Things to do in Eureka Springs

The 2026 guide · checked October 8, 2026

Things to do in Eureka Springs

Eureka Springs is an Ozark Mountains town built around its water: the city parks department counts more than 60 natural cold springs, and the town grew into a Victorian-era health resort around them. Today it's known for the 1886 Crescent Hotel's ghost tours, Thorncrown Chapel's 425 windows, the 67-foot Christ of the Ozarks statue, and a downtown you can cover on foot or by trolley.

Historic Downtown (Spring & Main Streets)

Basin Spring Park at 4 Spring Street is the hub, the Historical Museum is at 95 S. Main, and the parks department says the most popular springs are along Spring and Main Streets. The trolley's Red Route loops the historic district.

Highway 62 West

Thorncrown Chapel sits 1.5 miles west of town on Hwy 62, and Lake Leatherwood City Park is at 1303 County Road 204, a stop on the trolley's west-side Purple Route by request. The Eureka Springs Transit & Welcome Center (trolley stop #1, tram tours) is at 137 W. Van Buren on the same highway.

North Main Street

The Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway depot is at 299 N. Main, at Hillside. The trolley's Yellow Route runs North Main and Magnetic Road out to the Passion Play grounds.

Passion Play Road (east side)

The Great Passion Play grounds at 935 Passion Play Rd hold the Christ of the Ozarks statue, a Bible museum, and 18 miles of mountain bike trails. The trolley's Blue and Yellow routes stop here.

1. 1

   Thorncrown Chapel

   Landmark

   Architect E. Fay Jones, who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright, designed this glass chapel in the woods. It opened in 1980, rises 48 feet, and has 425 windows. Admission is free, and Sunday services run at 9 and 11 a.m. April through October.

   Free; donations welcomed · Mar–Dec 9am–5pm (can close as early as 12:30pm for special events); closed Jan–Feb

   12968 Highway 62 W, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

   What's on hereOfficial site

2. 2

   Christ of the Ozarks & The Great Passion Play

   Landmark · free outing

   The statue stands 67 feet tall with a 65-foot arm span, and the grounds are open 365 days a year at no charge. The Great Passion Play's outdoor drama runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays through the first two weeks of November, and shows have started at 7:30 p.m. since Labor Day (7 p.m. in November).

   Statue & grounds free; Passion Play adult ticket (17+) $45 + $3.01 fee · Statue & Cross daily 8am–8pm (11pm on Passion Play nights); gift shop & Bible Museum 9am–5pm, closed Sun

   935 Passion Play Rd, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

   Official site

3. 3

   Crescent Hotel Ghost Tour (1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa)

   Tour · date night

   Guides walk you through the 1886 hotel telling ghost stories in the rooms where they happened, and the tour ends in Norman Baker's morgue. It starts on the 4th floor, runs several evenings a week with times that vary by night, and is for ages 5 and up. There's also a 45-minute kids' ghost tour for ages 5–12.

   $29.50; $15 for kids 12 & under on the earlier family tour times

   75 Prospect Ave, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

   Official site

4. 4

   Eureka Springs Historical Museum

   Museum · rainy days

   This self-guided museum covers the healing springs, the town's start as a Victorian health resort, the Baker Hospital era, and the arts and counter-culture years. It doubles as the official visitor center with free maps. Its lantern-lit cemetery tours, "Voices from Eureka's Silent City," run October 15, 16, 17, 22 and 23, 2026, with a free trolley to the cemetery.

   $5 · 9:30am–4pm; closed Sun & Wed

   95 S. Main Street, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

   Official site

5. 5

   Basin Spring Park

   Landmark · free live music

   The parks department calls this downtown spring "the heart of Eureka Springs": it has the Basin Park Fire Bell, war memorials and a historic bandshell. The free Basin Park Concert Series ran here through summer and early fall (the last 2026 show listed was October 2), and the park hosts monthly Drumming in the Park nights in summer and fall.

   4 Spring Street, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

   What's on hereOfficial site

6. 6

   Eureka Springs Transit (trolleys & open-air tram tours)

   Tour

   Park once at the Transit & Welcome Center ($5 a day) and ride the trolley routes all day on a $6 pass. The narrated open-air tram tour takes about 85 minutes and stops at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church and Harding Spring.

