The Haunted Hotels of Eureka Springs are Perfect for a Halloween Getaway

Eureka Springs is known for its haunted hotels and ghost tours, which makes it a perfect place to visit during Halloween.

The Crescent Hotel & Spa is regarded as one of the most haunted hotels in America. There are numerous stories accounting for its haunting, including a stone worker who fell to his death during construction from what was to become room 218. His presence is supposedly very active in room 218, where doors open and slam shut, hands appear on the bathroom mirror and cries can sometimes be heard.

More hauntings came after Dr. Norman Baker leased the hotel and turned it into a makeshift hospital. The truth of the matter was that Dr. Baker had no medical training and his cures, according to legend, made many of his patients go mad. There was a mental ward located on the fourth floor and a morgue located in the basement, which are now haunted by Dr. Baker’s patients, and even Dr. Baker himself. Ghost sightings on the fourth floor are abundant: a nurse with a gurney appears regularly near room 434 and a ghost known as “Theodora” materialized often near room 419. Dr. Baker sightings usually occur in the lobby.

A Spirit of the Crescent tour is available to guests who want to explore the ghosts and spirits that haunt the hotel. The tours are $18.75 per person and start nightly at 8pm.

The Basin Park Hotel, located in downtown Eureka Springs, also has a long history of spirits, ghosts and unusual happenings. The Basin Park Hotel has long been the social center of Eureka Springs, from the Wild West era during which cowboys and bars reigned supreme, to an era marked by gambling and illegal excess. These characters are the object of many sightings at the Basin Hotel. The Basin offers the Haunting Tales of Downtown Eureka Springs & Ghosts of The Basin Park Hotel seven nights a week. Tickets for adults are $15 and tickets for children (under 9) are $7.

Christmas at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs

The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa will hold a number of holiday events this month, including the following:

* On Sunday, Dec. 7, Santa's Brunch in the Crystal dining room will feature a performance by the Ozark Chorale from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., the Dr. Baker Theater will show "It's A Wonderful Life."

* On Monday, Dec. 8, lunch at the Crystal Dining Room will feature a Christmas choral concert from noon to 2 p.m. At 6 p.m., the Christmas Forest tree lighting will take place in the fountain gardens. Local charities have each decorated a tree, and guests will walk through the forest and cast votes for their favorite trees for $1 per vote, with the money going to the charities.
Charities include Heifer International, ECHO Clinic, OARS, Good Shepherd Humane Society and Toys for Tots. Music and holiday treats will be included. Also at 6 p.m., "Local Appreciation Night" will take place in the Crystal dining room. At 6:30, Dr. Baker Theater will show "A Christmas Carol."

* On Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 11 a.m. to noon, Chef Tracey Saunders will offer his Christmas Delights holiday cooking school focusing on holiday sweets. The Crystal dining room will feature Christmas carols sung by local children from noon to 2 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., the Dr. Baker Theater will show "How The Grinch Stole Christmas."

* On Wednesday, Dec. 10, the Holiday cooking class will continue from 11 a.m. to noon.
A Christmas choral concert will take place from noon to 2 p.m. in the Crystal Dining Room.
At 6:30 p.m., the Dr. Baker Theater will show "A Christmas Carol."

* On Thursday, Dec. 11, a walking history tour of Eureka will start at 10 a.m.
From noon to 2, Christmas carols by local children will be sung in the Crystal Dining room.
At 6 p.m., the Ozark Chorale will perform in the Crystal Dining Room during the Chef Showcase holiday dinner. At 7:30 p.m., the Dr. Baker Theater will show "A Christmas Story."

Information courtesy of Lovely County Citizen

The Crescent Hotel Offers Haunted Packages for Halloween

The lucky couple fluffs their pillows, slips under the comfortable covers and turns off the light there on the nightstand. They smile guardedly knowing this will probably not be like any other night they ever spent in a hotel. Why? They are sleeping in a morgue!

