Monster Mart

As we were driving through Arkansas, my wife and I kept noticing metal cutouts and lawn statues depicting Bigfoot. I had always associated Bigfoot with the Pacific Northwest, not Arkansas! As I drove, my wife did some research online. It turns out that Arkansas is, in fact, one of the country's most prolific Bigfoot hotspots, and that we were - by happy circumstance - going to be spending the night just miles from the Arkansas Bigfoot Mecca!

Just outside of Texarkana, is the small town of Fouke, a place shrouded in mystery and home to an elusive creature known as the Boggy Creek Monster. The legend of this fascinating cryptid has been part of the town's folklore since the early 1900s, attracting curious visitors from far and wide.

The Boggy Creek Monster, also known as the Fouke Monster, is an alleged cryptid that has been reported to inhabit the dense woods and swampy areas surrounding the small town of Fouke. Described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid creature, it has been theorized as a cousin of the infamous Bigfoot. Over the years, eyewitness accounts have claimed that the creature stands anywhere between seven and ten feet tall, with a muscular build and reddish-brown fur.

The legend of the Boggy Creek Monster gained national attention in 1972 when the film "The Legend of Boggy Creek" was released. This docudrama-style movie chronicled the various sightings and encounters with the creature, further cementing its status as a local legend. Since then, the town of Fouke has embraced the mystique of the Boggy Creek Monster, with numerous documentaries, books, and even music dedicated to its lore.

Monster Mart, located in the heart of Fouke, serves as both a local convenience store and a private museum of Boggy Creek Monster memorabilia. As you walk through the doors, you'll be greeted by an eclectic mix of monster-themed merchandise, ranging from t-shirts and hats to keychains, posters, and even life-sized replicas of the creature itself.

But the Monster Mart is more than just a kitschy souvenir shop. It also serves as a gathering place for monster enthusiasts, where people share their own stories and experiences, and learn about the history of the Fouke Monster. The store's walls are adorned with newspaper clippings, photos, and artwork that document the history of the creature and its impact on the town. In addition, visitors can pick up a map that outlines the various sites of reported sightings and encounters.

Excited to visit such a place, especially so spontaneously, we made the 20-minute drive out to Fouke to check out the legendary Monster Mart.

I've never seen the film, and to be honest, I had never heard of the Boggy Creek Monster, but I thoroughly enjoyed this cheesy roadside attraction. It reminded me a lot of the visits my family made to Roswell, New Mexico when I was a kid... it had that kind of vibe.

The "evidence" consisted of movie posters, newspaper clippings, and plaster casts of supposed Bigfoot footprints. It was a ton of fun to peruse.

I love this kind of thing. It's such a purely American type of attraction!

Wanting to support the shop, we decided to buy a pair of coffee mugs depicting the monster. As we were checking out, the lady working the register chatted with us for a few minutes.

"The two questions I'm asked the most are: 'have you ever seen the monster?' and 'do you believe in the monster?'", she told us. The answer to the first question was "no" (with a hopeful but unsaid "not yet"), but the answer to the second was a resounding "yes". Her cousin, she told us, was one of the people featured in the film, and she had never known her cousin to lie or embellish a story.

I admit that there are plenty of things in this world that we can't understand, and plenty more that we've never seen nor discovered. Having driven through those dense woods, I also don't find it hard to believe that people may have seen - or may have thought they had seen - something spooky moving around. The dense forests of Arkansas have a creepy feel, and, while I don't believe in Bigfoot necessarily, if I ever were to encounter one in Arkansas, I wouldn't be overly surprised.

Texarkana

We left Eureka Springs for another long drive back down south. Our original plan was to stop in Murfreesboro to visit Crater of Diamonds State Park, but when we arrived just outside of town around dusk, my wife and I both got a really weird vibe. The hotel we were supposed to stay at looked completely abandoned - without a single car in the parking lot!

We decided to cut our losses and drive a few hours further towards Texarkana, a weird little state border town (and as a geography nerd, I mean that in the best way). In the end, I'm glad we did, because there are some really interesting things to see in and around Texarkana. We'll have to go hunt for diamonds another time.

Texarkana, as its name quite obviously suggests, straddles the border between the US states of Texas and Arkansas. The city is unique in that it is divided by a state line, with the eastern half located in Arkansas and the western half located in Texas.

Despite being divided by a state line, Texarkana functions as a single city with shared services, infrastructure, and economy. Residents on both sides of the state line can access the same schools, hospitals, and other services.

The city is governed by two separate municipal governments, one for the Arkansas side and one for the Texas side, each with its own mayor and city council. However, the two sides of the city work together closely through a variety of joint ventures, including a shared chamber of commerce, police department, and fire department.

One of the city's most notable landmarks is the post office and federal building - supposedly the second-most photographed post office in the United States (I guess that the Old Post Office in D.C. might hold the number one spot).

The building was constructed directly on the border between the two states.

The post office and federal building houses several federal agencies, including the United States Postal Service, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

Despite being divided by a state line, the Texarkana post office and federal building functions as a single facility, with shared services, infrastructure, and staff. The unique location of the building on the state line highlights the close relationship between Texas and Arkansas and serves as a symbol of the cooperation and collaboration between the two states.

