Road Trip: Eureka Springs is for lovers (and stoners)

If you’ve spent much time careening around the serpentine curves of U.S. Highway 62 in Northwest Arkansas, you know that you can't miss it when the outskirts of Eureka Springs materialize outside your windshield. There's a sudden proliferation of roadside art galleries, countless dollhouse bed-and-breakfasts, billboards advertising zip line adventures in the Ozarks, a 70-year-old opera company and an old Forestry Service fire tower repurposed for tourists as an observation deck. Eureka resists a Walmart or an Applebee's. Instead, visitors get more jacuzzis per square mile than surely any other town in Arkansas, a thriving health food store that's open daily, a boutique hot sauce shop and the time capsule that is Hart's Family Center grocery, charmingly documented for hundreds of thousands of viewers by a TikTok filmographer under the name PineAcre.

Vegan and vegetarian options abound on restaurant menus, and your server is approximately 1,457% more likely than in Little Rock to don space buns or be named "Solstice." I feel if I stayed more than a month or two, I might begin to normalize tie dye in my sartorial life, perhaps even affirming its rightful place in the world of business wear. Now, Eureka's home to Osage Creek Lodge, a stately former Best Western turned motorcourt hotel with an on-site medical cannabis dispensary — perhaps the only hotel lobby in the state that boasts an earthy (and legal) whiff of marijuana. The Switzerland-esque mountain town is also home to a relaxing 420-friendly cabin resort and some off-the-beaten path delights worth getting high on, detailed here for your summer road trip enjoyment.

Where to stay

A Lazee Daze in the Ozarks5432 Arkansas Highway 23, Eureka Springs

You know that trick that real estate folks and Airbnb hosts do where they show you the most flattering angles of the property hoping to make it look more appealing? Absolutely none of that going on at Lazee Daze, a 63-acre placid log cabin retreat in the hills of scenic Arkansas Highway 23, just outside of town with two-story country cabins and smaller honeymoon/anniversary cabins with giant heart-shaped bathtubs. The red cedar cabinetry, native stone fireplaces, covered porches and country decor give some major grandma's house/"Goldilocks and the Three Bears" vibes, and the properties are peppered throughout lushly green (in spring, anyway) wooded areas and distanced such that visitors don't see much of their neighbors in nearby cabins — only woods, birds, squirrels and, if you’re as lucky as we were, light rainfalls in the forest. And though proprietors Charles and Robin Mowrey stress that no smoking is allowed indoors, the cabin porches are "420-friendly," meaning that what medical cannabis patients "responsibly smoke on our porches," Lazee Daze literature says, "is your own business." In fact, with some ID verification in advance, you can set up a curated hemp-derived THC edible package to be in your cabin upon your arrival, through a partnership Lazee Daze has with Ouachita Farms.

Charles became an advocate of medical marijuana use after seeing cannabis aid his father in a battle with pancreatic cancer, and when medical cannabis was legalized in Arkansas, the pair decided they would "discreetly add a page to the website letting people know. That's how we got where we are now," Charles said. Important to note: There's no Wi-Fi in the cabins and cell service can be spotty. If you’ve gotta be plugged in, you’ll need to return to the entrance near Lazee Daze's office to get a signal. But if you can afford to do so, maybe consider just going with the whole "digital detox" approach?

Osage Creek Lodge101 E. Van Buren St., Eureka Springs

Remember that courtly Best Western that sits at the turn into Eureka's historic downtown district? Get this: It's now Osage Creek Lodge. As in: the Osage Creek that's emblazoned on the side of your medical cannabis packaging. With a cultivation facility cranking out marijuana in Berryville and most competing dispensaries located an hour away in the Fayetteville area, nearby Eureka became an appealing place for Osage Creek to land an operation in Carroll County. "The thing about Eureka Springs," Osage Creek Cultivation CFO Matt Trulove said, "is that if it's a good spot, it's probably got a hotel on it." While the hotel and the dispensary (and the cultivation farm, for that matter) technically operate as separate entities, what the user experience resembles is a sort of Southern-style, mid-century cannabis motorcourt, complete with sunlit swimming pool and an anachronistically modern weed pharmacy (see Osage Creek Dispensary below) where the hotel's conference rooms used to be. "A lot of hotels have an amenity listing," Trulove said, "and I haven't ever seen a dispensary on one of those lists." Speaking of amenities, there's a hot tub and a fitness center, and when you’re ready to go downtown for a bite to eat (Trulove recommends The Grotto and Gaskin's Cabin Steakhouse), the hotel is a stop on the Eureka trolley, or you can take the quick, shaded walk downhill to the downtown area.

