Welcome to Our Overview of Our Fun Family Weekend in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Here we will share 20 fun things you can do in Eureka Springs with your family!
We enjoyed each of these things and hope you get a chance to enjoy them as well.
*Disclosure – This trip was sponsored by Eureka Springs but all of our experiences and opinions are our own.
In this article we share an overview of where we went, what we saw, and what we ate.
We had so much family fun in Eureka Springs we are excited to share all of our experiences with you to help you plan your own Eureka Springs Vacation.
We have updated this article with links and videos that are fully detailed and in-depth about each specific area we explored.
What’s Special about Eureka Springs?
Eureka Springs isn’t your average town. It’s filled with a unique collection of attractions, stores, restaurants, and more, all nestled within the scenic Ozark Mountains.
We saw what we could in a weekend but there is so much to see and do. Continue reading to see all the family fun we had on our Eureka Springs Family Adventure!
DAY 1 – Friday
The Drive, Hotel Check in, Dinner, Turtle Ridge Family Fun Park and The Great Passion Play
Check out our video Vlog Story from our first day in Eureka Springs. It was filmed for my snapchat story and Instagram Story so It plays best on a phone, but is enjoyable any way you watch it.
Afternoon Drive Tulsa, to Eureka Springs
1. Enjoy the views of the Ozark Mountains
Before we knew it we were driving through the beautiful Ozark Mountains. It has vastly different scenery than we usually see in Oklahoma.
2. Stay and Play at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks
Around 4 p.m. we arrived at our hotel – The Best Western Inn if the Ozarks.
Check out our 360 VR Video of our Suite.
It was more than a hotel, they had family fun areas with pool tables, arcade games, mini golf and every night they host a pool side movie night. Check out our article about our 5 Reasons to Stay at the Inn of the Ozarks!
3. Dine at Sparky’s Roadhouse Cafe
After checking in and getting unloaded we headed out for a bite to eat at Sparky’s Cafe. It was a fun restaurant with good food, great atmosphere and a funny saying. Find out all about it in our Foodie Restaurant Article about Sparky’s.
4. Play at Turtle Back Ridge Family Fun Park
That evening, we headed to Turtle Back Ridge Family Fun Park. We raced Go-Karts, played Mini Golf and played in the Arcade. It was tons of fun.
I took a 360 VR Video with my GoPro Fusion while I took Cale on his first ever Go-Kart Race.
Find out all about it in our article about Turtle Back Ridge!
5. Watch The Great Passion Play
Once that we had drained what energy we had left it was time to sit back and be entertained. We went to watch the Great Passion Play.
We hadn’t done much research on it and were amazed when we saw the stage. It was massive and beautifully made. The play ran from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Check out our article sharing all about the Great Passion Play and 5 Awesome Facts about it!
6. See the Christ of the Ozarks
After the play we made a quick stop to see the Christ of the Ozarks statue before heading back to the hotel for the night.
DAY 2 – Saturday
The Crescent Hotel, Onyx Cave, Famous Ed’s Food Wagon, Downtown Eureka, Downtown N Underground Historical Tour, Red’s Pizzeria and Hotel Fun.
Check out our Vlog Story from our second day exploring Eureka Springs. It was originally shared on my Snapchat and Instagram Stories so it is formatted to be viewed on a phone but plays in computers as well.
7. Eat Breakfast at the Crescent Hotel’s Crystal Dining Room
We slept in (for us) until about 9:30 a.m., got ready and headed to the Crescent Hotel’s restaurant “The Crystal Dining Room”.
We had a wonderful breakfast buffet before exploring the Hotel and it’s grounds. It was so fun walking around the hotel. We actually visited it 3 different times during our trip. Keep an eye out for an article covering the Crescent Hotel and a Foodie Review Article of the Crystal Room.
The sun came out and it started to warm up, what better way to cool off than go on a cave tour. We headed on down to cool off and check out the Onyx Cave. The cave was super interesting and informative. We love taking cave tours so this was right up our alley. Be sure and check out our Onyx Cave Article.
10. Walk the Downtown N Underground Tour
13. Explore Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church
Day 3 – Sunday
Myrtie Mae’s Cafe, Thorncrown Chapel, Lake Leatherwood, Historic Tram Tour, Downtown Trolley Ride, Freedom Kettle Corn and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.
Check out our Vlog Story Video from our third day exploring Eureka Springs.
It was our last day in Eureka Springs but we still had much to see. First, we had to get some food in our belly’s for an adventure filled day.
We ate at Myrtie Mae’s Cafe located at our Hotel, the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks. It was a great way to start our day. Check out our Myrtie Mae’s Foodie Review Article here.
After eating we headed out to see some of the Great Outdoors of Eureka Springs.
Find out 5 Nature Destinations you must see in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
15. Thorncrown Chapel
After breakfast, we headed towards Lake Leatherwood with a pit stop at Thorncrown Chapel. We had seen photos of how beautiful the chapel was and the photos were accurate. It was an amazing sight to see in person.
