While researching a newspaper column, I found myself intrigued by the rich history of the Arkansas wine country. I also found myself looking at how much other states have capitalized on the allure of their wineries, attracting prosperous baby boomer couples in the process. Can’t we do more to attract visitors to the scenic, historic Arkansas wine country and its five commercial wineries?
Read MoreThe Arkansas wine country
posted by rexnelson on August 16th, 2010From “Coin” Harvey to Anita Bryant
posted by rexnelson on August 13th, 2010It has been fun researching the colorful characters attracted to the Arkansas Ozarks through the years. What is it about the hills of north Arkansas that attract the Norman Bakers and the Gerald L.K. Smiths of the world?
Read MoreMore eccentrics of the Ozarks — Gerald L.K. Smith
posted by rexnelson on August 11th, 2010Gerald L.K. Smith, who built the Christ of the Ozarks at Eureka Springs, was described by Huey P. Long as “the only man I ever saw who is a better rabble-rouser than I am.” H.L. Mencken called him “the greatest orator of them all.” Smith also is remembered for his support of anti-Semitic and fascist causes, however. In Eureka Springs, meanwhile, the Great Passion Play continues 34 years after its founder’s death.
Read MoreEccentrics of the Ozarks
posted by rexnelson on August 10th, 2010It’s good that the Crescent Hotel & Spa at Eureka Springs recalls the tainted legacy of that old con man Norman Baker by naming its fourth-floor restaurant and lounge after him. After all, it wouldn’t be the Ozarks without the eccentrics and the con men. Baker, a charlatan if ever there were one, operated a “hospital” out of the Crescent Hotel during the final years of the Great Depression.
Read MoreEureka’s historic hotels
posted by rexnelson on August 9th, 2010Eureka Springs is a theme park. We don’t need to build one. The Crescent. The Basin Park. The Palace. The New Orleans. The Grand Central. They are Arkansas treasures that should be preserved, continually improved and marketed to those aging baby boomers who are now looking to experience that which is authentic.
Read MoreBring back Browning’s, dang it!
posted by rexnelson on August 5th, 2010Much has been written about Browning’s since the Heights institution closed on Tuesday night of last week. My thoughts: A spot on Kavanaugh Avenue in one of the most affluent sections of the state’s largest city — a spot that has held a restaurant since the 1940s — can only be described as a great location. Also, nostalgia sells.
Read MoreThe ghosts of Eureka Springs
posted by rexnelson on August 3rd, 2010In a place as quirky as Eureka Springs, I’m glad the Crescent Hotel & Spa has fully embraced its reputation for being haunted. I’m not into the ghost fad, but the evening ghost tour was fun in a kitschy sort of way. Why bother visiting this most eccentric Arkansas town if you’re not going to do something kitschy?
Read MoreA Saturday in Branson
posted by rexnelson on August 2nd, 2010Had he lived, Dick Hartley might have been amazed at the size of the Saturday night crowds that show up these days at Branson Landing, down the street from his store on Main Street. But he wouldn’t have been surprised by the crowd at Dick’s Old-Time 5 & 10 or the work ethic of his son. Life father, like son, no one outworks a Hartley.
Read MoreWalking down Bathhouse Row
posted by rexnelson on July 28th, 2010It was nice to see things this busy as we walked down Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs on a Saturday morning. The sidewalks were jammed. Some of these tourists had no doubt planned to spend their summer vacations along the Gulf Coast. Due to the oil spill, they canceled their reservations and wound up in Arknasas. Let’s hope their first impressions were good.
Read MoreSummer in Saratoga and Hot Springs
posted by rexnelson on July 27th, 2010Regular readers of this blog know that I love thoroughbred racing. They also know that I love Hot Springs. As August approaches, the thoughts of racing fans turn to Saratoga Springs in New York. They are many similarities between Hot Springs and Saratoga Springs. Indeed, Hot Springs has sometimes been called the Saratoga of the South.
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