Arkansas, 'The Natural State', is an amazingly beautiful place to visit all times of year. Concrete Design School is located in the scenic Ozark Mountains, just outside of the historic town of Eureka Springs.
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
Concrete Design School is located at:
45 Bear Ridge Rd., Eureka Springs, AR 72631
GPS Coordinates: 36.421726, -93.789226
AIR TRAVEL
Your first order of business is getting here. There are four airport options that you can choose from. They are listed below in order of proximity to Concrete Design School:
Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, Airport Code: XNA, Driving Distance: 46 Miles (74 km), Drive Time: 69 Minutes
Branson Airport, Airport Code: BKG, Driving Distance: 55 Miles (88 km), Drive Time: 83 Minutes
Springfield-Branson National Airport, Airport Code: SGF, Driving Distance: 92 Miles (148 km), Drive Time: 108 Minutes
Tulsa International Airport, Airport Code: TUL, Driving Distance: 147 Miles (236 km), Drive Time: 159 Minutes
RENTAL CAR
Concrete Design School is located in Eureka Springs, AR, which is an awesome mountain town in the Ozark Mountains. You will definitely need a rental car to get to the studio as well as your hotel and to explore. TIP: the best deal on rental cars, here or anywhere else, is through Costco. If you don't have a membership, check out Kayak.
HOTELS & MOTELS
There are many, many hotels, motels, and rental cabins to choose from that are in close proximity to Concrete Design School. Below are just a few of the options that are available:
Best Western Inn of the Ozarks, Driving Distance: 4.6 Miles (7.4 km), Drive Time: 9 Minutes / 207 W. Van Buren, Eureka Springs, AR 72632 / (479) 253-9768
Basin Park Hotel, Driving Distance: 5.2 Miles (8.4 km), Drive Time: 12 Minutes / 12 Spring St., Eureka Springs, AR 72632 / (479) 253-7837
Grand Central Hotel and Spa, Driving Distance: 5.3 Miles (8.5 km), Drive Time: 13 Minutes / 37 N. Main St., Eureka Springs, AR 72632 / (479) 253-6756
Crescent Hotel and Spa, Driving Distance: 5.6 Miles (9 km), Drive Time: 14 Minutes / 75 Prospect Ave., Eureka Springs, AR 72632 / (800) 342-9766
Super 8 Eureka Springs, Driving Distance: 6.4 Miles (10.3 km), Drive Time: 13 Minutes / 3010 E. Van Buren, Eureka Springs, AR 72632 / (479) 253-5040
Quality Inn, Driving Distance: 5.7 Miles (9.2 km), Drive Time: 12 Minutes / 196 E. Van Buren, Eureka Springs, AR 72632 / (479) 253-5241
Eureka Springs Treehouses, Driving Distance: 3.5 Miles (5.6 km), Drive Time: 7 Minutes / 526 W. Van Buren, Eureka Springs, AR 72632 / (479) 253-9493
All Seasons Urban Treehouse Village, Driving Distance: 6.1 Miles (9.8 km), Drive Time: 14 Minutes / 275 N. Main St., Eureka Springs, AR 72632 / (479) 253-2001
Best Western Eureka Inn, Driving Distance: 5.1 Miles (8.2 km), Drive Time: 11 Minutes / 101 E. Van Buren, Eureka Springs, AR 72632 / (479) 253-9551
CAMPING
Are you the adventurous type that would prefer to sit by a campfire and sleep under the stars than stay in a motel? Great! There is a KOA Campground directly next door to Concrete Design School - you can literally walk through the woods to come to the workshop each day. They have tent sites, full hook-up RV sites, showers, laundry, and a swimming pool. You can bring your own camping gear, travel trailer, or RV, or you can rent basic camping gear from Concrete Design School.
- $25 CDS Camping Gear Package No. 1: (x1) 2-Person Camping Tent, (x1) Freshly laundered Sleeping Bag and Pillow, (x1) Camp Chair*
- $45 CDS Camping Gear Package No. 2: (x1) 2-Person Camping Tent, (x2) Freshly laundered Sleeping Bags and Pillows, (x2) Camp Chairs*
* The above pricing does not include the daily camping fee charged by the KOA, it is strictly gear rental. The Eureka Springs KOA offers special reduced rates for attendees of Concrete Design School workshops.
Eureka Springs KOA, 15020 Highway 187 South, Eureka Springs, AR 72631 / (479) 253-8036
PLACES TO EAT & DRINK
Oscar's Cafe
17 White St., Eureka Springs, AR
Eureka Springs has a lot of great restaurants. One of our favorites that is off the strip so it is largely only known to locals is Oscar's Cafe. Oscar's serves breakfast and lunch and is open Tuesday-Sunday from 8am until 3pm. Everything they make is amazing and it is the best place to get good coffee in Eureka Springs.
Ermilio's Italian Home Cooking
26 White St., Eureka Springs, AR
Across the street from Oscar's is Ermilio's Italian Home Cooking. They are open for dinner seven days a week from 5pm until 9pm.
Local Flavor Cafe
71 S. Main St., Eureka Springs, AR
If you end up in downtown Eureka Springs you should check out Local Flavor Cafe. They are open for lunch and dinner every day execpt Sunday, when they serve brunch from 9am-3pm.
