Eureka Springs charms residents and out-of-towners alike with its vibrant culture, stunning natural beauty and good ol’ fashioned Southern hospitality. The town is replete with Victorian architecture —it was developed in the mid-to-late 1800s as a resort town, and many of the buildings from that era are still standing. According to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, “virtually the entire downtown” of Eureka Springs is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The local school district is small, with total enrollment under 700, and its students test well compared to other Arkansas schools. And just beyond the postcard-perfect downtown are more than 60 natural springs, waterfalls, lakes and trails to explore.
There’s a long history of gay pride in Eureka Springs, which was the first Arkansas city to offer domestic partnerships for gay couples in 2007. (In 2014, the state’s first same-sex marriage license was issued here, too.) The unlikely co-existence of Christian values and progressive ideals in this small town — as experienced by a local drag performer and the star of the town’s passion play — was explored in the 2018 documentary, “The Gospel of Eureka.”
