 Eureka
Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States, one of the
two county seats for the county. It is located in the Ozark Mountains of
northwest Arkansas. The entire town of Eureka Springs is on the National
Register of Historic Places as the Eureka Springs Historic District and
is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Arkansas.
Eureka Springs is a unique
Victorian resort village in Carroll County, Arkansas which has its own
culture and lifestyle. The city has steep winding streets filled with Victorian-style
cottages and manors. The old commercial section of the city has an alpine
character, with an extensive streetscape of well-preserved Victorian buildings.
The buildings are primarily constructed of local stone and lie along streets
that curve around the hills and rise and fall with the topography in a
five-mile long loop. Some buildings have street-level entrances on more
than one floor. The local Catholic Church boasts a street-level entrance
to its bell tower. Eureka Springs has been selected as one of America's
Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
 Most
of the stores and shops in the commercial district are locally owned and
managed. They consist primarily of specialty shops featuring local crafts,
antiques, the works of local artists, and standard Ozark tourist fare.
The downtown area also features various coffee shops and sidewalk cafés.
The town has more than 20 art galleries in the downtown area. The city
maintains a trolley service providing transportation around town for the
tourists who visit the town.
The city hosts the 7-story
tall, 2 million pound, white concrete statue of Jesus known as the Christ
of the Ozarks, erected privately in 1966 as part of a planned religious
theme park. The statue sits across the valley from the downtown area and
is visible from most parts of the lakes and rivers in the immediate area.
The city is home to The Great Passion Play. The play is "America's #1 attended
Outdoor Drama," according to the Outdoor Institute of Drama at Chapel Hill,
North Carolina. Celebrating its 40th season in 2008, the play will welcome
its 7.5 millionth visitor. |
