The Eureka Expierence

You all know my LOVE of a little town in the Ozarks...Eureka Springs,Ar. You all know I have been visiting for years...A few weekends ago I took a Girls Trip with my daughter one of her friends and my friend. Two out of the four of us had never been to ES-can you guess which two?

It is always so much fun for me showing friends the town that has a part of my soul. I love to take them around the historic district and we all pick out our favorite house. Since I have been going for years I have been fortunate enough to stay in many of these historical lil gems and it always makes me smile to see which ones they like the most.

On this girls trip I really wanted to stay some place that was a bit more secluded, yet still close to town...yanno in case one of those 'what happens in Eureka, stays in Eureka' moments happen.

So we chose Dragonfly Mountain Lodge and it was perfect! My photos will not do the DFML justice so please click that link back there for photos of way better quality!

The Lodge is HUGE and in a LUSH setting, nature lots of nature! Wooden rockers on the porch, pool table to show your mad skills or in my case lackthereof , comfy beds, big bathroom, quiet & serene,  I could go on and on....This is one of those lodging establishments that are better Experienced than described-I just can't do it justice! I can NOT wait to go back!

 This is Harry & Lloyd and they are awesome!

So what do you do while on a girls trip? Get a tattoo of course...here is Abby getting ink'd

This is her friend Whitney offering some moral support....

While abby got her body art, Amy and I went on our version of a Pub crawl with stops at Basin's Balcony Bar, Chelseas, & New Delhi.

 Amy's a rockstar on the stage at Chelsea's

I just wanted all my girls to have a good time, don't ask me what's up with my arm up there...

We ate some awesome food! With Stops at Bubba's BBQ we all ordered something different and shared-I thought I took pics but guess I didn't BUT you all know I LOVE Bubba's Coleslaw!

Saturday we shopped-if you ever find yourself in Eureka Springs you just gotta stop in at Magee Jewlery. They have beautiful unique jewelry! PLUS if you happen to be there on a Saturday you can meet my beautiful friend Renate...no really, first she is beyond striking but I love listening to her talk...

Saturday was also drumming in the park-something that typically happens the 1st Sat of the month BUT I'd like to think they knew I would be in town with some first-timers and changed the date to accommodate us...

We grabbed a table on the top deck of The New Delhi Cafe-the BEST seat in the house, right across from Basin Park where all the action/drumming was going on...If you have never stopped here for a drink or a bite to eat, We highly recommend it! JULIO our waiter was the bomb! He promised to take care of us and boy did he! Ask for him if you stop in....

The girls ordered burgers and Amy and I had a couple apps then shared a Ruben.

 Sitting out on the deck visiting with Abby,Whitney & Amy was wonderful-the weather was perfect, 70's breezy I'd like to think the weathermen knew we were coming to town & ordered up that weather just for us! Eureka is magical ya'll...BUT whats even better than the above? THIS....

Wait....that was so fun too...but seeing these loverly people walk into the deck of New Delhi completely made my night....I know I know this trip wasn't about me....butitstillsortakindawas...

Every single person in the above photos is someone super special to me...what a GREAT night!

Here are a few more photos of our Eureka Experience...

Once again we had a wonderful time and I am certain that a couple girls in my party left a piece of their soul in Eureka Springs...which means...RETURN TRIPS!!!!

This was one of those trips where....what happens in Eureka...stays in Eureka so some info & photos have been left out to protect the not-so-innocent! 

My confession for today: My book Fifty Shades of Grey should be here today....so I will probably be MIA for awhile =)

Eureka!

The minute you arrive in Eureka Springs, Ar there is a calm that comes over you,imagine(humor me please-do it with me) inhaling deeply then exhaling, okay now times that by 10. It's hard to put in to words the feeling you get but I'm going to try...

For the past 15 years Eric & I have took an anniversary trip, We could go anywhere, within reason...I  mean Dubai is probably out, but there has  never been any question about where we would go. The Only question is... WHERE WILL WE STAY! We always stay some place new-to-us but we may have just found our home....