As part of a special “Paranormal Pair Package,” guests can enter to win the opportunity to sleep in the area once used as a morgue when The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa was operated here as a cancer curing hospital in the late 1930s. The owner of the hotel at that time was Norman Baker, a charlatan and self-degreed “doctor.” The autopsy table he used for experimentation on patients –both living and dead- remains as the focal point of this macabre room.

And the night the winning couple gets to slumber in this eerie, some would say spooky, setting? Halloween 2008. The place? A quaint Arkansas Ozarks community that has become somewhat famous for its reports of ghostly close encounters, Eureka Springs.

Two sites that have probably added more “evidence” to that compendium of spooky speculation are Eureka Springs' landmark historic hotels, The Crescent and its sister hotel, The 1905 Basin Park Hotel. These two properties have now joined together to offer guests the “Paranormal Pair,” a three-day / two night package of ghostly proportions. The package will be available beginning August 1 and will run thru October 20, the day of the morgue drawing.

“Probably when people hear the hotel name Crescent or Basin Park they have questions about two things. They usually ask us about weddings and if we are really haunted,” said Jack Moyer, vice president of operations and development for both properties, “and we have great answers for both. Our weddings are dreams come true and our ghost sightings are sometimes explained away as ‘It must have been a dream.' But when personal report after personal report, eerie photo after eerie photo somewhat substantiate that something mysterious is goin' on you have a tendency to swing toward the side of believability.”

Whether a believer or not guests can now hear the stories, see the sights, and take their own photographs as part of the Paranormal Pair Package. Guests stay one night in the Basin Park, taking their ghost tour; and stay one night at the Crescent, taking that hotel's ghost tour. When not on the tour, guests can stealthfully meander through the halls and public areas of both hotels to do their own “spirited” investigating or do some shopping, dining or gallery hopping in one of America's Dozen Distinctive Destination communities according the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“One of the fun twists we've added is that those who take advantage of our Paranormal Pair Package can also, if they so desire, register in the drawing we are having for overnighting this Halloween night in The Crescent's ‘morgue,'” explained Moyer. “The morgue is where The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) caught a full-bodied apparition on videotape when they were performing an investigation for their Sci-Fi Channel ‘Ghost Hunters' program several years ago.”

“The morgue, a great place to dream on Halloween night, don't ya think?” Moyer concluded.

Information & Image courtesy of The Crescent Hotel

Celebrate Christmas at The Great Passion Play

As the town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas celebrates “It’s A Dickens of a Christmas,” The Great Passion Play encourages visitors to go “Beyond Dickens”. This unique Christmas experience takes visitors from a Victorian street scene (right out of Charles Dickens’ novel) and into first century Bethlehem. Here the sights & sounds of the very first Christmas surrounds visitors, as they join the travelers from throughout Judea, the citizens & animals, the Roman soldiers, tax collectors, Shepherds, and Mary & Joseph to create a live interactive nativity scene.

In its fourth season, “Beyond Dickens” continues to bring new customers to the Eureka Springs, Arkansas Christmas Celebration. The event also includes fabulous window displays, appearances by the famous artist Jack Dawson, special tram tours to the Christ of the Ozarks Memorial Statue and the Amphitheater and beautiful lighting of the entire Great Passion Play grounds, as well as a presentation of “Christmas On Ice…A Stroll Down Memory Lane”.

Upon arrival at The Great Passion Play, visitors are welcomed with apple cider and Christmas treats. Beautifully attired Victorian characters, such as Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchitt, Tiny Tim, and a town crier invite visitors to “Go beyond Dickens into the very first Christmas.” Passing through the gate, visitors enter Bethlehem on the night Christ was born. Stern Roman soldiers, who occupy Bethlehem, instruct all to register for the census and pay their taxes. The townspeople engage visitors in conversation and talk about life in their little village. Travelers meet shepherds with a fantastical tale about seeing angels, as well as shopkeepers, harried housewives drawing water at the town well, and artisans who are excited about the opportunity to sell their wares to all of the people in town for the census. Visitors travel a little way out of “town” past the inn, to a stable where Mary and Joseph tell their story and share their joy at the birth of the baby Jesus.