It's also a popular spot for tourists and visitors to stand and take photos while standing on the state line!

Eureka Springs

It's not easy driving through Arkansas...

At least, it's not easy for someone who only drives once or twice a year and almost exclusively on the straight and wide highways across the plains of Texas.

I found the insanely narrow and winding roads through the Ozarks to be incredibly stressful!

But I cannot deny how incredible the views were.

We arrived in Eureka Springs in the far northwestern tip of Arkansas in the evening. After a hearty and unhealthy dinner at the Horseshoe Grill, my wife and I had an early night. I was exhausted from driving all day, and wanted to have lots of energy for our adventures the following morning.

The morning dawned bright, crisp, and cold, with temperatures below freezing. Although it was already warming up down south in Texas, it still felt like winter in northern Arkansas. We started the morning with some hot coffee, then bundled up and headed downtown to start our day of exploration. 

It's difficult to park in downtown Eureka Springs, a cramped little village built more or less directly on the sides of the steep hills of northern Arkansas. We decided to buy a one-day ticket for the town trolley and started out with a full loop on one of the lines through town.

The trolley cars themselves are designed to resemble the vintage streetcars from the early 20th century, adding a nostalgic touch to the experience. They are used by both tourists and locals to get around the little town, and we had a ton of fun looking out the window to get a good feel of Eureka Springs as we took the 25-ish minute loop around town.

We caught the very first trolley of the day and had to run to jump on just as it was pulling out of the main park and ride station! We settled down on the surprisingly comfortable wooden seats and started off on our journey.

The loop took us all the way to the historic (and famously extremely haunted) Crescent Hotel, one of the most famous landmarks in all of Arkansas.

On the way back, we asked the drive to drop us off downtown. He suggested taking us up to the very top of the hill on which downtown is built so that we could walk more easily through the town back down to the main road at the bottom.

Eureka Springs has an incredibly charming downtown, built in a distinct Victorian style along the steep, narrow, and winding streets. 

The downtown district features an array of well-preserved late 19th and early 20th-century buildings, many of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As you stroll through the streets, you'll encounter quaint shops, art galleries, boutiques, and cafes that cater to a variety of interests.

By the time we had window-shopped our way through downtown, we both agreed that it was time for breakfast.

And not just any breakfast, but a good, old-fashioned American breakfast!

We stepped into a small diner called the Main Street Cafe for one of the best full breakfasts I've ever had.

 

I love Thai food, and I'm very happy to eat it for nearly every meal of the day, but I have to admit that I miss American breakfast. There's just nothing that can replace it.

After breakfast, we took a drive to Razorback Tower, another one of the town's iconic landmarks. This roadside attraction and giftshop situated on the historic Pig Trail Scenic Byway. The Razorback Gift Shop is known for its extensive collection of Arkansas Razorbacks merchandise as well as handmade crafts, locally made products, and other Arkansas-themed items. 

It's also home to an old fire watch tower which visitors can climb for an incredible panoramic view of the surrounding Ozarks.

We were surprised and delighted to see Japanese Sakura trees blooming at Razorback Tower! I guess it's the right time of year, and it was certainly cool enough, but I never would have thought of cherry blossoms growing in Arkansas. It was really beautiful.

What a cool, historic, cultural, and beautiful town!

Thorncrown Chapel

Thorncrown Chapel is a small interdenominational Christian chapel set in the wooded hills of the Ozark Mountains just outside of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This ethereal structure, designed by architect E. Fay Jones, has been a spiritual pilgrimage site and a source of inspiration for countless visitors since its completion in 1980. 

The story of Thorncrown Chapel begins with Jim Reed, a former schoolteacher, who purchased the wooded land in Arkansas in the 1970s to build a retirement home. Impressed and inspired by the rugged natural beauty of the surrounding Ozark Mountains, Reed decided to build a place where everyone was welcome. He approached architect E. Fay Jones, a disciple of the renowned Frank Lloyd Wright, to design a chapel that would blend harmoniously with its natural surroundings.

The result is a breathtaking, 48-foot-tall glass and wood structure that seems to float among the trees. The chapel's skeleton comprises a series of intricate, diamond-shaped trusses, with 425 windows enclosing the space, allowing sunlight to filter through the surrounding forest and create a celestial play of light and shadow within the chapel.

To minimize the environmental impact, Jones used locally sourced materials, such as the native flagstone flooring and the pressure-treated Southern pine for the framework. The structure itself was built with minimal disturbance to the site, preserving the natural beauty that inspired its creation.

The chapel is open all year, and hosts a number of events such as weddings, memorials, and even an interdenominational service on Sunday mornings. Most of the time, however, it's just open for people to visit. When you walk in, you will hear gentle instrumental renditions of familiar hymns on a quiet loop. Most visitors take a seat and spend some time in prayer, meditation, or just in contemplation of the beautiful surrounding nature.

It was still cold and wintery when we visited, but during the spring and summer months, the chapel is surrounded by thick green trees. I came here before during the summer, but visiting when the trees were still bare gave me a wonderful view of the surrounding area. It's a different experience!

