1929 Hotel in Harrison, Arkansas We found this dandy little Spanish Revival building, just a block from Harrison's town square. The smooth brick facade was decorated with all sorts of fun stuff.... tile, terra cotta, wrought iron, arches and colorful paint! Hotel History Since its beginning in 1929, the building has had many uses. After closing down to hotel guests in the '60's, the building was purchased by Christian Faith of Wichita and used to house and feed the elderly. In 2008, the hotel reopened after a 3.5 million dollar renovation. Finding the Door There were 3 impressive entries to the hotel. The entrance that opened to the lobby was tucked into the corner of the building, away from the street. We pulled right up in the drive and walked past two striped columns, towards the arched doorway. Lobby Just inside, the 2-story lobby greeted us with huge squares of floor tile and a glowing chandelier. A lobby desk window was off to the right. A very pleasant staff member, was waiting to check us in. Old Spain There was a Old Spanish flavor to the sweet hotel. Lots of arches and ironwork! I loved the painted birds and flowers on the walls. From Above Looking down from the mezzanine, we had a good view of the birds and chandelier. All we needed was a little Flamenco guitar, echoing in the space. Lobby Goodies I like a renovation that doesn't clear out all the old. The wooden telephone door looked mighty sweet, with the white curtain. I just had to peek! Instead of a phone in the cozy space, I saw a chair, desk and computer. Nice perk for hotel guests! The double writing desk was an amusing reminder, that people once wrote postcards from hotels. There was an old style radio sitting on one half, playing some music from the 40's. Upstairs We followed the carpeted hall to our room, # 321. Tiny Room The room was pretty darn small, but so was the price! For around 80 bucks, we got a newly remodeled room in a charming hotel. The queen bed, bathroom and flat screen TV, gave us some modern comforts. The exposed brick and an odd little bathroom door, were fun reminders of the past. Brown painted, metal door knob... I love it! John Paul's Bar & Grill The restaurant and bar at the south end of the hotel had a totally modern face lift. We returned later in the evening and grabbed up the sleek, blue sofa in the back of the room. Food and Music We were relieved to have a comfy place to hang out, since the downtown was quiet and weary looking, on that Friday evening. We ordered some appetizers for dinner and enjoyed some good people watching. The crowd was made up of locals rather than travelers and everyone seemed to know the deep voiced singer who entertained us with country ballads. The singer's young wife and baby occupied one table. A local artist seated nearby, introduced himself to us, so we didn't feel like total outsiders. Morning In the morning we were entertained by a club of Fiat Mini drivers, who had all parked their sweet little cars in front. The cute cars added to our car fun, since the day before we had shared the road with numerous Corvettes. Corvettes and Fiats , enjoying the annual Corvette Arkansas Weekend. Lots of fun cars in Arkansas! Breakfast We sampled some of the complimentary breakfast that was served in a small diner area, on the north end of the hotel. The food options were fairly typical, but the setting with columns, painted beams and tile work, made my coffee taste better than typical. What's Notable? The term hidden gem is overused, but it fits for Hotel Seville. It was surprising to find such a perfectly renovated and charming hotel, in small town Arkansas. I wish I had good things to say about the town. It looked a bit worn and in need of its own facelift.
Worst of all, I Googled for info and learned of the town's connection to the president of KKK. Ugh. Maybe I shouldn't have shared that. That's a notable piece of information that is not fun. But travels should open your eyes to good and bad. Our hotel was great... that bit of knowledge was not.