The window displays, created by local businesses and Great Passion staff, include delightful recreations of the Crescent Hotel as a gingerbread house, Treasures from the Pacific Christmas celebration, a Department 56 village, Christmas memories, and more. Visitors also enjoy the Sacred Arts Center where Jack Dawson and his painting “The Passion Tree” are featured. "The “Passion Tree” illustrates the Bible from Genesis to Revelation with each ornament showing an event in history. Bibles with pages turned to the Christmas story, as well as a special collection of bells, are exhibited in the Bible Museum and visitors also take a trip through the Museum of Earth History. This Museum focuses on the earth’s early history. Featuring over 14 life-sized skeleton skulls, and fossil plates, the museum provides an attraction for people from all walks of life, from scientists to school children.

Christmas nativities from around the world are displayed inside the Christmas Hall where a special presentation “Christmas On Ice…A Stroll Down Memory Lane” completes the evening. This community project produced by a volunteer cast is led by Darry and Pam Lisemby.

Food and Wine Event in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs Food and Wine Weekend Events: Wednesday, November 7th, 2007 - Sunday, November 11st, 2007

The second weekend of November is traditionally when restaurants, bars, shops, and chefs invite visitors into their lives to treat their palates to a delightful tour-de-force of food and wine. This year is no exception in Eureka Springs. This picturesque Ozarks community will transform itself into a retreat of Wine Seminars, Five Course Dinners, Castle Tours, Cooking Classes, and Wine Premiers. No less than 30 events at 15 venues are planned as part of Eureka Springs Food & Wine Festival.

The entire weekend is listed below. Please refer to "Food and Wine Events" on the individual dates for information about events on that day only.Reservations are required. Please call the business of your choice for seating times and additional information.

Schedule of Events

Wednesday November 7th
--Gala Grand Opening, Crescent Hotel, 7-9pm
--Autumn Breeze pours a “Splash in the Glass” 5-9pm

Thursday November 8th
--3-5 PM: Cooking class at The Cottage Inn
--The New Moon Table at the Crescent Hotel offers lunch and wine for $9.95
--“La Soirée Des Vins” 7-10pm. Eureka’s newest and only winery, Keels Creek, presents their wines while raising money for charity. Live Music, Hors d’oeuvres, and great wine.
--“Ambullneo at sunset from the Castle Cliffs” 7-11pm, Castle Rogues Manor
--New Delhi Café, Live Music on the Patio, Evening
--Grand Taverne, Port Tasting 7pm
--Autumn Breeze pours a “Splash in the Glass” 5-9pm

Friday November 9th
--Culinary Instructor Karen Gros offers a cooking class 10am-1pm, reservations required
--The New Moon Table at the Crescent Hotel offers lunch and wine for $9.95
--Autumn Breeze “Splash in the Glass” available with an entrée 5-9pm
--6:00 pm: Italian Wine Dinner at the Cottage Inn.
--1886 Crescent Hotel Lifetime Memory Dinner, reservations required
--Keels Creek winery tours and tasting 10am-8pm
--Rogues Manor has two seating 5:30 and 8pm featuring Italian Food and Wine
--Café Soleil highlights a special food & wine menu
--Grand Taverne presents a 5 course wild game dinner, two seatings, 5:30 & 8:30 pm
--Mud Street Café features a Tai Dinner and Washington State Wines 5-9pm
--Café Amore, Chef Katherine’s homemade specials and pizza will delight you from 5-9pm
--New Delhi Café is open from 8:30 am to 9pm with their Indian Buffet and special wine menu
--Finish the night with Ports & Cigars at the Cathouse Lounge in the Pied Piper Pub, all night
--Chelsea’s Pizzeria seves Seafood Pizza and Specials late into the night