16. Lake Leatherwood
After Thorncrown Chapel, we continued to the lake.
We love Leatherwood Lake because it brings back memories of our first and only Eureka Springs trip until now. It was January over 5 years ago, Cash was around 3 years old and we hiked around the lake. We didn’t see much of Eureka Springs that visit but thankfully we saw much more this trip.
17. Historic Tram Tour
Next we went on the Historic Tram Tour. It was informative and relaxing to ride through the town. Our guide Christie did a wonderful job and we stopped multiple times to explore by foot.
The Tram Tour is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about the town and see it from the comfort of a tram ride. Be sure to check out our article all about the Historic Tram Tour.
18. Freedom Kettle Corn
Snack Time! After the Tram Tour, we hopped on a Trolley for a stop at Freedom Kettle Corn. I’m not a huge kettle corn fan but Kayla is. I’m more of a Popcorn guy, but I actually really enjoyed the kettle corn. It was not only sweet but pretty salty. If you know me I love salty foods.
The lemonades were absolutely delicious as well. They had a gazebo behind the shop so we were able to sit back and enjoy our kettle corn and lemonades. It was so peaceful hearing the creek run from below us. Check out our article all about Freedom Kettle Corn.
19. Evening Trolley Ride
The day was quickly going by so we hopped back on the trolley for a ride to our car. The boys had been asking all weekend when we were going to see the tigers.
20. Turpentine Wildlife Refuge
It was finally time to visit the Turpentine Wildlife Refuge! The Turpentine Wildlife Refuge is unlike many animal related attractions.This attraction provides proper homes for endangered, abandoned and abused rare animals.
They have many large cats and bears they rescued from people who were mistreating them. It’s a wonderful place that truly cares for the betterment of the animals and their needs. I highly recommend a visit to this wonderful place. Keep an eye out for our full article.
I cannot wait to share the in depth articles about our experiences from our time doing the 20 fun things we did as a family in Eureka Springs.
This is just the overview article but soon it will be linked to the full in-depth Eureka Springs Articles. Within these future articles, I will share the tips and tricks I wish we had learned before our own trip. We want to help you plan your own Eureka Springs Vacation. So go ahead and Favorite this page and share it with some friends.
Also be sure you follow us on Social Media because we will also be sharing our favorite photos from our Eureka Springs Weekend on our Instagram Page and Facebook Page along with videos on our YouTube Channel.
Where to stay in Eureka Springs?
Eureka Springs is in Northwest Arkansas. Check it out on the map below.
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Have you been to Eureka Springs? Did you visit any of these places? What were your thoughts? What would you like to visit in Eureka Springs? Please let us know in the comment section below. Also, If you have any questions or thoughts about Eureka Springs, or anything at all don’t hesitate to ask. We’d love to hear from you.
I can’t wait to visit Eureka Springs!
Now, we know where are the cool hang outs are!
Thanks for sharing Eureka Springs with us. The Ozarks Mountains are certainly a big draw. I am sure the kids loved wandering through the Onyx Cave. And then back underground for a walking tour. I just love those painted stairs. You certainly earned your pizza!
You are welcome. It is a wonderful place and you are right, the boys loved Onyx Cave and the Downtown N Underground Tour.
This is an area of USA I wouldn’t mind checking out with my daughter. WOuldnt mind checking out the Ozarks mountains as I love my nature (but always like to celebrate a hike with a good pizza or a beer at the end of the day).
Looks fun! Great photos!
We’ve never been but I love that it’s got so much to do. All the food sounded (and looked great), plus the mountains and caves. Such a great family place.
Looks like an interesting town, love the grid iron building and mural staircase. The cave and downtown tours sound interesting, looking forward to reading those blog posts.
Looks like you had an amazing time. I’m quite impressed with the scenery in the Ozarks mountains. Quite green and leatherwood lake looks great. First time I’m hearing about Eureka Springs and it seems like a quirky town worth discovering. Looking forward to your blog posts.
Eureka Springs is such a cute town. I haven’t been there for years but my favorite thing to do was check out the crafts made by the locals. I have heard so many good things about the Great Passion Play but have not seen it, I need to change that!
This place sounds like good fun. The hotel sounded great. Mini golf too? Right up my alley. What all were the 9 ice cream flavors and which did you get that you enjoyed?
Lots of family activities built into the Eureka Springs trip! The kids look like they had a great time. Did they enjoy the Passion Play too?
Yes, they had a great time and enjoyed the Great Passion Play. They loved seeing the animals throughout the play.
So many fun things to do and see. I love exploring caves and wildlife refuges are always at the top of my list of things to see. It looks like you could have kept busy for a few more days in Eureka Springs. I bet your kids had such a great time.
What a great place for a family adventure. I loved reading about the wild animal rescue especially and would love to see that cave one day.
I love that the Best Western includes a poolside movie night. Hopefully with a gorgeous view of the Ozarks! I would love to visit the wildlife refuge, such an amazing cause!