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Eureka Springs, Arkansas Eureka Springs is a pretty unique town, with lots of unusual options for overnights. The Crescent had the most bizarre history of any of them. In fact I'm pretty sure the history was more curious than any of the hotels we stayed in, on our 22-day Midwest Road Trip! The Crescent was also the oldest and largest, of all the hotels on our journey! We're talking 22 hotels! Way Up There After entering town, we detoured on a narrow, scenic road that wound through some tiny neighborhoods. We pulled over to take in the view from a pretty, little roadside gazebo. Across the valley and perched on the highest part of Carroll County, we spotted our hotel. It looked more majestic than the photos. Balconies and Chimneys I was glad it was a nice fall day, because rain or ice would have made the drive up to our hotel tricky. We parked and moved towards the entrance, sort of gasping at the enormous structure. There was no way to capture the whole building in one photo. "So many chimneys and balconies!" I noted with a grin. 1886 They do not want you to forget this hotel was built in 1886. It's written on every sign. They also answer the phone. "1886 Crescent Hotel!" 1886 is on the website. It's sort of silly, even if it's part of their name. Then again, it helps people like me, who can never remember dates! Of course it would help if the 6 on their sign, didn't look like a zero. Decorated Lobby I love historic hotels, especially when they've preserved the old structure. The Crescent has some cool stuff, like an old safe and the original lobby desk. But when we arrived, all the wonderful features were hidden behind cotton cobwebs and haunted house banners. That is so irritating. It made the place look a funhouse or a stage set. On the other hand, I don't have to waste time trying to remember that our visit was in the month of October. Lobby Lounging I found myself questioning the massive fireplace, that divided the lobby into two sitting areas. It looked like it could have been part of Disney World's Haunted House. After some study, we determined the stonework was most likely from 1886. It was the nearby cluster of noisy tourists, that brought me back to 2015. My photo makes the lounging space look rather peaceful and grand. But when we arrived, the sofas and chairs were taken over with very loud and colorful tourists. I'm usually pretty open and cheery with fellow travelers, but it was 19th day on the road. I was tired. So were the noisy loungers who spread their bodies and luggage and Big Slurpee cups, all over the furniture. What's the Story? The Crescent opened 129 years ago, as a grand Victorian resort, catering to wealthy guests year round. But that only lasted 15 years. College Days The hotel was too expensive to run and had to close its doors. It reopened in 1908 as a Women's College and lasted a little longer. Evidently, the ghosts of 3 young women still roam the hallways, since their fall (and death) from the hotel's roof. The "Doctor" Norman Baker is the millionaire who turned the 15 acre resort into a Hospital and Health retreat in 1937. He called himself a doctor, although he had no medical training. His attempts to cure patients of Cancer and other illnesses, finally sent him to prison. Eerie Stairs and Hallways We didn't spot any ghosts when we climbed the stairs and wandered to our room, on the second floor. We did encounter one of the 2 hotel cats. He was taking a bath and wasn't a bit impressed by us. The black woodwork and dark, orange-y walls seemed to fit into the Halloween theme quite well. Black trim and black banisters and black radiators. So many lumpy coats of shiny paint! Back Door Black was covering our door and even the window glass in the transom, above the door. Note the round knob, in the center of our door! And the knocker below the door's number. We were delighted to find out that Room 218 was the most haunted of all 76 guest rooms. Room 218 also happened to be right next door to ours! Our Room Our room was quite decent, for a 127 year old hotel. I never even hope for a king bed or flatscreen in an old hotel. But there were some odd renovations going on, with exposed brick and beams. Again, it felt like a not quite finished, stage set. Levels I haven't gotten quite old enough to be bothered by levels. In fact I really liked the idea that part of the bathroom, was down a few steps. The toilet was behind a door (with frosted glass windows) on the upper level. So in the night, I paid a call and avoided the light switch, which might wake sleeping Don. When I stepped down to the lower level, to find the sink in the dark... I forgot there were 3 steps, not 2. I took a tumble and suddenly became that old woman who complains about levels. Veranda The entrance to the veranda, was from the lower bathroom. It was a charming idea to bathe while enjoying the view through the pulled back velvet curtains. But we actually shared the veranda and you couldn't be too sure when someone might wander down our way. The View We had no complaints about the view! I wonder how many rockers they have, for the 76 rooms that are still in use. At one time, the hotel had horse stables on the property. There were 100 horses available for those who liked to ride! I can't even imagine. And Another View On the upper level, we found the Sky Bar & Gourmet Pizza Cafe. It's hard to find a better view, for enjoying a glass of wine in the evening. The distant view of The Ozarks was lovely, with just a hint of fall color. We also had a little blue and green directly below, with the pool and gardens. Night! After returning from dinner in town, Don and I made good use of the empty veranda. A storm was moving in and gave us a little light show. I failed to capture any of the sky drama, with my camera. Ouija But I did remember to pull out the Ouija pointer, that I'd stuck in my suitcase 20 days earlier. (Just 1 of the many props needed on our road trip) I didn't have the board, but I made a Yes/No version, with paper. Then, we asked Ouija, if our room was haunted. Don doesn't have the delicate touch that I learned, from years of slumber parties. I had to lecture him to ease up... so I could secretly move the pointer towards yes. Morning In the morning, we enjoyed a complimentary buffet breakfast in the Crystal Ballroom, with a view of the drizzly garden. The piano was playing on its own, so I'd like to assume that was one of the hotel's well known ghost guests. We sipped our coffee and discussed our luck at staying at one of the most haunted hotels in America... on a night with a thunderstorm! Too bad the storm hadn't been loud enough, to drown out the partiers in the hallway. Or maybe they were ghostly guests? What's Notable? I was impressed by the grand scale of this place. I believe every inch of the old hotel, deserves to be preserved. But, there was something that made me sort of made me sad, staying at the Crescent. It reminded me that you can never really bring back the old. It's just too costly to do it properly. I wish I could just go back in time, to 1903. I'd pack up an old steamer trunk and pay a proper visit! That would be the way to experience The Crescent!
