#258 - Basin Park Hotel

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Don and I have had eyes on this hotel for years. We finally spent a night!

We've stayed in this picturesque Ozark town a few times, but never in the center of town. I was excited when we pulled up to the grand hotel, on Father's Day.

Beside the Spring

Our hotel got its name from Basin Spring... the healing spring waters, that began attracting visitors in the 1800's. The spring was just 100 feet from our hotel.

The 7-story limestone fortress was built into the side of the mountain, in 1905. It went up on the very spot where a wooden hotel opened, in 1881. It only stood for a few years, before it burned to the ground.

Curves and Arches

We parked and headed over, admiring the curves that crowned  the top of the hotel. I was amused to spot the Sailor's Luck Tattoo Studio, on the street level. We could make it a truly notable night, if we got some tattoos as souvenirs.

We followed the arched walkway towards the entrance. There were no pumpkins and and fall decor, in June. But, back when visited in October of 2014, there was a big spotlight on Halloween and the hotel's ghostly history!

Lobby in June

The lobby felt cramped for such a large hotel. I love an old hotel lobby with cozy sitting areas, where you can watch people come and go. Maybe there were some, back in the day.

There was an impressive stone fireplace with an equally impressive mirror. The dark woodwork and lobby desk, took me back in time to 1905. The hotel clerk's masked face, reminded me that it was June 2021.

Old Elevator

​The hotel was considered quite modern, with its elevator in 1905. The one we used was so small and slow, that I wondered if it was the original.  

Since we were on the 4th floor and had bags, we were happy to have an elevator period. Our room was just to the right of the elevator door, so we didn't have to wander down halls.

But, I did some wandering anyway. I so love walls and floors and stairways, especially when they have odd shapes and bends and angles.

​Room 411

Our king room had a fun shape, too. It was fairly spacious for an old hotel.  

The bed was comfy, with decent linens. I always appreciate a ceiling fan and bedside tables, with lamps.

The high ceiling, big windows and a large wall mirror, made the room feel even larger.

Chocolate Bar Doors

I was especially fond of the doors. The decorative hardware was fun and the brown paint made the doors look edible!  Our bathroom door was attached to the widest doorframe I've ever seen. It must have been one of the original bathrooms. Only half of the rooms in 1905, had one.

The little storage space above the closet door, was curious. Was that to store luggage if you stayed a week? There was no way I could reach that area on my own.

Park View

This wasn't our view, but some rooms could look out over the park.

I found this view at the end of a hallway.

Our View

Our room was at the "bottom" of the U-shaped building. My eyes went directly to the lush landscape, then down to the patio deck. If we'd had a room on the side, my eyes might have met up with the eyes of a guest straight across. No worries. Everyone seemed to keep their blinds down. That meant I got to study the stone and brickwork, without looking like a spy.

We've had mountain views before, but not like this. For the first time I could see how the hotel was truly built into the mountainside. What a patchwork of textures.  

​A Better Look

To enjoy a more interesting view of the mountainside, I went down to the park and headed up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, I found a gazebo to the left. To the right I found an odd display of metal, connecting the hotel to the rock, behind.  

Iron Catwalks

A catwalk is a term I associate with theatre. The catwalks I found behind the hotel, gave a great "behind the scenes" glimpse, of what we'd have to deal with if we had a hotel fire! That would be quite movie scene!

These crazy metal stairs and walkways, offered escapes from all levels of the hotel. Mr. Ripley (as in Believe It or Not) evidently found this hotel amusing. Back in the day, he claimed it was the only building where, "every floor is the ground floor."
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The Lounging Deck

After I snapped the catwalk photos, I tried to figure out how to get to the "patio" space we'd seen from our window. Don and I finally found the door on the second floor. I was able to strike up a pose, with the natural rock wall, behind me.

Don struck a pose between the gas fire pit and the hot tub. (beneath the umbrella) Don's observant eye, noticed a sign on the wall, reminding us that  skinny dipping was not allowed.

