Veni, Vidi, Vici - My Arkansas Sojourn

I'm back from my sojourn in Arkansas and I must say, the Ozarks and its treasures did not disappoint!

First stop - Eureka Springs 

A Victorian mountain village nestled in the Ozarks,  Eureka Springs has been lovingly preserved with its steep winding streets filled with Victorian-style cottages and manors.  The buildings are primarily constructed of local stone and lie along streets that curve around the hills - rising and falling with the topography in a five-mile long loop.  Eureka Springs has been selected as one of America's Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is often referred to as  "The Little Switzerland of America"  because of its mountainous terrain and the winding, up-and-down paths of its streets and walkways.

Native American legends tell of a Great Healing Spring in the Eureka Springs area, and various cultures visited the springs for this sacred purpose.  The European Americans were another culture to consider the springs to have healing powers and  described the waters of the springs as having magical powers. In the late nineteenth century, Eureka Springs was transformed into a flourishing city, spa, and tourist destination.  Dr. Alvah Jackson was credited in American history with locating the spring and in 1856 claimed that the waters of Basin Spring had cured his eye ailments. Dr. Jackson established a hospital in a local cave during the Civil War and used the waters from Basin Spring to treat his patients. After the war, Jackson marketed the spring waters as "Dr. Jackson's Eye Water". The Ozarka Water Company was later formed in Eureka Springs in 1905.

The historic Basin Hotel still stands on that Basin Spring and I was lucky enough to enjoy a wasabi wrap and deep tissue massage which incorporated the power of these healing waters.  After two hours of pummeling and scrubbing, I emerged from the spa polished and renewed - and hopefully looking 5 years younger! 

Destination - Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville

Alice Walton, the daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, spearheaded the Walton Family Foundation's involvement in developing Crystal Bridges. The museum's glass-and-wood design by architect Moshe Safdie (Boston, MA) and engineer Buro Happold (New York, NY) features a series of pavilions nestled around two creek-fed ponds. 

The museum's permanent collection features American art from the Colonial era to contemporary work. All of the featured artists are United States citizens, though some spent most of their art careers in Europe. Notable works include a Charles Willson Peale portrait of George Washington as well as paintings by George Bellows, Jasper Cropsey, Asher Durand, Thomas Eakins, Edward Hopper, Marsden Hartley, John Singer Sargent, Maxfield Parrish, Winslow Homer, Stuart Davis, Romare Bearden, Norman Rockwell, and Grace Hartigan, to name just a few.   The museum ranks at least in the top half dozen of American art museums in its quality, range and depth of works.  

I particularly loved the meandering paths that circled the property and lead back into town.  Iconic works by Robert Indiana, Andre Harvey and Alexander Calder line these paths so that the 4 mile trail back to downtown Bentonville passed way too quickly for me, despite the 93 degree heat.  But when I got back, an delicious treat awaited.  The best eateries in downtown Bentonville are the food trucks, and one in particular, Crepes Paulette, got my business for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Delicious crepes, sweet and savory and fresh lemonade, are the perfect reward after a long day of walking and viewing some of the best examples of American art, on the left side of the Mississippi!  Veni, Vidi, Vici and totally enjoyed real southern hospitality for 4 wonderful days.

 

 

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