Ruthie Foster in Eureka Springs.

The 2012 Eureka Springs Blues Weekend is coming up, May 31 through June 2. As of this writing, we still have an opening at our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast that weekend.

Blues Weekend is the final act of the Eureka Spring May Festival of the Arts, and it’s hard to imagine a better way to wrap up a month devoted to art and creativity.

The blues is all about transforming suffering into beauty. Your lady up and left you, you lost your job, and your dog died. What do you do? You pick up a guitar and let the whole world know. In doing so, you overcome. That’s the power of creativity right there. That’s art.

Some of the biggest names in Blues will be performing in Eureka Springs May 31-June 2. They are Marquise Knox and The Cate Brothers, the Tommy Castro Band and the Ruthie Foster Band. Well known musicians and up and coming musicians will take the stage in The Basin Park Hotel Barefoot Ballroom, The Auditorium, Basin Spring Park, and various restaurants and clubs around town.

The Basin Spring Park shows are free and open to all. Other shows require tickets, and advance tickets are suggested.

Our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast is close to the Blues Weekend venues. Come listen to the Blues. It will cheer you.

Tickets and additional information are available at Eureka Springs Blues Weekend.

Explore the art galleries of Eureka Springs during the May Festival of the Arts.

• Gallery Strolls take place each Saturday evening.

• Free concerts in Basin Spring Park will have you dancing Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Memorial Day.

• The Downtown Eureka Springs Art Fair on May 11-12 will have you perusing art booths along Center Street and Basin Spring Park.

• The White Street Studio Walk on May 18 in the historic district invites you to visit the homes and studios of dozens of artists. Dozens more artists set up stands along the street. It’s a block party atmosphere and a great deal of fun.

• The Spring Garden Tour on May 19 allows a peek into private gardens throughout the city.
  

  Start your day with Breakfast at Arsenic and Old Lace.

When hunger strikes, you’ll find special art exhibits in many Eureka Springs restaurants. We always enjoy seeing the new shows at Keel’s Creek Winery and Art Gallery, and we look forward to seeing what will grace the walls of The Grand Taverne, the Cottage Inn Restaurant, and Ermilio’s.

Our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast is located on a wooded hillside in the Eureka Springs Historic District. If you like to walk (and don’t mind hills), you’ll find we are walking distance to many of the May Festival of the Arts activities.

A complete schedule of events is available at May Festival of the Arts.

Creative Energy, at Basin Park.

• Turpentine Creek is celebrating their 20th anniversary with 20 days of art. Artists are invited to set up a workspace at the Refuge so they can capture the animals on canvas, in film, or with clay. Come watch the artists at work, admire the animals, and perhaps purchase some of the artwork. A share of the profits will benefit Turpentine Creek Animal Refuge. Art with the Animals concludes on May 8, 2012. Additional information is available at Turpentine Creek.

• Electric Vision: Creative Energy Project Exhibition opens today. This interactive light painting and photography project, created by Jeremy Mason McGaw and friends, consists of 17 painted images and three images made from people attending a few public events during April. All 20 images will be on display in the Basin Park downtown throughout the entire month of May.

• Also beginning today is the Invitational Art Show at ARTIFACTS Folk & Fine Art Gallery. Art work by approximately 50 local artists will be on display throughout the month. Vote for your favorite. The artist with the most votes will receive over $3,000 in prize money.

May is a wonderful time to visit Eureka Springs. We hope to welcome you this month to our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast.

2012 May Festival of the Arts poster by Jeremy Mason McGraw.

One such event is the 22nd Annual White Street Walk, which takes place Friday, May 18, between 4 and 10 p.m. At that time, the public is invited to enter the homes and studios of the many artists who live and work on historic White Street. View their latest works, and see the works of the more than 40 guest artists who will be there as well.

Other May Festival of the Arts special events include:

• Saturday evening Gallery Strolls

• Free concerts in Basin Spring Park, Fridays, Saturday, and Sundays.

• Festival of African Rhythm, Dance, Food and Culture, May 3-6.

• ARTrageous Parade, May 5.

