs).   

Folklorist Vance Randolph once said of the Ozarks “It’s not that the mountains are so high but that the valleys are so deep.” 

Eureka Springs

Imagine New Orleans’s French Quarter and St. Tammany’s Abita Springs tossed in a bag of beignets and sprinkled over the Ozark Mountains. You’d have arty, progressive Eureka Springs where streets intersect at disparate elevations, seldom at square angles.

Legend says that Sioux Indians cured their blind princess by washing her eyes with local spring water.  In 1854 Dr. Alvah Jackson used the waters to cure his son, who also suffered an ailment to his eyes. His evangelization efforts of the water’s curing properties attracted attention nationally, and Eureka Springs became an official settlement in 1879.

Today the population is about 2,100 and the springs are for atmospherics, not consumption. The city is filled with restaurants, cafes, shops, galleries and accommodations including historic hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, cabins, and Alpine themed motels. Called the “Bible Belt’s LGBTQ+ Oasis,” rainbowed VW hippy busses and old Volvos share the roads with motor coaches and church buses. Even little mythicals are welcome: shops have tiny fairy doors at sidewalk level.   

Dining

Le Stick Nouveau is a creative fine dining experience owned by Brandon and Donna Cox.  It’s open only Friday through Sunday evenings, usually serving a prix fixe dinner. Reservations absolutely required.  Eureka typical:  The owners post selfie videos shot around town announcing upcoming thematic menus. For example, March was “80s Throwback” featuring gourmet standards Lobster Thermidor, Duck á l’Orange and a deconstructed cherries jubilee dessert and September was “FALL-ing in Love” with carrot ginger soup, pear and clove sorbet, and locally-source lamb meatballs.    

The Eureka Grill at 71 Spring St. is great for very casual dining and a favorite of my friends, Louisiana natives Buddy and Annie Spell who split their time between a cottage in Eureka Springs and their home in Covington. Expect burgers with fresh cut fries, homemade pimento cheese sandwiches, and fish tacos. Buddy’s favorite is fish and chips, which I concur. The outdoor dining area is dog friendly.  Cash only.

Performing Arts

In Eureka Springs, The Great Passion Play is regularly performed  in an outdoor amphitheater east of town near U.S. 62 from May through October with a cast of 170 actors and dozens of live animals. Also on the property is the Christ of the Ozarks statue (the largest Christ statue in North America), a Holy Land replica with an interactive tour, a section of the Berlin Wall, and a Bible Museum with over 6,000 Bibles, including a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible. Since opening in 1968, the play has drawn an attendance of over 7.7 million people, making it the most-attended outdoor drama in the nation. The play is set against an expansive, realistic set depicting Jerusalem and Holy Week leading to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. The special effects are stunning.

In September 1929, John Phillip Sousa and his brass band opened the new City Auditorium known locally as The Aud. Modern day posters of previous performers adorn the lobby:  Willie Nelson, Emmy Lou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Judy Collins, B.B. King, Don McLean and others have played for the fine acoustic bones and savvy ticket-holders of this 986-seat "Ryman Auditorium" of the Ozarks.

Car Shows

Eureka Springs is popular for antique car club meets. Often the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks is the base.  Upcoming examples:  October 5—Corvette Weekend, October 21—Ford Galaxie Club of America (I’ll be there in my 1972 LTD convertible), and November 8—Porsche Palooza. Every August, the annual VW bug and van parade is trippy.

Where to stay

The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa is a Eureka Springs classic. One of the most haunted hotels in the nation, it’s been featured in more than fifteen national and international paranormal television shows.  Guests and non-guests can take popular ghost tours led by period-dressed guides. Among several spirits there is Michael, the Irish stonemason who fell to his death during construction into what became Room 218, where guests report cries of a falling man and hands appearing in the bathroom mirror.  Theodora in Room 419 dislikes discord. If you leave belongings in disarray you might find them organized when you return, it is said.  One couple who exchanged harsh words in the room returned after a night out to discover their suitcases packed by the door, ready for eviction. They checked out.

The equally historic Basin Park Hotel is in the center of action, where busy, hilly Main, Center, and Spring Streets converge at acute angles by a flatiron building (also a hotel).  Many rooms overlook Basin Park. Both the Crescent and the Basin Park have full-service day spas.

Last century’s Joy Motel has been updated to become Wanderoo Lodge with a kitschy, laid-back vibe. The current owner’s great-grandparents opened the place first in the 1920s.   

Sated and spring-water saturated, you have two options returning home. An hour’s drive west is Bentonville with the extraordinary Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and a vibrant food scene, then home via Interstate 49 South.  Or east to Harrison, then south on U.S. 65 through the Arkansas Delta.

Either way, you linger a day or two longer in the lore-filled land of Arkansas.

visiteurekasprings.com

hotsprings.org

Save the Date: Back at Russellville, home of Arkansas Tech University, excitement is reaching new heights, literally, with anticipation for the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse.  Both Russellville and Dardanelle expect to be bursting at the seams with visitors, as  the path of darkness passes directly above both communities.  So, for the three-hour event, you needn’t fly “your Lear Jet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun ” as in the Carly Simon song, but merely drive up to Arkansas. eclipserussellville.com. 

Disclaimer: This trip was hosted and partially funded by the Hot Springs and Eureka Springs CVBs though the opinions of the writer are his own and formed independently of this fact.