ATTRACTIONS
Eureka Springs is the perfect setting to attend a workshop. Bring your family and spend a few extra days enjoying the sights of NW Arkansas.
Thorncrown Chapel
12968 Hwy 62 West, Eureka Springs, AR / (479) 253-7401
Thorncrown Chapel is a 48-foot tall glass structure with 425 windows and over 6,000 square feet of glass. It was designed by renowned architect E. Fay Jones. Called the most beautiful chapel in the world, the glass and wood wonder hides deep in a woodland setting.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
600 Museum Way, Bentonville, AR / (479) 418-5700
The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Crystal Bridges takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building, designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds house galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall. Guest amenities include a restaurant on a glass-enclosed bridge overlooking the ponds, a Museum Store designed by architect Marlon Blackwell, and a library featuring more than 50,000 volumes of art reference material. Sculpture and walking trails link the Museum's 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas.
Ozark Mountain Ziplines
208 West Van Buren, Eureka Springs, AR / (479) 363-6699
Experience the exhilarating thrill of a Zip Line Canopy Tour right in the heart of the beautiful, pristine Ozark Mountains at Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Soar through the air from up to 200+ feet high with cable lengths from up to 1800 feet long over vast gorgeous, beautiful Ozark hardwood trees and limestone cliffs. Our dense forest of hardwoods provide a wonderful setting for a nature filled experience guaranteed to satisfy thrill seekers from all walks of life.
Pea Ridge National Military Park
15930 E Highway 62 72732 Garfield, AR / (479) 451-8122
A 430-acre Civil War battlefield that preserves the site of the March 1862 battle that saved Missouri for the Union. Living history for adults and kids.
Blue Springs Heritage Center
1537 CR 210, Eureka Springs, AR / (479) 253-9244
The largest spring in Northwest Arkansas, Blue Spring flows 38 million gallons of water every day. 33 acres of beautiful native gardens, plants, and blooms.
Beaver Bridge
Set your GPS to take you to Beaver, AR, located on Hwy 187, Beaver, AR
Called the Little Golden Gate, this famous one-lane bridge is worth the short drive from Concrete Design School.
Cosmic Cavern
6386 Hwy 21 N., Berryville, AR / (870) 749-2298
Visitors are led through one of the Ozarks’ prettiest caves. View two underground lakes, one with trout. Silent Splendor is one of Arkansas’ most incredible underground jewels. Go gemstone panning and keep what you find. Open every day. It’s a learning adventure for grown-ups and kids alike!
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge
239 Turpentine Creek Lane, Eureka Springs, AR / (479) 253-5841
Of the many refuges in the United States, TCWR is one of the largest facilities of its kind open to the public anywhere in the world. Big Cats have been rescued from many states across the country including Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, New York, Kansas, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, and Tennessee.
FUN FACTS ABOUT Arkansas
In case you are bored while waiting for your flight to come take a class, we have compiled the following fun facts about Arkansas for you to peruse:
Arkansas has the only active diamond mine in the United States.
It is illegal to mispronounce Arkansas while in the state. It must be pronounced "Arkansaw."
Elevations in Arkansas range from 54 feet above sea level in the far southeast corner to 2,753 feet above at Mount Magazine, the state's highest point.
It is illegal for dogs to bark after 6:00 p.m. in Fayetteville.
While it is legal to shoot bears in Arkansas, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited.
Arkansas contains over 600,000 acres of lakes and 9,700 miles of streams and rivers.
Located just outside of Murfreesboro, Crater of Diamonds State Park allows dedicated prospectors to search for precious gems including diamonds, amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, and quartz.
Sam Walton founded his Wal-Mart stores in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Milk was designated as the official state beverage in 1985.
A southern version of Big Foot, called the Boggy Creek Monster, has been sighted near Fouke, Arkansas. Said to be seven feet tall and hairy all over, it kills chicken, cattle, dogs and livestock.
The World's Championship Duck Calling Contest is held annually in Stuttgart.
General Douglas MacArthur, soldier and statesman, was born in Little Rock in 1880.
The first woman elected to the U.S. Senate was from Arkansas -- Hattie Caraway, elected November 1932.
The word Arkansas is from the Quapaw Indian language meaning south wind.
In 1783, the only Revolutionary War skirmish in the state occurred at Arkansas Post, called the Colbert Incident.
The Buffalo River is one of the few remaining unpolluted, free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states.
In Fayetteville it is illegal to kill any living creature.
Forty-seven hot springs flow from the southwestern slope of Hot Springs Mountain, at an average temperature of 143 F.
The Ozark National Forest covers more than one million acres.
Diamonds were discovered iIn 1906 when a Pike County farmer, John M. Huddleston, found them where Crater of Diamonds State Park is now.
The entire city limits of Eureka Springs is designated as a Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Country crooners Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Tracy Lawrence, and Conway Twitty were all born in Arkansas.
Near Dover, Arkansas is an overlook with a view of an Ozark Valley. Here, appear the "Dover Lights," an unexplained phenomena that appears, flickers and sways in various colors. Some say they are the ghosts of Spanish Conquistadors searching for their lost gold in the Ozark foothills.
Flirtation between men and women on the streets of Little Rock can result in a 30-day jail term.