Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs Historic Hotels & Inns
Historic hotels, B&Bs and cottages in buildings from 1881 to 1947: downtown on Spring Street, along the Historic Loop, on the Crescent’s hilltop and out on U.S. 62.
The short answer
For the classic stay, book the 1886 Crescent Hotel on West Mountain, which bills itself ‘America’s Most Haunted Hotel’ and runs nightly ghost tours; from 1937 to 1940 Norman Baker ran a fraudulent cancer ‘hospital’ there. Downtown, the 1905 Basin Park Hotel faces Basin Spring Park, and the Palace Hotel & Bath House on Spring Street keeps what it calls the town’s ‘last original bath house’. For a B&B, choose a Victorian house on the Historic Loop: the Heartstone Inn (1903) or Bridgeford House (1884). For easier parking, stay in the late-1930s stone cottages of Rock Cottage Gardens or the 1947 log cabins of Tall Pines Inn, out by U.S. 62. Parking in town is tight, so the transit office’s advice is to park at your lodging and ride the trolley.
Our top picks
Best overall
1905 Basin Park Hotel
Built 1905
An eight-story 1905 limestone hotel against the bluff at Basin Spring Park, where bridge walks give each upper floor its own ground-level…
Best small inn
Heartstone Inn
Built 1903
A 1903 Victorian house with a wraparound porch on a wooded acre of the Historic Loop: 11 rooms and cottages, full breakfast,…
Oldest
The Piedmont on Spring
Built 1881
An 1881 frame boarding house with two-story porches, which the National Register nomination cites as typical of the town's earliest visitor lodging.
Most haunted
1886 Crescent Hotel
Built 1886
An 1886 resort on West Mountain where Norman Baker ran a fraudulent cancer 'hospital' in 1937–40; it bills itself 'America's Most Haunted…
Compare them side by side
| Inn | Area | Built | Rooms | Type | Price | Haunted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Piedmont on Spring | Downtown | 1881 | 12 | Inn | – | Rates | |
| Bridgeford House | Historic Loop | 1884 | – | B&B | – | Rates | |
| 1886 Crescent Hotel | Crescent Hotel hilltop | 1886 | – | Grand hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| New Orleans Hotel | Downtown | 1900 | 14 | Boutique hotel | – | Rates | |
| Palace Hotel & Bath House | Downtown | 1900 | – | Boutique hotel | – | Rates | |
| Heartstone Inn | Historic Loop | 1903 | 11 | B&B | – | Rates | |
| 1905 Basin Park Hotel | Downtown | 1905 | – | Grand hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| Rock Cottage Gardens | U.S. 62 corridor | late 1930s | 5 | Inn | – | Rates | |
| Tall Pines Inn | U.S. 62 corridor | 1947 | 21 | Inn | – | Yes | Rates |
Price is a typical nightly rate: $ under $200, $$ $200–349, $$$ $350–549, $$$$ $550+. Rates vary by season; check the inn for exact prices.
Where they are
The neighborhoods
Where to stay, by area
Downtown and Spring Street
The commercial core grew up around Basin Spring, with limestone hotels and shops stacked against the bluffs along Spring and Main streets. The 1905 Basin Park Hotel faces Basin Spring Park, and the New Orleans Hotel, the Palace Hotel & Bath House and The Piedmont on Spring, an 1881 boarding house, are all within a few blocks along Spring Street. It’s walkable but steep, and trolleys stop at the Downtown Depot.
The Historic Loop
Above downtown, the Historic Loop winds along Prospect, White, Mountain, Washington, Summit, Ojo and Kingshighway past the district’s Victorian houses, many of them now B&Bs. The trolley’s Red Route covers the 3.3-mile loop in about 20 minutes; distances are short, but the grades are steep. Inns here: the Heartstone Inn, a 1903 Victorian on Kingshighway, and Bridgeford House, completed in 1884 on upper Spring Street.
The Crescent Hotel hilltop
The 1886 Crescent Hotel stands on a 27-acre site at the north end of West Mountain, high above downtown at 75 Prospect Avenue. Trolleys climb Ellis Grade to the hotel (stop #91), the hotel’s FAQ says resort guests get a complimentary shuttle, and the Crescent Trail connects to Harmon Park and its dog park.
The U.S. 62 corridor
After U.S. 62 opened in 1920, tourist cabins and motels went up along the highway above town for motorists. Rock Cottage Gardens, late-1930s stone cottages built as a tourist court, sits on the district’s western edge near Kingshighway, and Tall Pines Inn’s 1947 log cabins are about a mile west of downtown at Pivot Rock Road. Both have free on-site parking; downtown is a trolley ride or a short drive away.
The inns
Built 1881 · Folk Victorian · Downtown · Inn
The Piedmont on Spring
Why stay An 1881 frame boarding house with two-story porches, which the National Register nomination cites as typical of the town's earliest visitor lodging.
