Top Things to do in Arkansas
Top Hotels in Arkansas
- 1. Best Western Winners Circle
- 2. Best Western Inn Of The Ozarks
- 3. Graduate Fayetteville
- 4. Capital Hotel
- 5. 1905 Basin Park Hotel
- 6. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Little Rock - Bryant
- 7. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Hot Springs
- 8. Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Bentonville South - Rogers, AR
- 9. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham West Memphis
- 10. The Waters Hot Springs, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
8 Caverns & Caves in Arkansas That You Shouldn't Miss
Living up to its billing as “The Natural State”, the state is a nature wonderland with three national forests, nearly 9,000 miles of pristine streams and rivers, awe-inspiring settings in the Ozark and Quachita mountains and sparkling lakes.
The menu of vacation experiences is an exciting one. For great golf, spas, horse racing and the Hot Springs National Park, Hot Springs is the place to go. Outdoor enthusiasts love the Ozark Mountains where activities like canoeing, rafting, kayaking, fishing, hiking and rock climbing are popular. The mountain village of Eureka Springs, with its streets lined with Victorian homes, is brimming with boutiques, antique shops and art galleries. Wine enthusiasts love the Arkansas Wine Country, encompassing the towns of Paris, Ozark and Altus, where German style wines are produced. From its ancient mountains to the Delta flatlands leveled by the Mississippi River, the state has a diverse topography with numerous scenic drives. Try the Pig Trail, Ozark Highlands and Sylamore scenic byways in the Ozark National Forest designated by the U.S. Forest Service. Golfers love the state because greens fees are extremely affordable for great courses. A few excellent public access courses are Sage Meadows in Jonesboro, Stonebridge Meadows in Fayetteville and the Mountain Ranch Course in Fairfield Bay.
Restaurants in Arkansas
1. Blanchard Springs Caverns
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 865 reviews
Reviewed By livetoannoy - New Paltz, United States
We enjoyed this cavern tour very much. The cave "decorations" (stalactites, stalagmites, curtain formations and so much more!) are truly spectacular, well worth seeing. Not to knock Mammoth Cave national park, but the decorative features are better here at Blanchard Springs. We had a clever, well informed and humorous tour guide, he was good with kids too. Some interesting crickets and salamanders in the cave. I think there are some nice hiking trails, but it was raining so we didn't see those. (Caverns are great rainy day activities.) The cavern park is close to the Ozark Folk Center state park, which is great. And it's a lovely short drive from Mountain View, Arkansas which is a fun place to visit, eat barbecue, and hear some music. So a great cavern trip in a fun area.
2. Hurricane River Cave
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 63 reviews
Currently closed for restoration.
3. Cosmic Cavern
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 452 reviews
Cosmic Cavern was discovered in 1845, but wasn't developed until 1927. The cave features a 9 foot soda straw the longest known in the Ozarks, and two bottomless lakes. One of the lakes was discovered in 1993 in the "Silent Splendor" section which made national news. This was Arkansasâ most delicate discovery. Make sure to bring your camera! Gift Shop, Snacks, Picnic area and camping available.