• Eureka Springs Art Fair, May 11-12.

• Eureka Springs Blues Weekend, May 31-June 3.

Spend a few days at our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast during the month of May and immerse yourself in art.

A complete schedule of events is available at May Festival of the Arts.

It's fun!

Let the chips fly in Eureka Springs. That’s the pervasive attitude each year during the annual Carving in the Ozarks Festival. So pack your safety glasses and head to our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast April 20-21, 2012. Trust us; this is an event to be witnessed.

The Carving in the Ozarks Festival really is fun. Carvers wield their chainsaws with finesses, coaxing amazing creations out of logs. Their artistry requires vision, skill, patience, and strength. Also good ear and eye protection.

Each piece carved during the festival will be offered at an auction held on Saturday at 4 p.m. Proceeds benefit local civic organizations and charities, and winning bidders get to take home truly original art. It’s a win-win situation, all around.

For many guests of our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast, the Carving in the Ozarks Festival is the first time they witness chainsaw carving. It can be a transformative experience. Come see for yourself.

If you miss this year’s Carving in the Ozarks Festival, plan ahead to see it in 2013!

Travelers first arrived in Eureka Springs by rail in 1883, and the ES&NA gives modern passengers a feel for that experience. ES&NA is a collection of vintage rolling stock, one of the largest in the Ozarks. To ride on the Eureka Springs Railway is to go back in time.

Ride the Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railroad.

Trains depart from the historic Eureka Springs depot several times a day, Tuesday through Saturday. They travel through the Ozarks for just under 5 miles before returning to the depot. The journey isn’t long, but the scenery is magnificent and the sense of history makes it fun.

The restored depot is also home to a number of interesting exhibits, such as an automobile that can run on the rails. It’s a good place to explore while waiting for a train.

Come May, ES&NA runs a Dinner Train. It departs at 5:00 p.m. and returns around 6:30 p.m, covering the same route as the daily scenic trains. Passengers of the Dinner Train choose from Chicken Eurekan, Chef’s Prime Rib, or Rainbow Trout Almondine. Wine and Champagne are available.

A Lunch Trail also begins service in May. Passengers choose from Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Salad, or a Hot Deli Sandwhich. Lunch Trains depart at noon and last about an hour.

Many guests of our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast have enjoyed traveling aboard the Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway. Some go for lunch, some for dinner, and some just for the ride. It’s an easy way to sit back and experience the beauty of the Ozarks.

Additional information is available at ES&NA.

Stroll the art galleries of historic Eureka Springs, April 14, 2012.

The Second Saturday Gallery Stroll starts up on April 14 and runs through December 8, 2012. Each month highlights different artists with exhibits and receptions. It’s a wonderful time to browse the many art galleries in downtown Eureka Springs, admiring art.

Have an early dinner, then head out to stroll. Or start with drinks and take a break from strolling with dinner. Participating galleries are located throughout the historic downtown area, close to many good eateries. Keels Creek Winery, located a bit outside of town, features both art and wine.

Quicksilver Gallery features the artwork of more than 100 local, regional, and nationally recognized artists. Jewelry, tapestries, pottery, musical instruments… all are found at Quicksilver Gallery.

Fantasy & Stone Gallery has some wonderfully whimsical pieces, such as Sculpted Fairy Houses by Bell and Frank Barr and Sculpted Clay Fish by Sharon Cupit.

Artifacts is in a new, large space that features paintings, glasswork, wooden boxes, sculpture, and more.

To visit Fusion Squared is to gain a new appreciation for glass art. Local artist John Rinehart creates unique, fused, hand-crafted fused glass jewelry and art.

83 Spring Street Gallery is the Flagship Studio Gallery of bronze sculptor Mark Hopkins. Also featured are works by other Eureka Springs artists, such as Betsy Stafford and Don Goin.

The Jewel Box Gallery specializes in art jewelry, but you’ll also find amazing wooden boxes, hot glass work, feather masks, and other unique crafts.

Two other good spots are Zarks Fine Design Gallery and Iris at the Basin Park. Zarks always has interesting work, such as smoke drawings, Native American art, and etchings. Iris at the Basin Park features ceramics, jewelry, glass, and more.