Saturday November 10th
--Café Amore, Chef Katherine’s homemade specials and pizza 5-9pm
--The Cathouse Lounge at the Pied Piper Pub will pair Homemade Chocolate Dessert and Red Wine. 1-3pm. 8pm to close the Cathouse Lounge is offering port flights and cigars
--Chelsea’s Bar & Corner Café will sponsor the Salsa Competition 3-5pm, live music following
--Autumn Breeze pours a “Splash in the Glass” 5-9pm
--6:00 pm: Italian Wine Dinner at the Cottage Inn.
--Café Soleil highlights a special food & wine menu
--Rogues Manor will have two seatings 5:30 and 8pm serving Italian Food and Wine
--Grand Taverne will feature Ambullneo wines and dinner, two seatings at 5:30 and 8:30 pm
--Mud Street Café features a Tai Dinner and Washington State Wines 5-9pm
--New Delhi Café is open from 8:30 am to 9pm with their Indian Buffet

Sunday November 11th
--Noon: Brunch at the Cottage Inn.
--Castle Rogues Manor Tour and a flight of four exclusive Champagnes, Noon
--Sunday Brunch and Champagne at the Crescent Hotel 9:30am – 2pm
--Sunday Brunch at Café Soleil 10am-2pm
--Mud Street Café serves Breakfast from 8am-11am and lunch 11am-3pm
--Grande Taverne Four Course Brunch, Noon

Always Available
--Little Bread Company serves their homemade pastries, breads, desserts, and champagne cream puffs
--Booze Brothers (Official Sponsor) carries the largest selection of wines served throughout town
--Keels Creek Winery offers tours & tastings 10am-8pm
--Tummy Ticklers, Eureka’s most interesting Wine Accessories

Information courtesy of Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce

November Events in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Christmas Celebration at the Great Passion Play

Friday, November 9th, 2007 - Saturday, November 10th, 2007

The Great Passion Play is proud to announce our 2007 Christmas Music Celebration event. Starting Nov. 9th & 10th (Friday & Saturday) and running each Friday & Saturday thru Dec.15th for a total of 12 nights. Headlining the program will be two Christmas music show performances each night featuring the “Texans” beginning at 5:30pm and 7:00pm.Tickets will be $10.00 for adults, Children 6-18 will be $5.00 or $30.00 for a family pass. Also, this ticket will include admission to The Sacred Arts Center which will be open from 4:00pm until 7:30pm daily during performances.In addition, each night starting Nov. 9th thru Dec. 31th , at dusk until 9:00pm, Sunday thru Thursday and Friday and Saturday until 11:00pm, we will feature a drive thru Christmas light extravaganza (bigger and better than before). There is no charge for this event; however, donations will be accepted.Also, our magnificent gift shop will be open from 10:00am until 4:00pm Monday thru Thursday, and 10:00am until 8:00pm Friday and Saturday. For advanced ticket purchases or for additional information call The Great Passion Play at 1-800-882-7529

A Season of Celebration

Monday, November 5th, 2007 - Saturday, December 8th, 2007

“A Season of Celebration” Holiday Shows at Pine Mountain Jamboree, nightly except Sunday.

Fall Antique Show & Sale

Friday, November 16th, 2007 - Sunday, November 18th, 2007

55 antique dealers from 14 different states bring their wares November 17 and 18 for the 19th Annual Eureka Springs Fall Antique Show and Sale.A special Wine & Cheese Preview will be held on Friday, November 16, 5:30-7 p.m. The popular yearly event will be held at the Inn of the Ozarks Convention Center. This is one of the kickoff events for the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Attendees will pay $10 for this first chance at the antiques brought by dealers from around the country. This fee covers all days. Regular show hours on Saturday are 10 am to 6 pm and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday. Admission price for this event is $ 2.50, good for both days. This well-attended show not only draws dealers from many states, it also brings customers from as many as 23 different states. “By now, most antique lovers around this part of the country know that the third weekend in November and the third weekend in March are devoted to antiques here in Eureka Springs,” according to Jane Baker. She and her husband, Dave, are show managers. “This is our 19th fall show and it looks to be better than ever,” she added. For more information on the festival, contact Dave or Jane Baker at 479-253-7551 or bakerdj@cox.net.

