Unique Arkansas Hotels
If you want a really unique vacation, it needs to start with your hotel. These Arkansas hotels, lodges and cabins offer something unique that a Hilton or Motel 6 won't. Choose one of these unique and unusual Arkansas hotels, and give your family a memorable vacation this year.
Who wouldn't want to stay atop an Ozark forest? A treehouse may sound like roughing it, but Arkansas offers some unique, luxury treehouses. These cottage hotels are complete with rope bridges and beautiful views. There are quite a few treehouse operations in Arkansas, but I like the ones in Eureka Springs: The Grand Treehouse Resort, Treehouse Cottages and Oakcrest Cottages and Treehouses.
Longbow Resorts, in Prim (between Mountain View and Heber Springs), offers three different cabins. That's not unusual. What is unusual is how the cabins are built. They are all built to take full advantage of their natural surroundings. The allow you to become a part of nature. My favorite is the Bushmaster cabin, which is built on a boulder over a stream. Longbow cabin is built into a boulder facing a waterfall, and it's also quite neat.More »
Turpentine Creek is a big cat sanctuary in Eureka Springs that gives shelter to abused and abandoned big cats (and some other animals). They have nice, safari lodges for adults and a fun treehouse for families. Some rooms have views of the cats, but you can hear them in any of the lodges. About Turpentine Creek.More »
If you're visiting Murphreesburo for the diamond mine, you might consider staying in a teepee. Diamond John's has four teepees along the Little Missouri river. The teepees accommodate up to four people and actually have queen-sized beds. Diamond John's also has cabins, but you can stay in a cabin any day. How often are you going to get to stay in a teepee? About Crater of Diamonds State Park.More »
Some of the dude ranches in Arkansas just let you stay and are more like a bed and breakfast, and others involve you more in the day to day workings of the Ranch. Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Jasper, is one of my favorites. They offer lots of fun activities and excursions for the whole family, and is very family-centric. Stone Creek Ranch in Mountain Home has horses and offers lessons and cattle drives. BarJ Ranch in El Dorado offers horseback riding too.
The Crescent is a beautiful, historic hotel that was built in 1886. Historic hotels are not all that unusual, until you hear about the Crescent's strange visitors. The hotel has an odd history with lots of deaths surrounding it, and some say ghosts haunt the halls to tell their tales. Room 218 is the most haunted of all. Read the history of the crescent.More »
1. Treehouses
Who wouldn't want to stay atop an Ozark forest? A treehouse may sound like roughing it, but Arkansas offers some unique, luxury treehouses. These cottage hotels are complete with rope bridges and beautiful views. There are quite a few treehouse operations in Arkansas, but I like the ones in Eureka Springs: The Grand Treehouse Resort, Treehouse Cottages and Oakcrest Cottages and Treehouses.
2. Beckham Creek Cave Lodge
Perhaps you'd like to stay a little bit closer to the ground. In Parthenon (in northwest Arkansas, near Jasper), you can stay in a cave. The lodge has natural living cave walls and ceilings. Unlike some "cave" hotels, this is a real, living cave. Many hotels claiming to be in caves are man-made. The accommodations aren't meant for cavemen. The lodge boasts modern luxury with satellite TV, a modern kitchen, five bedrooms including a honeymoon suite and a rec room.More »
3. Longbow Resorts
Longbow Resorts, in Prim (between Mountain View and Heber Springs), offers three different cabins. That's not unusual. What is unusual is how the cabins are built. They are all built to take full advantage of their natural surroundings. The allow you to become a part of nature. My favorite is the Bushmaster cabin, which is built on a boulder over a stream. Longbow cabin is built into a boulder facing a waterfall, and it's also quite neat.More »
4. Turpentine Creek Safari Lodges and Treehouse
Turpentine Creek is a big cat sanctuary in Eureka Springs that gives shelter to abused and abandoned big cats (and some other animals). They have nice, safari lodges for adults and a fun treehouse for families. Some rooms have views of the cats, but you can hear them in any of the lodges. About Turpentine Creek.More »
5. Diamond John's Riverside Retreat Teepees
If you're visiting Murphreesburo for the diamond mine, you might consider staying in a teepee. Diamond John's has four teepees along the Little Missouri river. The teepees accommodate up to four people and actually have queen-sized beds. Diamond John's also has cabins, but you can stay in a cabin any day. How often are you going to get to stay in a teepee? About Crater of Diamonds State Park.More »
6. Dude Ranches
Some of the dude ranches in Arkansas just let you stay and are more like a bed and breakfast, and others involve you more in the day to day workings of the Ranch. Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Jasper, is one of my favorites. They offer lots of fun activities and excursions for the whole family, and is very family-centric. Stone Creek Ranch in Mountain Home has horses and offers lessons and cattle drives. BarJ Ranch in El Dorado offers horseback riding too.
7. The Haunted Crescent
The Crescent is a beautiful, historic hotel that was built in 1886. Historic hotels are not all that unusual, until you hear about the Crescent's strange visitors. The hotel has an odd history with lots of deaths surrounding it, and some say ghosts haunt the halls to tell their tales. Room 218 is the most haunted of all. Read the history of the crescent.More »
8. Livingston Junction Caboose Lodge
Livingston Junction Caboose Lodges are actual train cabooses that have been converted to small but cute rooms. Each caboose has its own private driveway, an outdoor hot tub and deck, a grill and hammock. These are also located in Eureka Springs.More »
9. An Inn in a Mill
Inn at the Mill is exactly what it sounds like: an inn in a mill. It's located in Johnson, AR (in northwest Arkansas between Springdale and Fayetteville) The inn is in the 1835 Johnson Mill, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has 8 specialty suites in the mill and a nice restaurant.More »
10. Stonewind Retreats Yurts
Stonewind is located in Chester (near Fort Smith), with views of the Boston Mountains and the Ozark National Forest. The yurts are large circular rooms, dressed in modern conveniences. The property is in the middle of nature and has meditation trails and stone gardens.More »
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