Hot Springs, Arkansas Don and I started our 22-day road trip with a stay in this fabulous historic hotel! A Grand Place, in 1924! This hotel is enormous. When it was built in 1924, (Replacing 2 others from 1875 and 1892!) it had 560 rooms. Now there are about 500 rooms and suites. It's the largest hotel in Arkansas. Lobby We climbed the front steps, walked across the veranda and came through the front doors, into this grand space. It was fun to imagine socialites and celebrities of the past coming through these doors. Even though Barbara Streisand and Tony Bennett might have good memories of this place, I'm afraid the dated furniture and carpets might not lure them back in this day and age. Lobby Bar At night, it all looked a little more pleasant from the second floor mezzanine. You could still smell the popcorn from the lobby/bar, near the colorful mural. We took advantage of the complimentary popcorn in the early evening and enjoyed it with drinks, on the veranda. So did the sad looking woman who sat on a nearby bench. I had the feeling that she comes daily, for free popcorn. Hot Springs has some interesting characters. Fun Things Hotels always get big points from me when they have curious things to play with. The mineral water fountain was pretty fun... even if you had to drink warm water! The mailbox and elevators were mighty impressive. I imagined Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Clinton and Bush rumbling up inside one of these, when they stayed. But I read later that these were installed in 1969. The originals required an elevator operator. Dining Room
We didn't dine in Arlington's Venetian Restaurant, but it looked like it must have been quite the place with the grand piano and chandeliers. I'm afraid I didn't see a single diner on that Sunday night. My Kind of Staircase! We definitely tried out the staircase, which took us down to the basement. I wonder how many different feet over the years, wore down those marble stairs? Maybe they should install a nice, cushioned pit at the bottom, for all the people who admire the lovely railing but don't use it. I have a feeling that a ride down the banister would have been slow, compared to sailing over those smooth, rounded steps. 7th Floor We almost got to know our 7th floor neighbors very well. We we messed with their door for about 5 minutes before realizing our key went to a different room. Our room wasn't even close to Al Capone's favorite room, 442. He used to book the entire floor for his body guards and other VIPs. Room 727 Our room was actually pretty darn good, for $89.00! We wanted one of the historic rooms, and they happened to be cheaper. Although, maybe we could have afforded the top dollar room, at this hotel. The bathroom was pretty small and cramped with only a shower. Too bad, since I could have soaked in mineral water, if we'd had a tub! Room With a View Our window looked down on the very lush hill and park below. In the morning there was glowing sunshine, on the old Army/Navy Hospital, which is now a Rehabilitation Center. Cascading Pools I'm sure this pool area was quite the thing, when it was first built. The entrance to the pool is on the 7th floor... which is odd. There were 2 levels of pools. One had a slight water feature that spilled into the other. There was also a hot tub and lots of Astroturf. Don thought about doing some laps, but decided against it. Nearby From the hotel you could go lots of directions. From the pool you could hike up some stone steps to a sitting area, or continue up on some amazing trails. Across the street, (as seen from the raised pool area) we found some very good food. We tried the Pancake Shop and Rolanda's, with a great chef from Ecuador. Near Bathhouse Row Best of all, we could just stroll down Bathhouse Row, from the hotel. You can see the twin towers in the photo. What an amazing history to this town, where people came to soak in the healing mineral waters! I wish we'd had time to experience that as well, but we absorbed plenty in the moist air! What's Notable? If we'd made use of the baths, I'm sure that would be the notable part of our stay. But even without a visit to the spa or a soak in a mineral bath, we still felt this incredible vibe, of what Hot Springs once was. The Arlington and the nearby parks, baths and buildings, were all a part of our stay. There is no separating the hotel from the curious town that surrounds it. What a interesting place!
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Ninety Notable
Nights My New Year's Resolution for 2014 was to start documenting some of the memorable overnights I've had in some very odd and curious motels and hotels. Like the adventures in my Dining Blog, I have learned to enjoy the surprises that happen when you step out of the comfort zone, far away from the well-known chains. I began with a few entries recalling my very first home away from home memories from my youth. Then, I started sharing about some of the quirky and unforgettable motels, hotels and inns that my husband and I have discovered in recent years. The best part about this challenge was making some lists with Don and getting on the road in search of new overnight adventures. I gave myself a 2-year goal to write up 90 stories and the goal was met. Now we just keep on adding! Archives
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