   Trolley: $6 adult all-day pass, $2 kids 7–11, $4 one ride. Tram tour: $19 + tax adults, $9 + tax under 12 · May–Oct trolleys Sun–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 9am–8pm; tram tours daily 1pm & 3pm May–Oct

   137 W. Van Buren (Hwy 62), Eureka Springs, AR 72632

   Official site

7. 7

   Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway

   Family · kids

   The conductor narrates this hour-long, 4.5-mile excursion on the restored Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad, which runs out to "Junction" and back. Lunch (noon) and dinner (5 p.m.) trains run on the same days in an air-conditioned dining car and need reservations.

   Excursion $21.42 adults, $13.26 ages 4–10, under 4 free (tax included) · Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat through Oct 31; depot opens 9:30am

   299 North Main Street (Highway 23 North), Eureka Springs, AR 72632

   What's on hereOfficial site

8. 8

   Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

   Family · kids

   This GFAS-accredited sanctuary is home to about 100 animals: tigers, lions, leopards, bears, hyenas and more. General admission includes an hour-long guided ride on an open-air tram, which leaves on the hour, plus time in the self-guided Discovery Area.

   $35 adults 13+ ($32 online); $25 kids 4–12, seniors 65+ and military/veterans ($22 online); under 3 free · 8:30am–4pm; open until 5pm during Daylight Saving Time (Mar–Nov); last tram leaves 1 hour before close

   239 Turpentine Creek Lane, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

   What's on hereOfficial site

9. 9

   Blue Spring Heritage Center

   Outdoors

   Blue Spring pours 38 million gallons of cold water a day into a lagoon full of trout. The grounds also have native gardens and a bluff shelter listed on the National Register of Historic Places, on land connected to the Cherokee during the Trail of Tears. The tour is handicap accessible; pets are not allowed (service animals only).

   $17.75 adults; $9.75 kids 6–15; 5 & under free; $15.75 seniors 65+ and veterans · 9am–6pm, Mar 15–Nov 29; closed Thanksgiving Day

   1537 Co Rd 210, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

   What's on hereOfficial site

10. 10

    Lake Leatherwood City Park

    Outdoors · hiking, kids

    This 1,610-acre city park surrounds an 85-acre spring-fed lake held back by one of the country's largest hand-cut native limestone dams, which the WPA built in the early 1940s. Beacham Trail circles the whole lake. The marina sells boats and fishing supplies, and there's a 7,600-square-foot playground under catalpa trees.

    1303 CR 204, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

    Official site

11. 11

    Black Bass Lake City Park

    Outdoors · hiking, fishing

    This park is just below town and has a 3-mile system of five trails past Standing Rock, Roosevelt Rock and an earthen, cut-stone dam built in 1894. The lake allows no motors, and there are no facilities at the park.

    Oil Springs Road, off W. Van Buren / Hwy 62 W, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

    Official site

12. 12

    Harmon Park

    Family · kids

    This 6.45-acre city park on Spring Street has a playground, skate park, dog park and restrooms. The easy 1.4-mile Harmon Park Loop walking trail runs through its shaded paths and on toward Spring Garden and Upper Spring Street.

    532 Spring Street, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

    Official site

13. 13

    Quigley's Castle

    History

    Elise Quigley started this house in 1943 after tearing down the family's three-room home. She covered its outside walls with rocks, fossils and arrowheads she'd collected since childhood. Tropical plants grow up to the second floor inside, and parakeets fly free in the house. Tours are given when you arrive, and you don't need a reservation.

    $10 adults; kids 14 & under free with a parent · Apr 1–Oct 31, 10am–4:30pm (arrive 20 min before close); closed Sun & Thu; March & November call

    274 Quigley Castle Rd, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

    Official site

14. 14

    Intrigue Theater

    Arts · date night

    This historic Gothic theater has staged live magic and mentalism since 2010, with current shows starring Sean-Paul and Juliana Fay. Portal, the main show, runs about 90 minutes for all ages. Perplexed is close-up magic for at most 24 guests, ages 10+. Paranormal Experiments (ages 12+) runs on limited dates July–October.

    Portal: $29.95 general, $39.95 premium (2nd row), $49.95 VIP (front row)

    80 Mountain Street, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

    What's on hereOfficial site

Hours and prices as each place posts them, checked October 8, 2026; they change, so confirm before you go. Curation is never sold.