Get green

Osage Creek Dispensary101 E. Van Buren St., Eureka Springs

Transdermal patches and hot honey and Mountain Mint, oh my! Eager and educated budtenders at Osage Creek attend a sleek showroom right off the hotel lobby, all seemingly armed with a delightfully nerdy approach to talking medical marijuana. When I visited, the shop was gauging the appeal of skincare goodies from a woman-owned cannabis company called Shake Extractions, including a THC-forward face serum with apricot oil. Bonus points for great lighting and a tranquil waiting area that showcases the dispensary's products on softly lit shelves. And does it get any more Wes Anderson than that adorable little "DISPENSARY to your right" sign at the hotel clerk's desk a few steps away from the defunct Gazebo Restaurant?

The ReLeaf Center9400 E. McNelly Road, Bentonville

On the north end of Bentonville between Bella Vista and Pea Ridge sits ReLeaf, where a serene farmhouse feel dominates this dispensary and cultivation facility. Love that they have a philanthropic arm through their "Sow A Seed" program, which benefits the NWA Women's Shelter, a veteran suicide intervention initiative called We Are the 22, a criminal justice reform effort called The Last Prisoner Project and LGBTQ+ advocacy group NWA Equality. (And love that they, like Osage Creek, have eighths on special for $13.50. Budget-minded imbibers, rejoice!)

The Source4505 W. Poplar St., Rogers

With three locations in Missouri and one in Arkansas, The Source goes hard on the funky decor and the boutique approach to medical cannabis, the latest project being "In the Flow," which the company imagines as a small-batch line of cannabis, managed under eco-friendly lighting and offered up in sustainability-minded packaging. (Remember when most Arkansas medical cannabis came in those ghastly neon green pharmacy cylinders? Weird!) Maybe even cooler, they proudly report that when it comes to styling, interior design and merchandise in their retail space, they try to hire as many local artists as possible.

Get outside

Beaver Lake Dam Site Park348 Damsite River Road, Eureka Springs

About nine miles west of town on U.S. Highway 62, you’ll see green highway signs for Beaver Lake's Dam Site Park at the turnoff to Arkansas Highway 187. (Or, as fans of weird Eureka history might say, the turnoff to that odd old abandoned "dinosaur park," where hulking facsimiles of prehistoric reptiles once ruled the hillside, beckoning trespassers of all ages to the property owners’ chagrin.) Follow the signs to the campground during fair weather for a killer sunset or an overnight stay, or just do as we did and take the turnoff to White Bass Cove day use area, dip your toes in the water and have yourself a Stoned Soul Regular Picnic. (PSA: Remember that smoking medical cannabis is a no-go on government lands in Arkansas, y’all.)

1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa75 Prospect Ave., Eureka Springs

Captivatingly depicted in Sean Fitzgibbon's 2022 graphic nonfiction book "What Follows Is True," the Crescent Hotel has long fed the imagination, especially for those of us with imaginations that never tire of the spooky. An imposing bastion on the mountainside (think: Stephen King's Overlook Hotel, Arkansas edition), the hotel is as much a place to board overnight as it is to wander through in the lazy afternoon hours, sipping a ghost pepper vodka cocktail at the balcony bar on the top floor, taking a ghost tour or sauntering through the manicured gardens. Relatively new to the hotel is the seasonal Frisco Sporting Club, an outdoor play space with bocce ball, axe throwing, a basket swing set beneath towering trees and a giant outdoor chess/checkers set that’ll make you feel like you’re in Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. Don't forget to tip your hat to the hotel's black cat, who has a dedicated kitty exit/entrance on the rear wall of the lobby, just behind the hoary antique "Welte Philharmonic Salon Model 4" self-playing pipe organ.