Below the Glass Roof

Also behind Don was a skylight, that we'd noticed from our window.

We found a lounge/game room below the glass. If we'd had more time, we could have played a little chess or foosball or Jenga. I did find time to examine the history exhibits, in the glassed in cases. So many vintage photos and pieces of hotel memorabilia!

Jack Rabbett's Whisky Bar

We took a peek inside the Whisky Bar on the second floor. It was named for Jack, the manager who worked the hotel bar in 1951, when it was raided by the local sheriff.

For many decades, Eureka Springs had quite a bootlegging industry.  Saloons thrived throughout Prohibition. Besides booze, there was a live-in "hostess" in the hotel and lots of gambling. I guess the sheriff got tired of it and made a few arrests, in 1951. Jack was one of them. Slot machines and liquor was destroyed in the street. 

 
Balcony Restaurant
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We passed another bar on the way to the Balcony Restaurant.

Just looking at that wavy wall, you could think you'd had one too many whiskeys.

Lunch and View

We were happy to find that Eureka Springs was not being overrun with tourists, on Father's Day. That meant we were able to get seated on the balcony, with no wait. 

The food was good and the scenery was even better. My view of the narrow flatiron building was the best. I love how the skinny building sits like a tall piece  of pie, in the split between Spring and Center Street. 

Evening

We came back in the evening for a drink before dinner. The same guitarist had returned and the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed.

I have no photos from our evening on the balcony, but I have this one from 2014. Pretty funny that we were seated in the same spot. 

Barefoot Ballroom

Looking back seven years ago, we also have memories of wandering up to the top floor and discovering the Barefoot Ballroom.  

We could hear music as we headed up the stairs. First we stepped into a lobby area, with a cash bar. Then we moved into the next room, with a musical show in progress. 

We hit the jackpot of entertainment. The talented musicians kept us happy and the guests kept us totally amused. We spotted at least one top hat and a few pairs of long, white gloves in the crowd. There were overalls and pigtails and lots of plaid shirts. My photos reveal no bare feet, so I'm not sure if we really happened upon the Barefoot Ball or just the room named after it.

Back at the Ballroom

There was nothing happening on the top floor, during our Sunday night   stay. I'm guessing that was because of Covid.

I was glad the area was unlocked so I could peek during the day. The curved stained glass and wonderful wood floors were much more evident in daylight.
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The First Barefoot Ball

The Barefoot Ball began in 1948. I believe it's been a yearly event since, except for these 2 Covid years. Who knows what was going on with these socially distanced tables, in the room with the stage?  

The shoeless ball, began when a newly married couple was awarded a 2-week hotel stay, in 1948. They won the prize, on the radio show "Truth or Consequences". There was a catch. They had to go barefoot for the entire stay. They did and the hotel owner had a Ball in honor of them. "Check your shoes at the door!" Those were the days, when people would go along with whimsical contests and gimmicks.

Walking Distance

One of the best parts of our stay, was wandering on foot... in shoes. If you don't mind steep hills, the town is very walkable. We wound our way up the curvy-steep streets, to the top of the hill. We had drinks and dinner at The Crescent Hotel, with gorgeous views. 

Later we wandered back down, tripping along the dark stairways. We found the charming streets around our hotel, very quiet by 10.  We also found a few other hotels to try in the future.

Morning Rain

We woke to crashing storms in the morning. It was a little tricky getting our luggage to the parking area in the rain. (We were too impatient to wait for the shuttle)

The rain made me appreciate that we'd walked so much the day before. I'm glad I didn't wait until morning to take pictures!

What's Notable?

Our timing was good for our stay at Basin Park. The town and hotel could have been jammed with tourists, but it was pleasantly quiet... day and night.

I'll remember that our room was spacious and our balcony dining was pleasant. The location was ideal for exploring. The hotel building itself was remarkable, especially how it connected to the mountainside. 

Next time when the pandemic is far behind, I'll be game for more activity and music and maybe some curious people encounters.