Things to do in Siloam Springs

The 2026 guide · checked October 8, 2026

Things to do in Siloam Springs

Siloam Springs is the Northwest Arkansas town on the Oklahoma line whose downtown was built along Sager Creek, where stone walls and walking bridges line the water. In one day you can see a free history museum, the splash pad and Chautauqua Amphitheater in Memorial Park, two engineered Class I-II rapids on the Illinois River, and John Brown University's Cathedral of the Ozarks, built in 1945.

Downtown / Sager Creek

Sager Creek runs through downtown past stone walls, walking bridges and dogwoods. Memorial Park and the library share 205 E. Jefferson, Twin Springs Park sits at Broadway and Main, and the museum is one block east of Broadway on Maxwell Street.

John Brown University (W. University St.)

The campus at 2000 W. University St. holds the 1,000-seat Cathedral of the Ozarks and the 500-seat Berry Performing Arts Center. Both host concerts and theater that are open to the public.

Illinois River and the Oklahoma line

West of town, the city's Kayak Park on Fisher Ford Road has engineered rapids on the Illinois River. Across the state line in Oklahoma are WOKA Whitewater Park in Watts and Natural Falls State Park near Colcord.

City Lake Park

This 165-acre city park on Dawn Hill East Road dates to 1944. It has a lake for fishing and paddling and a network of mountain-bike and hiking loops.

1. 1

   Siloam Springs Museum

   Museum

   Founded in 1969, it has rotating exhibits on Native American culture, pioneer life, the town's springs and resorts, medicine and local industries, plus period rooms set up as a pre-Civil War home and a turn-of-the-century home. Its archive can help you look up the history of a particular house or building.

   Free (donations accepted) · Tue-Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

   112 N. Maxwell St., Siloam Springs, AR 72761

   Official site

2. 2

   Memorial Park and Chautauqua Amphitheater

   Family · Kids in summer (splash pad)

   This downtown park next to the library has the KIA Veterans Memorial, a restored gazebo, lawn space, the Chautauqua Amphitheater, and the farmers market's home base. In summer the splash pad runs daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Push the button on the grey bollard in the northwest corner and it runs for 20 minutes.

   205 E. Jefferson, Siloam Springs, AR 72761

   Official site

3. 3

   Siloam Springs Farmers Market

   Food & drink · Families, Saturday mornings

   Only producers may sell at this market. Farmers come from Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma with produce and pasture-raised pork, chicken and beef, along with bakers and artisans. On the 2nd Saturday from May to October, Kid Day runs the Power of Produce Club for ages 3-12. SNAP purchases are doubled through the market's Double Your Dollar program.

   205 E. Jefferson, Siloam Springs, AR 72761 (Memorial Park)

   Official site

4. 4

   Downtown Siloam Springs

   Shopping

   The historic downtown has antique stores, boutiques, furniture shops, art and kitchen goods, and places to eat that run from brick-oven pizza and gelato to cafe food and Mexican. Main Street Siloam Springs, a nonprofit founded in 1985, runs the farmers market and annual downtown events.

   Official site

5. 5

   Twin Springs Park

   Outdoors

   This downtown park sits on Sager Creek at Broadway and Main and has a 300-square-foot gazebo that the city rents out. The city calls the park and the creek one of the town's most iconic features, and in 2024 it won an $80,000 placemaking grant to fix up the park.

   Intersection of Broadway and Main Streets, Siloam Springs, AR 72761

   Official site

6. 6

   Siloam Springs Kayak Park

   Outdoors · Paddlers, tubers, families

   The park has two engineered Class I-II rapids on the Illinois River, plus a family swimming area, a climbing boulder, picnic area, changing area and an accessible riverbank. Kids under 13 must wear life jackets, and starting Memorial Day the park lends them out. Paddling is best between 200 and 600 cfs, and the park closes to swimmers and private boaters when the Highway 16 gauge hits 1,000 cfs. Alcohol, glass and charcoal or wood grills are not allowed.

   Free; $10/car parking on weekends Memorial Day-Labor Day (electronic payment only) · Sunrise-sunset; 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on summer weekends

   19253 Fisher Ford Road, Siloam Springs, AR 72761

   Official site

7. 7

   City Lake Park

   Outdoors · Mountain biking, fishing, trail running

   The city opened this 165-acre park in 1944. People come to fish, hike, trail run, bird-watch and paddle. Mountain bikers can start on the skills course and pump track by the main parking lot, then move to beginner, intermediate and advanced loops. The intermediate and flow trails are reached from the secondary lot.

   22700 Dawn Hill East Road, Siloam Springs, AR 72761

   Official site

8. 8

   Cathedral of the Ozarks (John Brown University)

   Landmark

   This 1945 limestone sanctuary on the JBU campus seats 1,000 and has tall stained-glass windows and dark wood pews. The simplest way to see the inside is a free concert, such as the fall choir concert or the December Candlelight Services.

   2000 W. University St., Siloam Springs, AR 72761

   Official site

9. 9

   Berry Performing Arts Center (John Brown University)

   Arts

   JBU puts on its theater productions, orchestra and choir concerts and lectures in the 500-seat Herklotz Auditorium, which has a full orchestra pit. Theater tickets are sold through PurplePass, and the fall 2026 show is The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Oct. 30-Nov. 8).

   2000 W. University St., Siloam Springs, AR 72761

   Official site

10. 10

    Siloam Springs Library

    Family · Kids and families

    The city library is next to Memorial Park downtown. On Mondays it runs a Preschool Playdate for ages 0-5 and a family Bilingual Storytime. Other youth programs, such as Balloon Tennis for ages 6-12, are on its calendar.

    Mon-Thu 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

    205 E Jefferson, Siloam Springs, AR 72761

    Official site

11. 11

    Natural Falls State Park (Oklahoma)

    Outdoors

    This park is just over the state line in Oklahoma, near Colcord. A 77-foot waterfall drops into a narrow V-shaped valley, and you can see it from a railed overlook or from a deck with seating at the bottom. The park also has 4.5 miles of trails and an 18-hole disc golf course. Scenes from the 1974 movie Where the Red Fern Grows were filmed here.

    Dawn to dusk daily, year-round

    19225 E 578 Rd, Colcord, OK 74338

    Official site

12. 12

    WOKA Whitewater Park (Oklahoma)

    Outdoors

    This park is across the state line in Watts, Oklahoma. It is a 1,200-foot-long, 100-foot-wide side channel off the Illinois River with eight drops for kayaks, surfing and tubes. You need a life jacket, a whitewater helmet and secure shoes, and anyone going solo must be 13 or older. As of Oct. 8, 2026, rentals and concessions were closed for the season, so bring your own gear.

    $10 per vehicle parking (card only)

    474986 Twin Falls Rd, Watts, OK 74964

    Official site

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