Sounds of the Season

Saturday, November 17th, 2007

From its early beginnings of fewer than 30 voices, this year the 60-plus voice Ozarks Chorale begins its work in September. The musical library of the Chorale ranges from Classical works such as Handel's "Messiah" with accompanying orchestra to Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" with Jazz ensemble accompaniment. Romantic works such as Brahms "Liebeslieder Waltzes" to gospel, pop, folk, musical theater and movie songs are Chorale favorites. The Chorale boasts the ability to sing anything from Bach to Beatles!Come join the Chorale to experience the beautiful music that is planned for the 2007-2008 season:
Nov 17, 2007 "Sounds of the Season" Concert Holiday Island Clubhouse
Dec 8, 2007 "Old Fashioned Christmas" Concert Eureka Springs City Auditorium
Apr 20, 2008 Spring Concert Eureka Springs City Auditorium

Trail of Lights

Monday, November 19th, 2007 - Monday, December 31st, 2007

Both Eureka Springs and Berryville will be participating in the Arkansas Dept. of Parks and Tourism's 2007 "Trail of Lights."Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

Thanksgiving in Eureka Springs

Thursday, November 22nd, 2007

Many of Eureka's finest restaurants will be offering first class buffet or full service on Thanksgiving Day. Traditional to eclectic, these special meals are sure to please every pallet. Restaurants will be added as they become available. Reservations will be strongly encouraged. Please call the restaurant of choice regarding seating times and additional information.
-The Gazebo (located in Best Western Eureka Inn)
-The Grand Taverne (located in the Grand Central Hotel)
-The Crystal Dining Room (located in the Crescent Hotel)
-Forest Hill Restaurant (next door to Holiday Inn Express on Van Buren St.)
-Myrtie Mae's (located in Best Western Inn of the Ozarks)
-Rogue's Manor (on Spring Street)

Christmas Parade

Friday, November 30th, 2007

This evening parade features floats, walkers,bands and thousands of lights as it makes it way through downtown Eureka Springs. For more information call 800-6EUREKA.

Travel to Eureka Springs for Victorian Charm

You'll find a treasure trove of Victorian charm in the Arkansas Ozarks. Ask natives about the Northwest Arkansas mountaintop retreat they call home and, repeatedly, any number of "M" words creep into the conversation. "Mystical." "Magical." "Monumental." "Magnanimous." "Meaningful." "Magnificent," even. For a town with a population of under 2,000, such meaty adjectives seem like the basis for tall tales meted out by the overly enthusiastic ... until you do a doubletake. At that point, you--like the proud citizens who lay claim to this small, carved-out-of-limestonecliffs community--might find yourself rubbing the sleep from your eyes and searching for yet another "M" word to add to residents' mellifluous list of brags.

Eureka Springs seems to have a history of making boasters out of even the most soft-spoken people. Long before white settlers "discovered" the town in 1856, Native Americans revered the place for both its natural beauty and the restorative powers of the healing waters that gave rise to its modern name. By the mid-19th century, Eureka (residents often abbreviate their town's moniker) had gained a reputation as "America's Medicine Teepee." Soon, visitors were flocking to the diminutive site in pursuit of cures for a wide range of ailments. Today, seasonal migrations still swell Eureka's narrow, winding streets as tourists continue to discover the pleasures of this picturesque Victorian-era village.

Take, for example, the many gingerbread-laden structures sprinkled atop Eureka's hillsides. Among ornately embellished cottages and tour homes are many delightful bed and breakfasts. Or opt to stay in a turn-of-the-20th-century hotel like the Eureka's grande dame--the Crescent Hotel. A massive 1886 hostelry set at the top of Eureka's historic loop, the Crescent--in addition to providing guests with sweeping panoramas--is said to be haunted (by benevolent, if not overly friendly, spirits). And the hotel's New Moon Spa is just one of numerous, around-town establishments keeping Eureka's bathhouse tradition alive.