For a complete, up-to-date list of galleries participating in the Second Saturday Gallery Stroll, visit Art of Eureka.

To make your reservation at our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast, visit our reservation page online or call 866-350-5454.

The Dogwood, great harbinger of spring.

The mountains come alive in the spring, and one of the best ways to experience this magnificent renewal of life is to go horseback riding through the Ozarks.

Trail rides through the Ozarks leave daily from Bear Mountain Riding Stables. Experienced guides share stories as well as riding tips, opening up the rich history of the region to anyone willing to listen. Rides generally last an hour, and are open to novices as well as expert riders.

Riders should keep an eye out for wildflowers and flowering trees. Redbuds are one of the first trees to blossom in the Ozarks, delighting us with their purple and lavender blossoms in late March and early April. Flowering Dogwoods follow them, usually peaking in mid to late April. Deliciously fragrant Wild Plums also bloom early.

Many wildflowers are already blooming in the garden of our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast. After your horseback ride, relax on our porch with a glass of wine, surrounded by the fragrance of spring.

The enchanting Tree-Top Suite.

These days, many people are opting to stay relatively close to home for their honeymoons. Rather than jetting to Hawaii or Paris, they’re driving to wonderful small towns like Eureka Springs. After all, a couple of tanks of gas are much more reasonably priced than airline tickets; this leaves more money for other things, like a longer honeymoon.

The Tree-Top Suite and all of the rooms of our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast are ideal for newlyweds. Our Tree-Top Suite is perched at the top of the inn, and guests staying in it feel the presence of the surrounding trees more than anything else. Floor-to-ceiling windows dominate the room. It is light-filled and lovely–an enchanting place to begin a marriage.

You could go to Paris for your honeymoon, but then you’d feel like you were obligated to visit the Louvre, the Centre Pompidou, and Montmartre. You’d be tourists, not newlyweds.

Nestled in the Tree-Top Suite of our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast, you will want to spend hours looking up into the trees and down into each others’ eyes. As you listen to the breeze rustling the leaves, you’ll talk about your future and share your most intimate hopes and dreams. Eventually, you’ll venture out to stretch your legs, walk through town, and dine; but you’ll be eager to return to the Tree-Top Suite.

Devil's Gap, as seen from the grounds of War Eagle Cavern.

War Eagle Cavern on Beaver Lake opened for the 2102 season on March 10. The cavern is an amazing place in a beautiful natural setting. Many guests of our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast have enjoyed visiting it.

The Ozark Plateau is home to thousands of caves, and War Eagle Cavern is one of the most spectacular. It sits on the south end of Beaver Lake, not far from Eureka Springs. The cavern is reachable by car and, surprisingly, by boat; the War Eagle Cavern boat dock is close to Devil’s Gap Inlet.

There are many attractions at War Eagle Cavern, both above ground and below. Above ground, visitors may pan for gems at the War Eagle Mining Co. and wander through the Lost in the Woods Maze. Walking trails traverse the grounds, featuring views of Beaver Lake, limestone bluffs, and sinkhole. Smoke Signal Cafe is a good spot to grab a bite to eat in the summer months, and there are many lovely spots to enjoy a picnic and watch for wildlife.

Things start to get really interesting, however, below the surface. The entrance to the cavern is a vast, natural opening that beckons the curious. Hour-long tours lead along wide walkways to spacious caverns, interesting formations, and an underground stream. The tour guides are very knowledgeable about both the history and geology of the cavern. You can even bring your well behaved dog with you.

Looking up a chimney in War Eagle Cavern.

If the regular tour isn’t enough for you, consider the Spelunker Tour. This isn’t for the faint of heart (or your dog); intrepid spelunkers will get wet and muddy. The reward? Bats, bats, and more bats! Eastern Pipestrelle bats and gray bats live in War Eagle Cavern, and most of them make their home away from the regular tour route.

An excursion to War Eagle Cavern is a wonderful way to connect with nature, and explore it. The cave is cool on hot summer days, and fascinating spring, summer, and fall.