This year we stayed at The Peabody House

The Peabody House is located on Armstrong St-which is basically one street above the Historic downtown area of Eureka Springs. It's location is ideal for parking your car and walking to the shops and eateries in the downtown area. The main home features 3 beautiful yet unique suites-The Dashwood,Cheshire,Nautilus & behind the property is the Rivendell Cottage.

Upon arrival we were greeted by Faryl our Innkeeper/hostess extraordinaire. We were given a tour of the Inn and our room, The Dashwood Suite:

The Dashwood suite is the perfect combination of femininity & masculinity. A comfy king size bed with feather topper fitted with sheets fit for a King&Queen or an Egyptian Princess -YES they were that soft! The eggplant,green & gold color scheme of the suite felt modern yet timeless(think Jane Austen). The fireplace was a nice touch of ambiance as were the dimmer switches.  

The Dashwood is a three room suite, plenty of room yet still romantically cozy. At your fingertips and for your enjoyment a mini fridge,microwave,coffee,jacuzzi and on your deck 2 Kennedy rockers. I'm not sure if I used the jacuzzi or rockers more!

There was something so magical about sitting on the deck in the rocking chairs before the town below came alive, sipping coffee in the cool morning air. It was equally magical in the evenings as the sounds of Eureka's nightlife echoed up soothing my soul. In my humble opinion The Peabody House has the BEST location in town.

There are so many little extra surprises and so much more I could say about The Peabody House & Faryl but I feel they are better experienced than described! If you are considering a trip to Beautiful Eureka Springs-I highly recommend The Peabody so you too can experience the magic and surprises this lovely Inn has to offer.  Okay Okay I will give you one hint....there may have been a towel warmer in the bathroom.....but that's all the little extras I'm sharing, you gotta go book your stay to find out what else awaits you.,...

Here are some of the MANY comments from previous guests(click to enlarge)

The Food

It is a tradition for us to order Bubba's Barbecue to go and have a meal in our room. I have an issue with their coleslaw that Eric doesn't share...when I die I want  to be covered in okokok a bucket FINE a pint of Bubba's coleslaw buried with me-I love it that much! Their ribs are pretty darn good too!

Thanks to Erics desire to give "The Seinfelds" a run for their early dining time frame we were at  DeVito's by 5pm We were greeted by Teresa and given the BEST seat in the house,right in the center of floor to ceiling windows overlooking the new Sky seating area and a view of East Mountain.

I started with a cocotini which I pronounced as a cockatini-in my defense I had been sick the night before and Howard our server didn't make me feel like an idiot for mispronouncing this tasty cocktail!

We had 2 apps the Trout Fingers served with dill sauce and smoked trout filet

Both were DELISH!!!!! 

For main entree's Eric had the DeVito's Combo-Spaghetti and Ravioli of your choice, served with Italian sausage, meatball and DeVito’s marinara sauce and I ordered the Fettuccini Alfredo-Fresh Cream, Butter and Parmesan Cheese with smoked chicken & broccoli  

I wish this blog had scratch N sniff! I had to take my entree to go between the drink and apps I was stuffed like one of Erics raviolis! At this point I must tell you I guess I was lost in the view and the trout and my cocotini and the warm bread and great service I forgot I was at a very nice restaurant and NOT the Olive Garden(no offense to OG lovers-I LOVE OG) because I asked for a to go box and extra sauce for my pasta to which I'm told the Fresh Cream, Butter and Parmesan Cheese sauce is made to order FRESH for each dish! Of course it is...they don't have 'vats' of cheese sauce laying around the kitchen...what was I thinking! Thank You DeVito's for a GREAT meal!

This trip to Eureka Springs was more than an anniversary trip, I was able to purge a years worth of sadness,turmoil,inner conflict,pain and guilt...I gave it all up on this trip-it's like the wind that swirled around me gathered everything inside of me and swooshed it away up into the trees then into the blue skies. I entered a broken shell of a women and left the woman I once was....HAPPY,CONTENT and SECURE...yes a town can have that kind of impact on ones soul. I hope you all can experience it at least once in your lifetime.

My Confession for today: I finally feel whole again

For your enjoyment a few extra pictures