Thorncrown Chapel was once named the 4th best building of the 20th century, and it's easy to see why. The Lloyd-Wright-esque architecture is beautiful, and it's an incredibly serene and contemplative place.

Christ of the Ozarks

The Christ of the Ozarks is a towering minimalist statue of Jesus Christ overlooking the mountains and hills of the Ozark Mountains just outside of Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

At 67 feet and weighing in at over 2 million pounds, it is the 11th tallest statue in the United States.

The Christ of the Ozarks was designed and built by Emmet Sullivan, a famous sculptor who also worked on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. The Christ of the Ozarks was constructed in the early 1960s and was officially dedicated on July 15, 1966.

The statue is surrounded by a beautiful natural park that features walking trails, picnic areas, and a beautiful garden. Visitors can also visit the nearby Sacred Arts Center, which showcases religious artworks from around the world.

I visited Eureka Springs years ago and remember The Christ of the Ozarks fondly. It's a unique statue that feels a bit out of place in the rolling hills of the Ozarks. The art deco style of the statue and minimalist design has lent it the affectionate nickname "the milk carton with arms". Today, The Christ of the Ozarks is one of the iconic features in Eureka Springs.

Hot Springs

After a stressful evening of driving through the narrow and winding backroads of the mountains of Arkansas, we finally arrived at our small roadside motel. The next morning dawned cool and crisp, and we were excited to explore the famous resort town of Hot Springs.

Hot Springs, Arkansas, is a city located in the Ouachita Mountains and is home to Hot Springs National Park, the oldest national park maintained by the National Park Service. The history of Hot Springs dates back to the 18th century when Native American tribes, including the Quapaw, used the hot springs for their medicinal properties. In the 19th century, Hot Springs became a popular destination for wealthy travelers who believed in the therapeutic properties of the hot springs.

The hot springs and bathhouses continued to draw visitors to Hot Springs throughout the 20th century. In 1921, Hot Springs National Park was established to preserve the natural resources of the area and to provide a public park for the enjoyment of visitors.

We were up early, and the national park office wasn't open yet. We parked at one of the free downtown parking garages, then took a walk up and down the charming downtown streets of Hot Springs. The streets were lined with cafes, souvenir shops, and trendy bars. It's a really cool town!

At the end of the street, you'll see the famous Arlington Hotel. The hotel is one of the iconic landmarks in Hot Springs and the most famous hotel in town.

While we waited for the national park office to open so that we could tour the historic bathhouses, my wife and I took a walk along the Grand Promenade, a half-mile bricked walking path in the hills of Hot Springs that runs just behind and above the historic Bathhouse Row. It was a cool morning, and steam was rising from the pools and springs around town.

There are also fountains around town where visitors can taste the famous healing waters of the hot springs. Of course, I had to try it!

I didn't enjoy the hot water that much, but I did really like it when it had been cooled off, and before leaving the town I joined a line of local folk who were filling up empty gallon jugs with the water so that I could top up my tumbler for the upcoming drive.

Bathhouse Row is the most iconic stretch of street in Hot Springs. It's a National Historic Landmark, and one of the best-preserved stretches of Gilded Age architecture in the United States.

Home to eight historic bathhouses which are now preserved as part of the National Historic District, Bathhouse Row hosts the national park office, the Bathhouse Emporium, the only brewery in the nation to use mineral spring water for their beers, and more.

The park visitor's center, located in Fordyce Bathhouse, opened at 9am, and we went inside to collect the stamp for our national park passports and to take the free self-guided tour of the preserved historic bathhouse. This particular bathhouse closed in 1962, and the last bathhouse resort closed in the 1980s before they were bought up and renovated by the National Parks Department.

In its heyday, Hot Springs was the resort of the rich and famous. The famed healing waters attracted people from all around the world. 

The bathhouses were a place of luxury, and as you walk through the quiet halls of the old bathhouse - now a national park museum - you can feel how exclusive it must have been. Stained glass windows adorn the halls, and everything seems to have been made for Victorian-era luxury.

Besides bathing in the hot springs, visitors would sunbathe on the upper patios of the resort, undergo a number of interesting 19th century "health" treatments (such as electro massage, light therapy, etc.), and sit in a luxurious parlor where they would sip chilled spring water beneath a spectacular stained-glass ceiling.

There was even an old-fashioned gymnasium.

The most impressive room was the bathing area itself. There were private bathing stalls where visitors could relax in peace, and a luxurious common area where visitors could relax and converse.

Because a good portion of Hot Springs National Park is located downtown (and much of it indoors), Hot Springs NP is considered to be one of the most accessible national parks in the country. It's fascinating to visit.

We wanted to see the outdoors portion of the park as well, which was located in the woods just behind Bathhouse row. There are camping grounds, hiking trails, and more, and while it's one of the smaller national parks in the country, it's also one of the more visited.

 

We drove up a winding road through the park to the top of a hill where we could see the sprawling hills of the wild Arkansas landscape stretching out for miles.

Before leaving Hot Springs on the way to our next destination, we stopped in at Mr. Whiskers, a local institution, to sample the official state dish of Arkansas: fried catfish!