Special thanks to The Crescent Hotel for hosting our stay! While our experience was sponsored, all opinions are my own.

I love Eureka Springs with all my heart, but somehow I had never stayed at the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa – until now! Iris and I recently snuck away for a couple nights during her school’s spring break. We’re not typically spring break travelers, but Eureka Springs is a location that’s easy, unique, and doesn’t break the bank. Only an hour from Fayetteville, we drove the winding roads up the hills to the tip top of the town to the historic Crescent Hotel.

The history and charm of the hotel is unlike any other. In fact, it’s gained a reputation as America’s Most Haunted Hotel, which of course means one thing – there’s a ghost tour and we most definitely went on it! No proper ghost tour takes place before nightfall however, so after checking in one of the top floor rooms, we explored the hotel grounds.

The Crescent Hotel gives a grand, old school hotel experience complete with daily activities. From s’mores to the spa, there’s something for every age. We even took a dip in the pool, which is heated to a comfy 90 degrees in the colder months.

That evening, before the ghost tour, we sat on the balcony of SkyBar Pizzaria and split the “almost world famous” Crescent Calzone. I’m not sure what was better, the pizza or the amazing views overlooking the houses and hills.

Conveniently, the ghost tour started out right across the hall from the restaurant, so after dinner we started our tour at 8 pm. The ghost tour is a great thing to do on your first night because you really learn about the history of the hotel (and the history of each ghost). Winding our way through the different floors, we heard different stories that have led to the hauntings, and about the instances when guests have experienced them. The tour even takes you down to the old morgue. Yes, I said MORGUE. One of the fascinating things about the Crescent (and one of the reasons people believe it is so haunted) is that at one point a previous owner turned it into a hospital that claimed to cure cancer. That doctor actually had no medical experience sooooo… a morgue was needed.

Our tour guide was a fantastic storyteller and really got us nice and spooked right in time for bed. While I had a lovely night’s rest, Iris did wake up a little worried in the night, but all in all we both would recommend the ghost tour for other older kids that don’t get too scared.

The next morning we slept in a bit and then enjoyed a lovely breakfast buffet (and a mimosa for me) before heading off to explore downtown Eureka Springs.

We had friends drive over and meet us for the afternoon, which was fun for Iris to have other kids to play with (and me a girlfriend to share drinks with). Walking along the quaint, crooked streets, we all loved popping into the cute shops. A magic shop, vintage toy shop, dog shop, kite shop, toy shop. So many adorable, timeless nooks and crannies to explore! After lunch at the Mud Street Cafe, we popped over the the Crescent’s sister property, the Basin Park Hotel. After grabbing a spiked Arnold Palmer at the bar, we let the kids play in the upstairs game room (and search for a few more ghosts).

From there, it was time to find our way back up to the Crescent. Even though the hotel is within walking distance to downtown, sometimes the walk up the hill can be a little strenuous, but they offer a free shuttle which our legs greatly appreciated. For our final evening, we ate a nice Italian dinner in the Crystal Dining Room. It was the perfect way to end a perfectly unique couple of days in Eureka Springs.

On our drive home, Iris and I already started planning our trip back in the summer months. We realized there was still so much to see and to explore, so we’ll be seeing you again soon, ghosts!