The Basin Park Hotel is another statuesque beauty. Set next door to downtown's pint-sized, bandstand-surrounded park, this Ripley's Believe It or Not hotel has seven hillside stories--all with "groundfloor" entries. Outside, Spring Street blossoms with galleries, boutiques, and bistros.

Street fare--from funnel cakes to fudge--is tempting, but save room for dining at one of Eureka's fine restaurants. Some favorites: Ermillio's for northern and southern Italian dishes; Jim & Brent's for an eclectic selection of new cuisine; Sonny's for New York-style pizza, as well as a weekend chalkboard menu and piano bar; Center Street for authentic Mexican mole and margaritas; and the Plaza, with its canopied second-story dining overlooking pedestrian-filled streets.

Attractions outside of the compact, though hilly, downtown area include such memorable Highway 62 West sites as the architecturally inspiring Thorncrown Chapel, an interdenominational church that rises dramatically out of the surrounding woods, and Eureka Springs Gardens.

In the opposite direction, country music shows dot Highway 62 East. On Highway 23 North, just off the downtown district, there are the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway's steam-operated excursion and dining trains. Nearby, you'll find the Great Passion Play, a religious spectacle that has played to generations of visitors each May-October. And just above Passion Play Road, on a 1,500-foot overlook, towers the seven-story Christ of the Ozarks--a marble sculpture completed in 1968 by one of Mt. Rushmore's sculptors.

Information courtesy of Travel America

Travel to Eureka Springs this Season

Eureka Springs is a charming town that springs to life during this time of year. The small town atmosphere allows guests to stroll from shop to gallery to eatery with ease, all in a blooming and blossoming setting alive with color. The Victorian architecture in beautiful Eureka also adds to its appeal. A Eureka Springs getaway is an experience unlike any other. The fantastic Eureka Springs Festivals and Eureka Springs Art Galleries are also favorites of visitors. Both the Eureka Springs May Festival of the Arts and the Eureka Springs Blue Festival will be held this spring, making for yet another reason to visit.

The Victorian charm of Eureka also makes it a popular place to say “I Do.” Weddings in Eureka Springs allow newlyweds to experience an elegant, unique ceremony and in the spring the beautiful weather and sunny skies only add to the appeal. The Crescent Hotel is a popular place for nuptials, as well as a favorite place to stay in Eureka Springs among visitors. Built in 1886, this hotel has a rich history and luxurious amenities for their modern day customers.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas also has many interesting attractions to visit. The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is a USDA licensed facility dedicated to the rescue and life time care of abandoned and unwanted Big Cats. They house tigers, lions, cougars and more all of which are available for the public to see. Blue Spring Heritage Center a unique historical site tied to the Trail of Tears and early Native Americans. It’s also a natural wonder, pouring 38 million gallons of cold, clear water each day into its trout-stocked lagoon. Another natural creation that’s one of the top things to do in Eureka Springs is visit Cosmic Caverns. This hidden treasure is a famous cave with two bottomless caves and an amazing straw formation called “Silent Splendor.” You’ll want to see this for yourself!

The Great Passion Play begins their 2007 season this spring. This top Eureka Springs Show retells the story of Jesus Christ’s life in an outdoor drama unlike any other. This production is a perfect addition to Easter weekend, allowing family to celebrate in both story and life. Two other great Eureka Springs Shows are Pine Mountain Jamboree and Ozark Mountain Hoedown. Both shows provide fantastic music and hilarious comedy that’s family friendly. Of course, visitors also love to take advantage of the shopping in Eureka Springs as well as the delicious restaurants in Eureka Springs. Eureka is also known as a spa haven, where one can relax and pamper themselves at some of the finest spas around.

A Eureka Springs vacation is a unique experience with interesting things to do and exciting entertainment. This spring visit this quaint Victorian town for a step back in time and a step towards wonderful memories.