Good to know Parking: on-site free
Built 1884 · Victorian · Historic Loop · B&B
Bridgeford House
Why stay John Bridgeford's Victorian house on upper Spring Street, completed in 1884, the inn says, with a hot breakfast in the dining room; ages 12 and up.
Good to know Breakfast: included · No pets
Built 1886 · Richardsonian Romanesque / French Renaissance (eclectic) · Crescent Hotel hilltop · Grand hotel
1886 Crescent Hotel
Why stay An 1886 resort on West Mountain where Norman Baker ran a fraudulent cancer 'hospital' in 1937–40; it bills itself 'America's Most Haunted Hotel'.
The ghost story By reported lore, the hotel's ghosts include 'Michael', a stonemason said to have died during construction, 'Theodora', a cancer patient of Norman Baker said to haunt Room 419, and Baker himself near the old recreation room; a guest reported seeing a nurse pushing a gurney in July 1987. The hotel markets itself as 'America's Most Haunted Hotel', which is its own billing, and runs nightly ghost tours ending at Baker's former morgue.
Good to know Breakfast: available · Pets welcome
Built 1900 · Downtown · Boutique hotel
New Orleans Hotel
Why stay W. D. Wadsworth's limestone hotel on Spring Street, built in 1900 per the National Register, with a two-story iron balcony; 14 suites today.
Good to know Parking: on-site paid · No pets
Built 1900 · Romanesque influence (limestone, domed center tower) · Downtown · Boutique hotel
Palace Hotel & Bath House
Why stay A 1900 limestone hotel with a basement bathhouse; its 2005 National Register nomination called it the last hotel in town offering spring-water baths.
Good to know Parking: street
Built 1903 · Victorian · Historic Loop · B&B
Heartstone Inn
Why stay A 1903 Victorian house with a wraparound porch on a wooded acre of the Historic Loop: 11 rooms and cottages, full breakfast, trolley at the door.
Good to know Breakfast: included · Parking: on-site free
Built 1905 · Downtown · Grand hotel
1905 Basin Park Hotel
Why stay An eight-story 1905 limestone hotel against the bluff at Basin Spring Park, where bridge walks give each upper floor its own ground-level entrance.
The ghost story The hotel says its halls carry 'enduring ghost stories' and 'reported paranormal activity', and it runs 1.5-hour paranormal investigations led by the Eureka Springs Paranormal Investigators, including its Speakeasy Cave. No specific named ghost was published by the hotel.
Good to know Breakfast: available · Parking: garage nearby · Pets welcome
Built late 1930s · Rustic rubble-stone tourist cottages · U.S. 62 corridor · Inn
Rock Cottage Gardens
Why stay Rubble-stone cottages built in the late 1930s as a tourist court for U.S. 62 motorists: five garden cottages, each with a jetted tub and fireplace.
Good to know Breakfast: included · Parking: on-site free
Built 1947 · Rustic log motor court (saddle-notched round pine logs; dogtrot owners' house) · U.S. 62 corridor · Inn
Tall Pines Inn
Why stay Philip and Alice Nordquist's 1947 log-cabin motor court, on the National Register since 1999; ask for a log cabin, since later units aren't historic.
The ghost story The innkeepers say guests have reported unexplained knocking in Cabins 6 and 26 and a housekeeper heard voices in an empty Cabin 20; they credit a benevolent, mischievous ghost they call "Steve".
Good to know Breakfast: available · Parking: on-site free · Pets welcome
No inns match that filter.
Before you book
Planning your stay
Getting around
Eureka Springs Transit runs trolleys from the Transit & Welcome Center at 137 W. Van Buren (U.S. 62). The Red Route covers the 3.3-mile Historic Loop, downtown and the Crescent Hotel in about 20 minutes. 2026 fares are $6 for an adult all-day pass, $10 for a two-day pass and $4 for a single ride. Trolleys run daily in peak months and Wednesday to Saturday in January, February and December. The nearest commercial airport is Northwest Arkansas Regional (XNA), which the Crescent Hotel puts about 55 miles away.
Parking
The transit office says parking is limited by the hilly terrain and advises guests staying in town to park and ride the trolley. Day parking at the Transit & Welcome Center and the Planer Hill Park & Ride costs $5 ($2 off with an all-day trolley pass); Spring Street has city meters, and North Main has a free city lot. Downtown hotels rely on loading zones and remote lots: the Basin Park uses a lot at 101 N. Main with a shuttle and a $7 daily fee, the New Orleans Hotel charges $15 a night, and the Palace relies on street parking plus six spaces on Center Street. The Heartstone Inn, The Piedmont on Spring, Rock Cottage Gardens and Tall Pines Inn have free parking on site.
