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Monday, October 3, 2016

Eureka Springs

If you are ever looking for a great place to vacation in the Arkansas area, I recommend Eureka Springs.  It's in the northwest corner of the state and first became known for all the natural springs in the area.  It's a beautiful spot in the Ozarks with lots of amazing views!  However, driving on the twisting, roller coaster roads can be a bit nerve-wracking.
Our first day there, we visited Thorncrown Chapel.  This magnificent building has 425 windows and over 6000 square feet of glass.  It fits in perfectly with it's gorgeous setting.

 The setting is very wooded, with rocky sections.  It's a short walk, on a flagstone path and you see this:


 This is Thorncrown Chapel.


















It was very peaceful there.  They do have services on Sunday and there are a lot of weddings done here.  When we were there, there were only a few other visitors.  There was one staff member sitting in the back.  There is no admission fee, but they do accept donations.
 
After leaving here we stopped at Quigleys Castle.  This is a home that was built in 1943.  Elise Quigley seems to have been quite an eccentric woman.  She collected rocks and wanted to have a home that invited the outdoors in, so she designed her home to do that.

 Here's the house.  What you see in the window isn't a reflection of the trees.  It's actual plants, growing inside.  There is about 2 feet of space that goes around the entire inside of the house.  This space in devoted to plants, and they have grown to the second story.



 She used the rocks she collected to make this, and many other things around her yard.



She also covered the whole outside of her house with stones, all herself, one a a time.


 The inside is left the way she had it.



 She collected other things, as well as rocks.  Here's part of her arrowhead collection.
She must have been an unusual woman, and I think her husband must have been quite tolerant!


After this, we spent some time in Eureka Springs.  This city is full of beautiful old houses. It's a very hilly area, so the city is built on many levels.  Walking around in town means you go up and down a lot of staircases.


 Looking into the historic part of the city.












 This is inside the trolley station.  We took a 90 minute guided trolley tour around the city which was very interesting.



This is a splendid old hotel.  I'll show you more photos of it, later in the week.



 One of the Springs the town is named for.


 Here's another one.  Each Spring is beautifully landscaped.



This was our last stop of the day.  This restaurant is owned by Harley Davidson and is known for its BBQ.
This was such a fun day, with lots of walking and so many beautiful things seen!

16 comments:

White Lace and Promises said...

The church santuary had a magnificent view. What an incredible place of worship. I don't know if I'd like it anymore than I do a running creek beside a cabin or a beach dune, but beautiful! The story of The rock house was interesting. I love stone houses. The city reminds me of my favorite place in Georgia, Savannah. I'm ready to visit but sure not ready to make that long drive again. That will have to be our new vacation spot. What a great post!

Anita said...

Thank your for the nice tour. There are so many beautiful, unique, and fascinating things and places in our country. I'm glad you were able to see it and then to share it with us.

The house owned by the strange lady... what can I say! :)

Jean said...

You're baaaack!!! What a trip you've been on!! I saw a lot of your pictures along the way, but it's fun to hear more about it now. I love that city on a hill! That's how our town of Bellefonte is!

Ramblings of a Retired Lady said...

Loved this tour, especially the church...so unusual. There are so many places in this great country, maybe out of the way, unknown places, but such good places to visit. Thanks for these pictures and looking forward to more.

Arlene G said...

Beautiful!! I have seen that chapel on 19 Kids and Counting. One of the daughters got engaged there. Now I am thinking that would be a nice place for a get away!!

Terri D said...

I have seen pictures of that chapel before. If they weren't from you, someone else I know here posted a picture. It is absolutely beautiful!! What a great setting for a wedding. Oh my goodness, how pretty. You and Bob find the best places to visit and thank you so much for sharing your trips with us. Looking forward to tomorrow already!

Jennifer Hays said...

So interesting, Mari. I've never visited that part of the country, though my grandfather came from Indiana and a lot of the family is spread through Indiana, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. Someday I'd really like to see that region. I love the chapel you saw, what a neat building and so beautiful and bright inside with all the glass in it.

Changes in the wind said...

Was hoping you knew about the church. We went there and it was amazing. You got some great pictures.

Karen said...

Interesting places. I would love to visit Eureka Springs, it looks like a charming town.

Sally said...

Oh, I would love to visit there. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful places, and scenes. I was quite intrigued by the house with all the windows - and surprised they were covered mostly in plants. Love, love the church - how beautiful. I'm happy you guys had such a great vacation and look forward to more photo's. :)

xoxo

Laura said...

Wow! What a beautiful place to get married! I love the rock house too - she must have had a lot of time and patience!

Hootin Anni said...

Just to see the chapel would make the trip worthwhile!

Hootin Anni said...

Just to see the chapel would make the trip worthwhile!

Liz said...

My family and I absolutely love Eureka Springs and are actually headed there for a long weekend get away in just a few weeks. It's only about a 4 1/2 hour drive for us. This will be my 4th trip to Eureka. We saw the chapel the last time I was there. I'm not sure if you ever go up towards Lincoln Nebraska, but they have a beautiful glass chapel up there as well. Getting there isn't as beautiful, but once you are on the grounds, it is absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen that house. Maybe I'll put it on my must see list. Last time we were there we stayed in the Crescent Hotel and this time will be our second time at the Basin Hotel. We loved all the tours and walking and driving around to all the different springs. Some are really neat. So glad you are enjoying this beautiful part of our country.

Cherdecor said...

We are glad that you are back from your trip and are sharing all your pictures. Eureka Springs is a lovely town and I would love to see those springs around town. The chapel is even more lovely on the inside pictures. This will be a trip to remember.

Jenny said...

I love how you and Bob seek out interesting places to see. Every trip should be enjoyable as well as informative. Looks like you had a great time there. xoxo