Eureka Springs is a quaint, 1800s-esq tourist town in Northwest Arkansas. The town is known for its magical healing springs–and its contentious haunted history. Ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts can find something of interest all year round in this haunted Ozarks mountain town.
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From haunted hotel stays to guided walking tours, Eureka Springs, AR has plenty of opportunities to tingle the senses. Local legends tell of dozens of ghosts that haunt the town spanning every decade since the town was first established in 1879–and probably long before then, too.
Haunted Eureka Springs Walking Tour
For our first trip to Eureka Springs, we chose the haunted walking tour that is put on by a business named Haunted Eureka Springs–and I must say, it did not disappoint! I learned a good bit about the colorful history of the town, along with being able to lay my eyes on the actual buildings that these ghosts call home.
This tour is reasonably priced and was led by a gentleman, the proprietor of the Haunted Eureka Springs business, who was quite a showman, which added to the thrill of the experience.
We met at the front steps of the courthouse located downtown and walked a few blocks in each direction, ending with a peek inside the infamous Eureka Springs catacombs, just around 90 minutes later. There were frequent stops and benches to rest on, so the actual walk was not difficult–aside from the natural geography of being on the side of a mountain.
Who is This Tour For?
While the tour is clearly advertised for families, bringing kids along is solely discretionary. The tour starts at 9 pm to get that after-dark ghost story look and feel. With such a late start, most families might already be in for the night.
I also felt that most of the stories and sights to see were a bit too scary for younger kids. And because the tour is a late-night activity, you can expect at least some of the guests to be inebriated–calling into question if it’s really even appropriate for older kids.
All-in-all, this tour is good for adults and teens with parental discretion who are physically able to walk uphill and downhill with some stairs for at least 90 minutes. It would be difficult to navigate the entire tour in a wheelchair or on a scooter.
What to Expect
There are plenty of genuine ghost stories mixed in with some interesting town history. The tour stays downtown. It doesn’t include the famous Crescent Hotel, which features its own variety of paranormal experiences. But it does a good job of covering stories that have a little more substance than you might expect.
We’ve been on other ghost tours that featured one or two ghosts peppered in between loads of historical fluff. While there was some interesting history included on this tour, there was a common, creepy theme to keep things in the right space.
An assortment of wild west bank robbers and victorian-era dolls fit in nicely with a handful of ghost story legends from around town. If you’re considering adding this ghost tour to your trip, I recommend it.
Other Haunted Attractions in Eureka Springs
This walking tour is far from the only activity that paranormal enthusiasts enjoy in Eureka Springs. Did you know that this town has been dubbed a paranormal hotspot? It’s been investigated by popular paranormal experts who provide a range of theories on the increased paranormal presence in the mountainside town.
Some believe that the town, which once drew a large traveling population of sick and dying people in search of miracle cures in the springs, has simply experienced significant death loss.
Some believe that the limestone infrastructure used to build retaining walls and buildings up and down the mountain act as a supercharger for paranormal energy.
And, some believe that Basin Spring is actually an energy vortex–or an open door between realms.
Regardless of which theory you put your stake in, Eureka Springs, AR is a must on the list of anyone with a penchant for paranormal happenings. Check out these opportunities:
1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa: Historic structure currently operating as a hotel and spa where you can stay the night. Ask about staying in one of the ‘known haunted’ rooms like 219, which has a long history of reported apparitions.
Spirits of the Crescent Package: Stay the weekend in a haunted hotel, participate in a ghost tour, and enjoy a theatrical séance while getting a firsthand look at the creepy Baker Hospital Experiments.
Basin Park Paranormal Investigation: A ghost tour that explores the evolution of ghost hunting while getting a firsthand look at the Barefoot Ballroom and the Lucky7 gambling parlor.
Find more [potentially] haunted history in the Ozarks by touring historic civil war battlefields and visiting the ruins of ancient civilizations.
Don’t Wait, Book Your Haunted Eureka Springs Tour Today
Eureka Springs is still a very active tourist town. Nearly every weekend, you’ll find something out of the ordinary going on. We were caught by surprise on our first trip into town by a Jeep festival. Other than a little heavier-than-usual traffic and a lot more Jeeps than you might otherwise see, the only real inconvenience for us was a lack of hotel rooms.
We had booked online at least two weeks before, but as luck would have it–the bed and breakfast we planned to stay at didn’t have the reservation. Eureka Springs is an old-timey town with dozens of quaint, small, boutique accommodations. These aren’t chain hotels, so when a room is double booked–there’s not a lot of compromising.
Knowing that most of these accommodations are working with legacy technologies, I strongly recommend that you call to confirm after securing your booking. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t book online–that digital trail with a confirmation number is your best bet at getting your reservation honored. It just means that, in Eureka Springs, you should always call to confirm.
We ended up getting booted to a budget hotel on the outskirts of town, but we didn’t let the change in accommodations ruin our fun.
Tips to Book Your Trip
Here are a few helpful links to plan your trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Find a Local Hotel: Check dates and rates on Trip.com
Rent a Car: Roadtrips are the best way to experience the Ozarks, get the best rates on Economy Bookings
Get Tickets: Book your Haunted Eureka Springs tour here