The Arkansas Bucket List

While I’ve driven through Arkansas, I’ve never stopped to take in all there is to do in this state (digging for diamonds anyone?). Check out my bucket list of things to see and do, as well as where to eat and stay.

Jump To:

Bentonville

Eureka Springs

Hot Springs

Murfreesboro

Parthenon

Bentonville

Kind of Visit: City, Historical - check out the Walmart Museum!

Where to Stay

• 21c Museum Hotel

• The Victoria Bed and Breakfast

Where to Dine & Drink

• Bar Cleeta - Great for tapas and drinks.

• Eleven

• Fred’s Hickory Inn

• Petit Bistro

• Pressroom

• Spark Cafe - A 1950’s soda shop (in the Walmart Museum) with milkshakes, ice cream, and more.

• Table Mesa

• Tavola Trattoria

• The Hive

• The Preacher's Son - Located in an old church.

• Tusk & Trotter American Brasserie

• Undercroft Bar (Speakeasy)

What to See & Do

• Bentonville Town Square

• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

• Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House

• The Peel Mansion Museum & Heritage Gardens

• The Walmart Museum

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Eureka Springs

Kind of Visit: Outdoor adventures, historical

Where to Stay

• 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa

• Basin Park Hotel

• Beaver Lake Cottages

• Beaver Lakefront Cabins

• Lookout Cottages Bed and Breakfast

• New Orleans Hotel

Where to Dine & Drink

• Ermilio’s

• Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse

• Grand Taverne - Very gluten-free-friendly!

• Grotto Wood-Fired Grill and Wine Cave

• Local Flavor Café

• Mud Street Cafe

• Nibbles Eatery

• Rogue's Manor Restaurant and Lodging

• The Stonehouse

What to See & Do

• Basin Spring Park

• Christ of the Ozarks

• Crescent Hotel Ghost Tour

• Eureka Springs Historical Downtown

• Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway

• Onyx Cave Park

• Pivot Rock Natural Bridge

• Quigley’s Castle

• Thorncrown Chapel

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Hot Springs

Kind of Visit: Outdoor adventures, historical - Who knew it was a hot spot for gangster activity?

Where to Stay

• Hilltop Manor Bed and Breakfast

• Hotel Hale

• The Gables in Bed and Breakfast

• The Waters Hot Springs, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

Where to Dine & Drink

• Fat Bottomed Girls Cupcake Shoppe

• Kollective Coffee and Tea

• Rolando’s

• Superior Bathhouse Brewery and Distillery

• The Ohio Club - (Speakeasy) A big mobster hangout back in the early 1900s.

What to See & Do

• Bathhouse Row

• Gangster Museum of America - Some of the most famous Mobsters, including Al Capone, use to vacation Hot Springs when gambling was illegal pretty much everywhere else.

• Garvan Woodland Gardens - Hidden in these gardens is the Anthony Chapel, which is a not-to-miss!

• Grand Promenade

• Hot Springs Mountain Tower

• Josephine Tussaud Wax Museum

• Lake Catherine State Park

• Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf

• The Maxwell Blade Theatre of Magic and Comedy

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Murfreesboro

Kind of Visit: Outdoor adventures - it’s all about mining your own stones in this town!

Where to Stay

• Diamonds Old West Cabins

• Morning View Retreat

• Punkin’s Place

• The Little Branch House

Where to Dine & Drink

• Feed Bin Cafe

• Hawkins Variety Store

What to See & Do

• Crater of Diamonds State Park - Whatever you mine, you get to keep and if you read the news, you know this is the prime place to mine some of the largest diamonds in the state (26-carat yellow diamond, anyone)!

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Parthenon

Kind of Visit: Secluded outdoor adventure while living in a cave!

Beckham Creek Cave - If you watch Netflix’s “The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals”, you’ve seen this property. It’s a massive home built into cave and it’s stunning.

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