Eureka Springs' charm and magnetism calls

Letter to the Editor:

The signs of spring are everywhere, and it is time to enjoy our beautiful Ozarks. The jonquils are blooming, Bradford pear trees, are showing off their beauty, and the redbuds, pink and white dogwoods from a winter sleep, it is time for us to shed our winter blues and cabin fever and go outside to enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer. Spring is always a signal for me to go on a road trip. My favorite towns, always seem to have spring or river in its name.

My favorite small town, Eureka Springs, is located in northwest Arkansas, in Ozarks Country. It has a charm and magnetism that keeps calling me back. The town is sometimes called "Little Switzerland." There are home, business places and a church built into the sides of the Ozark Hills. The town is unique, in that it has no intersecting streets. Many springs are located around the town. The downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The variety never stops, in town, and the surrounding Ozarks. Trolley tours will take you from your hotel to the historic Crescent Hotel, known for ghost tours and haunted rooms. The picturesque and historic downtown area offers top-rated chef owned restaurants, theaters, street parties, one of a king shopping, murals, and a train ride.

Nightime entertainment is varied, from an illusionist, to country music shows, and the outstanding performance of an outdoor passion play. The popular passion play is performed on a 500 ft. stage with local talent, a cast of more than 100, and live animals.

Eureka Springs is an artist and writers paradise. There is a writers school, and a writers colony, where writers can work in a quiet and distraction free environment. An artist school, where natural scenes, historic buildings, and perfect subject matter abounds, draws artist from a wide area. Just a few miles west of Eureka Springs, the outdoors offers scenic Beaver Lake with 500 miles of shoreline. Deep lake diving is popular. Many resorts and motels, offer some of the finest sunset views, found anywhere. Summer season brings an outdoor opera performance called "Opera of the Ozarks." Castle Rogue's Manor located on the bluffs overlooking Table Rock Lake is an example of craftsmanship in wood, stone and iron, crafted into a quaint fantasy castle. A suspension bridge spanning the White River is a mini-Golden Gate bridge replica. Just west of town if the Thorncrown Chapel, built in the woods, made of mostly glass an architectural marvel, in a natural setting, designed for peace, solitude and tranquility. Many couples recite their wedding vows in the charming chapel.

Perhaps the most visited site is a 60 ft. statue of Christ on a high hill, marking the location of the "Great Outdoor Passion Play."

South of town, is the Turpentine Creek wildlife refuge. A charitable group, offers a sanctuary for tigers that are aging, disabled, unwanted, and circus animals that can no longer perform. Eureka Springs is a small town, that has the variety of a larger city and awaits your visit to the Arkansas Ozarks.

Flavian Halter

Poplar Bluff, Mo.