In the steep Victorian streets of a storybook Ozark mountain town, the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks makes a comfortable base in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, among the wooded hills.
About an hour south, the Buffalo National River runs free for 135 miles beneath towering limestone bluffs, the first national river in the country, cared for by the National Park Service, with floating, swimming holes and elk herds in the valleys. The healing springs, galleries, and the glass Thorncrown Chapel of the historic downtown sit close by.
A friendly setting rounds out the stay, with dining and the trolley close by. Spring-fed pools gave the town its name, and its winding streets climb past 19th-century cottages, art galleries and the grand old Crescent Hotel. Live music, festivals and a vintage trolley fill the season, and the lakes and trout streams of the hills spread around. Beaver Lake and the trout waters of the White River are a short drive off.