Pro tip: The only incorrect way to get to the Crescent is in a hurry; the hotel is along a wildly scenic historic loop, so allow yourself time to meander through the canopied switchbacks with leisure.

Quigley's Castle274 Quigley Castle Road, Eureka Springs

What if a 1930s lumber company man inherited a parcel of land in Carroll County, promised his nature-loving bride that she could design and build a new house on it and then came home from work to find she’d accelerated the project by demolishing the current family abode so that construction on the new digs would have to begin immediately? That's how the origin story goes for Quigley's Castle, dubbed by its keepers "The Ozarks’ Strangest Dwelling." In it, lines between interior and exterior are blurred, as 70-year-old foliage creeps up to brush against the second-story ceiling along 28 windows, with four feet of bare soil separating the home's exterior windows from the living space. Interior walls form a motley museum of natural wonders — a group of seashells scalloped together to resemble tile, a wall made entirely of butterfly and moth specimens, endless rock collections mounted vertically into concrete as a display, a bird named Tweety flitting among the tropical vines in the windows and extensive collections of fossils and arrowheads.

Outside, over a hundred rock sculptures dot a wildflower and rose garden filled with Elise Quigley's rockworked benches, bird baths and bottle trees. "[I wanted] a home where I felt I was living in the world instead of in a box," a statement from Elise goes on the Castle's pamphlet. "I designed it in my mind, but I couldn't tell anybody what I wanted, so I sat down with scissors and paste and cardboard and matchsticks and made a model."

Get fed

Local Flavor Cafe71 S. Main St., Eureka Springs

You’ll barely get out the words "where should I eat in Eureka" without this place coming up, and for good reason. See that line out the door for brunch on the weekends? Worth it, 100%. Get the biscuits and gravy. Or the creamy grits. We were seated for supper on the gently lit patio and especially dug the signature Sesame-encrusted Goat Cheese Salad and the Eggplant Parmesan — a generous stack of aubergine patties with a delightfully crackly crust topped with roasted asparagus spears and nestled into a bed of spaghetti and a bold tomato sauce. Beer lovers, don't miss the local craft selection with crowdpleasers from Gotahold Brewing, a project of longtime brewmaster Dave Hartmann who, with co-owner Wendy Reese Hartmann, named the place in honor of Eureka's having "gotahold" of them when they visited.

Myrtie Mae's at Inn of The Ozarks207 W. Van Buren, Eureka Springs

Sometimes what you need is a place with a salad bar and a senior discount and some fierce fried chicken, and for that, there's Myrtie Mae's. This homestyle cooking spot, attached to a Best Western venture called Inn of the Ozarks, is sorta like what might happen if you opened a museum dedicated to Eureka Springs history and then plopped a Luby's down in the middle of it. Which is to say: It's awesome.

The Two-Piece Myrtie's Famous Ozark Fried Chicken is plenty, served piping hot and ultra-crispy with a baked potato that had that nice cafeteria-warmer-slow-burn exterior going on. Also delightful: the fried green beans with a house-made creamy horseradish sauce, and the banter we eavesdropped on from Myrtie's regulars at nearby tables.

Sparky's Roadhouse Cafe147 E. Van Buren, Eureka Springs

If, like me, a giant menu seems daunting to your eyes, take some deep breaths before you peruse the offerings at Sparky's, yeah? This thing's a real page-turner. But it's done in a self-aware kinda way; Sparky's signatures — like spinach enchiladas and wallet-friendly ice cold beer — are found online at a link titled "The Giant Menu Page" and "The Impressive Beer, Wine and Cocktail Lists," respectively.

Join the fight for truth and become a subscriber of the Arkansas Times. We've been battling powerful forces for 48 years through our tough, determined, and feisty journalism. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, our readers value great journalism. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing and supporting our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage. Together, we can continue to hold the powerful accountable and bring important stories to light. Subscribe now or donate for as little as $1 and be a part of the Arkansas Times community.

Commenting FAQs