When to go
The trolley runs its fullest schedule from May through October, and the transit office says Fridays, Saturdays and summer are the busiest times. Service drops to Wednesday to Saturday in January, February and December. Events include the Ozark Mountain Music Festival in January, the Eureka Springs Blues Party in late May or early June, the Ozark Folk Festival in the fall, and Christmas parades and a New Year’s Eve party in Basin Spring Park.
Accessibility
The town is built into steep hillsides. The Basin Park Hotel is set into the slope so that each of its floors opens at ground level, and all trolleys have wheelchair lifts. Many cottages and B&Bs involve stairs, and Rock Cottage Gardens says its cottages are not wheelchair accessible, so confirm access with the inn before booking.
Before you book
Check the add-ons: Basin Park rates exclude 14.375% bed and state tax, a $7 daily parking fee and a $19.50 daily activity fee. The Crescent requires the person renting the room to be 18, Bridgeford House takes no children under 12, and the Palace’s bath services are for ages 16 and up. The Crescent and the Basin Park ($35 a night) take pets, and Tall Pines allows dogs in two units; the New Orleans Hotel and Bridgeford House do not take pets.
Questions travelers ask
What is the oldest hotel in Eureka Springs?
Of the inns we list, the oldest building is The Piedmont on Spring, which the National Register nomination describes as a frame boarding house built in 1881. The oldest grand hotel still operating is the 1886 Crescent Hotel, which opened in May 1886. The 1905 Basin Park Hotel stands on the site of the 1881 Perry House, the town’s first major hotel.
What is the most haunted hotel in Eureka Springs?
There is no official ranking. By reputation it is the 1886 Crescent Hotel, which the Encyclopedia of Arkansas calls one of the state’s most famous haunted locations and which bills itself ‘America’s Most Haunted Hotel’. The stories include Michael, a stonemason said to have died during construction; Theodora, a cancer patient said to haunt Room 419; and Norman Baker himself, who ran a fraudulent cancer ‘hospital’ in the hotel from 1937 to 1940. The hotel runs nightly ghost tours, and the 1905 Basin Park Hotel runs paranormal investigations. These are stories guests and staff tell, not documented fact.
Is it better to stay in the historic district?
Almost all historic lodging in Eureka Springs is in the district, because its boundary is the 1970 city limits. Downtown and Historic Loop stays put you on foot or a short trolley ride from Spring Street. Outlying properties on U.S. 62, such as Tall Pines Inn (on the National Register since 1999), have easier parking but mean riding the trolley or driving into town.
Where do you park in Eureka Springs?
If you are staying in town, park at your lodging and ride the trolley; the transit office says almost every lodging has a stop within walking distance. Day parking is $5 at the Transit & Welcome Center and the Planer Hill Park & Ride, with metered spaces on Spring Street and a free city lot on North Main. Downtown hotels use loading zones and remote lots, such as the Basin Park’s lot on North Main, served by a shuttle, at $7 a day.
What are the best historic B&Bs in Eureka Springs?
Inside the National Register district, try Bridgeford House, completed in 1884, the inn says, or the Heartstone Inn, an 11-room 1903 Victorian on Kingshighway; both include breakfast. Rock Cottage Gardens has five late-1930s stone cottages with breakfast included, and The Piedmont on Spring has 12 suites in an 1881 former boarding house.
Keep exploring
How we chose these inns
Every place on this page is at least 50 years old, holds a credential we can check (National Register listing, a listed historic district, landmark status, or Historic Hotels of America membership), and takes bookings today. We verify each one against primary sources before it goes on the list, and last checked this list in October 2026. Read our criteria.
Planning details on this page (parking, transport, seasons and events) come from: basinpark.com, crescent-hotel.com, encyclopediaofarkansas.net, eurekatrolley.org, npgallery.nps.gov.
Sources (19)
- Rock Cottage Gardens: npgallery.nps.gov
- Rock Cottage Gardens: npgallery.nps.gov
- The Piedmont on Spring: piedmonthouse.com
- Bridgeford House: www.bridgefordhouse.com
- 1886 Crescent Hotel: encyclopediaofarkansas.net
- 1886 Crescent Hotel: npgallery.nps.gov
- 1886 Crescent Hotel: encyclopediaofarkansas.net
- 1886 Crescent Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- Palace Hotel & Bath House: www.rexnelsonsouthernfried.com
- Palace Hotel & Bath House: www.eurekaspringspalace.com
- Heartstone Inn: heartstoneinn.com
- 1905 Basin Park Hotel: basinpark.com
- 1905 Basin Park Hotel: basinpark.com
- 1905 Basin Park Hotel: encyclopediaofarkansas.net
- Rock Cottage Gardens: rockcottagegardens.com
- Tall Pines Inn: encyclopediaofarkansas.net
- Tall Pines Inn: npgallery.nps.gov
- Tall Pines Inn: www.tallpinesinn.com
- Tall Pines Inn: tallpinesinn.com
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