Blog | Tall Pines Inn

Merry, merry month of May!

May is a great time to visit our town! Not too cold, not too hot, trees and flowers and plants at their maximum beauty. And this year marks the 30th Anniversary of our town’s May Festival of the Arts. With over 70 events in 31 days, there’s something for everyone. Here’s a sample:

Art in the Park – Basin Spring, that is – features 4 giant mobiles, created by artist Janet Alexander with powder-coated metals and titled “Four Seasons.” They will be unveiled on May 5th. On May 13th, anyone can be part of the art by making a mini-mobile to take home.
White Street Walk – On May 19th, from 4 to 10 p.m., local artists welcome the public into their homes and studios. More than forty guest artists will display watercolors, jewelry, weaving, pottery, and more. Enjoy a street fair atmosphere combined with refreshments and music.
Books in Bloom (on May 21st) is a celebration for writers and readers! Dedicated readers and those interested in writing can attend author presentations and have conversations with writers who are very successful in their genres.
The Eurekan Spectacle is augmented reality using an app that allows visitors to witness a Shakespearean play at various real-world locations around Eureka Springs. This collaboration between writer Mackenzie Doss and photographer Edward C. Robinson III will be visible on the app Wikitude starting May 4th.

The Tall Pines is just minutes from all the festivities by car or Trolley. So book your cabin now and reserve your chance to be ArtRageous to the MAX!

Happy Earth Day!

It’s been raining – at times pouring, some times drizzling – for the past 3 days, and our trees have responded with a riot of greenness! I can think of no better way to celebrate the Earth than by highlighting the beautiful pines, oaks, dogwoods, and walnut trees on our property.

Spring at Black Bass Lake

Spring, with all its majestic beauty, has arrived! Our town is awash in greens – from the bright lime of new growth to the dark green of cedars and every shade in between. Nowhere is this more true than at Black Bass Lake.

This peaceful and beautiful park feels like it’s miles from anywhere – yet it’s only 2 minutes from the Tall Pines Inn. Enjoy hiking, biking, fishing and a picnic. Frogs and turtles abound. Trails range from easy to more challenging so there’s something for everyone. Make your reservation today for a relaxing stay near the perfect spot for forest bathing!

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Exploring by foot is truly the best way to absorb the quaintness, quirkiness, and history of our town. Maps are available in our office – and markers have been placed to aid travelers. But sometimes, it’s fun to get a little lost! Here are photos of a recent walk from Kansas Street down to Spring, by way of the site of the old high school.

Most Ripley-ed Town in America!

This boast from the 1950s referred to all of the sites in our town featured in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.” Beginning in 1918, Robert Ripley – a newspaper cartoonist obsessed with oddities – illustrated the unusual things he found on his travels around the world in a popular cartoon column. In 1940, that column reached 80 million readers in more than 330 newspapers.

Ripley found our town’s infrastructure particularly interesting, and in an April 10, 1931 cartoon, he noted that the city’s winding streets formed the letters “U” and “V” 51 times; the letter “S” 13 times; and the letter “O” seven times. Just below the Crescent Hotel, sits St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, whose distinctive entrance earned it three Ripley mentions. The church is unusual because there’s only one way to enter: through the top of the bell tower.

The Basin Park Hotel also caught Ripley’s attention because every floor is considered a ground floor. If that seems unlikely, look behind the building. There you’ll find that each of the seven levels has a fire escape bridge that leads directly to the adjacent mountain.

Not all of Ripley’s cartoon subjects were man-made. The Tall Pines Inn sits at the corner of Highway 62 and Pivot Rock Road – named for a 12-foot high chunk of V-shaped limestone. Ripley was a frequent visitor to this “top balanced on its pointed end” – an apt description since the monolith spans about 30 feet in diameter at its top but is only about 16 inches at its base.

Pivot Rock is on private property about 2 miles from the Tall Pines and accessible by following an undulating nature trail, only about a quarter-mile round trip. Visitors also can enjoy a nearby natural limestone bridge that spans about 20 feet across rocky terrain.

These are just a few of the peculiarities you can experience in our quirky little town! And Ripley never wrote about its residents…

(Thanks to Tanyanika Samuels for her 2005 article in the Chicago Tribune.)

: A caption here.