Reviewed By jessicadJ3236XD
My boyfriend and I drove into Arkansas from Houston, Texas and have been spending the week here. Cosmic Cavern is a MUST SEE! It’s very quaint and you could pass this place up if you weren’t paying attention, but as soon as you pull in the drive and walk inside it’s a complete transformation! Our tour guide Abby was the absolute best and honestly we could take her home with us lol. She’s very passionate about the cave and clearly knows her stuff. She makes jokes along the way to keep everything very uplifting and exciting! Her personality is definitely one of the reasons Ben and I (Jessica) will be coming back and hopefully taking her with us on the wild tour! We loved how the cave was very personal to the owner and the workers (though I doubt they ever really consider this work). This cave wasn’t like the usual ones I have been to only because you actually have to duck and squeeze through spaces because most of it was excavated by the past and current owner. I would definitely suggest bringing non slip shoes/ hiking shoes! After touring the cave for about and hour and a half we came back to the shop and bought handmade necklaces and a large piece of smoky quarts that’s absolutely perfect ♥️We will for sure be coming back and Abby better be there :)
4. War Eagle Cavern on Beaver Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 296 reviews
ARKANSAS' MOST POPULAR PRIVATE SHOW CAVE! Walk straight into a mountain through a huge natural entrance on the shores of Beaver Lake. Our friendly, story-telling guides make for great fun on a one-hour long adventure into the depths of the cavern! After the tour, feed the fish at our boat dock on Beaver Lake, explore our short nature trails, enjoy pretty lookouts along our bluff lines, and play in the "Big Dig". Pan for real gems at the War Eagle Mining Co. - keep everything you find! Search for five lost Indian villages in the Lost in the Woods Maze - then find your way OUT! And you gotta experience our newest attraction - the Moonshiners' Mystery Shack! We're pet and stroller friendly. Open 7 days a week, last tour of the day at 4 pm.
Reviewed By Travel80 - Tyler, United States
Really enjoyed our visit to the War Eagle Cavern!! Arriving on a rainy Tuesday at 1:15 pm, my wife, I, and Lance (who did a GREAT JOB guiding us through the Canyon and pointing out all the beautifully-rugged features) were the only people on our hour-long tour. Hope You enjoy as much as we enjoyed touring the Cavern!
5. Mystic Caverns
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 209 reviews
Reviewed By nysstexas - Texarkana, United States
Ben was our tour guide and was very knowledgeable and pointed out a lot of formations along with giving us a lot of history about the caverns. We took tours of the two caverns. It was an easy stroll (stairs but not bad) through the caverns. There are a lot of neat formations in the caverns. The grounds are well maintained, too.
6. Old Spanish Treasure Cave
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 42 reviews
As seen on the Discovery Science Channel! Take a 1 hour guided tour through one of Arkansas's biggest mysteries! Our cavern is filled with history and mysteries dating back to the Spanish Conquistadors. We have a historic log cabin for a gift/rock shop. You can sluice for gems, minerals and fossils in our gem panning sluice. We do movies in the cavern and offer a Camp in the Cave program for scouting groups.
Reviewed By Beaker18 - Virginia Beach, United States
This cave tour was different from most other commercialized tours we’ve done. Our tour was hosted by Paul, one of the owners, who made it feel more personalized and gave a wonderful discussion of both the history as well as their various exploration projects still being conducted. If you enjoy cave tours, this is a must-do for your list!
7. Onyx Cave Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 448 reviews
Reviewed By stephaniev990 - Oklahoma City, United States
We had a blast here! The cave was very cool and fun to walk through. Only downside of it is that you have to wear headphones and it’s all recorded. Unable to ask questions during the tour or have a personable guide. The price was good as well!! However, axe throwing was our very favorite part of our whole trip. We did half an hour and it was amazing. Highly recommend.
8. Bull Shoals Caverns
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 56 reviews
Join us at Bull Shoals Caverns for a trip back in time to the Ordovician period, 350 million years ago, when the caverns were created. Bull Shoals Caverns, located in Bull Shoals, Arkansas is a limestone cave that is still alive and growing today in the Ozark Mountains. The caverns are home to camel crickets, bats, salamanders, underground rivers and many different varieties of cave formations. Come visit in person and see the real thing!
Reviewed By Sherpa685103
Have visited the caverns (and Village) on several occasions. With kids, grandkids and friends . The caverns are some of the oldest in the country and the stream flowing through it culminating in the pool at the end are fascinating. The caverns were used by ancient people and show signs of their activities. The village that is open and free to tour on your own before or after the guided cave tour is a gem. Many of the oldest buildings have been brought and reassembled here. It’s got everything from the hotel to the dry goods store, even a jail and church. Bring a pick nick lunch and spend the day.
