Eureka! The «I found it»

The slogan has been attached to Eureka Springs, Arkansas travel and relocation information for well over a hundred years now.

Evolving, welcoming, inviting, Eureka Springs has drawn an eclectic assortment of travelers and those seeking to make this «I found it» their perfect home since 1879.

Finding this tiny hamlet in Northwest Arkansas is as shocking as finding the ketchup in your sock drawer. Eureka Springs has been touted as «Little Switzerland,» a picturesque place carved into the Ozark mountains with all the culture of a metro city: fabulous dining, one-of-a-kind art galleries, and musicians galore make Eureka the hidden Gem of the Mid-South.

But Little Switzerland? More like the Swish Alps.

For decades, gays and lesbians have made Eureka Springs their home. Today, more than ever, an ever increasing GLBT crowd is vacationing here during the 4 Diversity Gay Pride Festivals per year and moving here in droves. So let's get down to what lies beneath this totally preserved Victorian Village.

Sure, there is the usual natural beauty, low crime, incredibly affordable cost of living perks that every tourist town promotes. But Eureka Springs, like the other places that have a Big Jesus hovering overhead on a mountain (Rio and Lisbon), there is a mystique, a «calling to your soul» kind of quality about this place. Maybe it's the 7 story Jesus. Rio and Lisbon progressive, inclusive cities. Well, Thank you Jesus! Right here in Arkansas, we're here and we're queer. Granted, our Big Jesus (compared to the other big ones around the world) resembles Willy Nelson in a dress or a milk carton with arms. But hey, like any new queen, it's going to take some time to accessorize our concrete wonder.

By village standards, we're about the right size. Approximately 2,200 people live in the city limits, a few more thousand grace the countryside. Over 50 of our businesses are GLBT owned. Still more GLBT citizens hold many city positions. But most of our high-percentage queer population just likes living, working, raising their families, or retiring here.

Yes, we have our required quota of village idiots. They are cute. Most of them have holy roller churches and bad haircuts. We don't mind them much if they don't push their lifestyle of choice on us. And they are a rather helpful bunch of munchkins here in paradise. Every time they get the media to listen to their plight, they blather on and on of Eureka Springs becoming more of a Gay Mecca or Homosexual Haven than it already is.

Oh yeah, the latest cry from one of the wicked witches is Eureka Springs will have more and more gays and lesbians because our City Council recently voted to approve a Domestic Partnership ordinance. Nope Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore. This is Northwest Arkansas where Gayborhoods are dubbed «Lake Lesbian Estates, Swish Alps.» Yes, in Eureka we play with our passions. And for a trip into kitsch, the Passion Play begs for those to witness at the feet of Willy. Where the hell else can you go that Elvis lives (of course we have a couple of hillbilly music shows with star search wannabes) and Jesus dies 5 nights a week? Oh yeah..Branson. 45 minutes north and kitsch doesn't even begin to describe what looms at the lake.

Trolley cars run through our gayborhoods and in and around our Victorian Village. Our downtown is graced with parks, springs, walking trails, shops, restaurants, restored hotels. Try the New Orleans. Right in the middle of town and amid gallery row. First class hotel with a great spa and massage on site. Rest, relax, renew.

So let's talk about the real estate of this gay ole Victorian Village named a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. While the brothels, dancing girls, and gambling halls are gone, our version of THE Queen lives on.

Completely restored Victorian houses co-mingle at ease with more modern craftsmen style. Wooded and private, Eureka Springs is about to boast a higher end craftsmen cottage style condo gayborhood. Within walking distance to downtown, these historic gayborhoods offer the finest in living at affordable prices. For out of town living, areas within minutes of downtown Eureka Springs offer small acreage lots perfect for building your own homo haven or buying one with vistas of valleys or lakes.

Are you tired of the been-there-done-that Palm Springs, P-town, or Key West? Eureka Springs is welcoming and quite a bargain by comparison. Don't wait too long to find your perfect abode. The secret is out and GLBT travelers and neighbors, from coast to coast, are arriving here daily.

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