Fall Color 2016

The alchemy that turns green leaves to orange, red, and gold in the Ozarks this time of year is a very complex process. I think our above average temperatures in October (that have continued into November – it’s 80+ degrees on the 16th!) and lack of rainfall contributed to a less-than-spectacular display of colors.

But there are still some beautiful trees around town and at the Tall Pines:

We have vacancies now (11/16) through Thanksgiving weekend, so you can experience the beauty first-hand!

Forest Bathing in the Ozarks

The Japanese have a term called shinrin-yoku, which translates as “forest bathing”. It’s about immersing yourself in nature to relax and reduce stress and anxiety. Several studies indicate that the practice can be linked to a boost in immunity and a perception of increased energy and well-being.

Late October and November is prime-time for getting out in the woods and connecting with nature around here, and Lake Leatherwood is the uber-epicenter to do it. The temperatures have been ideal and the biting bugs seem to disappear long before the first freeze. We have miles and miles of hiking and biking trails, some easy, some crazy-challenging, but all scenic and rewarding.

Many more people lately are discovering the gem that is Lake Leatherwood Park. We’ve had annual mountain-bike races and triathlons for years, and just last weekend, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association held a an event here, part of its Arkansas student mountain bike race series, that attracted over 125 kids and teams.

The Park attracts all kinds of campers, including the two Airstreams from Florida (pictured below), whose owners we met a couple of weeks ago. The “tiny house” bare-bones cabins are a new addition opening soon. They make the Tall Pines cabins look like the Four Seasons but probably a step up from a tent.

The Tall Pines is just a 5-minute drive from this fabulous park so make plans to visit soon! Click here for vacancies.

Great Place to Spend Halloween

There are lots of good reasons to spend the weekend before Halloween in our little town. Here are just a few:

Meet famous historic residents at the town cemetery!
Spooky Entertainment like “Anna.”
You can see Zombies!
And Ghosts!
Intrigue Theater

After exploring the supernatural, there’s no better place to come back to than one of our cozy cabins! The Tall Pines has several vacancies on 10/28 & 29.

Ozark Folk Festival and War Eagle Craft Show Start 10/13

The country’s longest continuously running Folk Festival returns for its 69th year! It will include the Barefoot Bash, Singer/Songwriter Contest, free music, and a show featuring Irish-American folk rock band, The Elders.

The festival kicks off with a free performance on Thursday, October 13 at 7 p.m. at The Auditorium located at 36 S. Main St. Still on the Hill presents their Still a River concert, with story-songs about the people and history of the Buffalo River, our nation’s first historic national river.

Free music in the park starts at 2 p.m.on Friday with HuDost, followed by Down Hill Strugglers at 3 p.m. and Connie Dover and Kelly Werts at 4 p.m. Then at 7 p.m. kick up your heels at the Barefoot Basin Bash with music from surprise guests–one of Eureka’s favorite Rockabilly bands.

On Saturday in Basin Park at 12 p.m., five finalists will compete in the Singer/Songwriter Contest, performing 15-minute compositions for our judges. More free music follows with another performance by HuDost at 3 p.m. and the Down Hill Strugglers at 4 p.m.

The headline show takes place on Saturday night at The Auditorium with The Elders – founded in 1998 by six individuals with a passion for music rooted in Americana and Celtic folk rock. Their ability to bring together the art of storytelling with elements both musically progressive and rooted in tradition, has won them anninternational fan base. The Vogt Sisters, last year’s Singer/Songwriter contest winners, will open up the show at 7 p.m. For Tickets

The War Eagle Craft Fair is not as old as the Folk Festival – it’s only been around for 62 years! Featuring more than 250 booths of handcrafted products displayed by their creators, the Fair takes place along the banks of the War Eagle River. It is sponsored by the non-profit Ozark Arts & Crafts Fair Association.

These two events combined with a beautiful Fall setting of changing leaves makes the perfect weekend get away. And there’s no better place to stay than the Tall Pines Inn – which has been around as long as the Folk Festival! So choose your accommodation and join us!

Dining Al Fresco

Fall is officially here and although the days are still warm, we’ve had some very pleasant evenings – perfect for outdoor dining!

One of our favorite restaurants with outdoor seating is Aquarius Taqueria. It’s owned by the same folks who have made Local Flavor one of the best restaurants in town. As its name suggests, the menu features a wide variety of delicious tacos – some with fillings not typically found in an average Mexican restaurant. Definitely worth checking out, the next time you’re in town!