12 Most Beautiful Small Towns In The Ozarks You Should Visit

While the Ozark Mountain region often captivates first-time visitors with its pristine natural beauty defined by wondrous landscapes, there are other enticing elements to this underrated outdoor paradise. We are talking about tongue-tingling eateries, world-class museums, eclectic shops, and a cornucopia of stunning, nature-wrapped small towns. Whether your mind is on the upper Ozarks where the Netflix movie was filmed, or the unfair beauty that defines the Southern Ozark region, your trip to this magical expanse will be a lifetime highlight.

Bentonville, Arkansas

Bentonville is known all over the country as the Birthplace of Walmart, one of the most successful retail chains in the world. While you can read the fascinating story of Sam Walton from his autobiography "Made In America," a visit to Bentoville's Walmart Museum, the only one of its kind in the world, will let you in on the character of the world's greatest retailer, the challenges he surmounted, his business style, and his personal life and history. A quaint charmer that will effortlessly sweep you off your feet, Bentonville is also home to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a legacy project of a Walton heiress. This top-flight art museum features celebrated portraits of the Founding Fathers and will tickle the fancy of anyone who loves the finest representations of art.

Versailles, Missouri

Named after Versailles, France, most likely by residents of French descent, Versailles is a Missouri stunner that serves as the gateway to one of the most defining natural landmarks in the Ozarks — the Lake of the Ozarks. Country Living has ranked Versailles, a town that hosts just about 2,800 residents, among the 40 best small towns — not in the Ozarks — but in America. While the best time to imbibe the spirit of Versailles is when it stages the Olde Tyme Apple Festival, a popular festival that takes place every fall, Versailles offers visitors several other fun-filled attractions as well. These include Jacob's Cave, the largest cave in the area, which first-time visitors often find overtly surreal. Besides, Versailles plays host to Weaver's Country Market, one of the oldest Mennonite-owned businesses in Missouri and a carryover of the town's rich Mennonite legacy.

Van Buren, Arkansas

Van Buren is in Western Arkansas's Crawford County along the Arkansas River, the second-longest tributary in the Mississippi-Missouri river system. The town is opposite Fort Smith and was once called Phillips Landing before being renamed a few years later for the eighth president of the United States. Among Van Buren's attractions is a Victorian-era-styled performance hall in the town's downtown area known as the King Opera House. There's also the Drennen-Scott Historic Site, a historic house museum dedicated to the memory of John Drennen, a co-founder of the town. Then again, Van Buren's Historic Downtown area is charming and beautiful and features historic, well-preserved buildings — as well as a decent shopping and dining scene.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs is a cute example of Arkansas, about an hour east of Bentonville. While the small towns that dot the Ozarks are numerous and come with their own charm and character, Eureka Springs is often ranked among the best — if not the best small town in the Ozarks. The town offers a great culinary landscape that features some of the tastiest foods and drinks in the area, an amazing shopping scene, and several information-rich museums, such as the Eureka Springs Historical Museum, which captivates visitors with previously unknown details of the town and its intriguing history. If you are looking for a place to stay, consider booking Crescent Hotel and Spa, often billed as "America's most haunted hotel."

Eminence, Missouri 

Eminence could just be the most enchanting small town in the Ozarks. The town is right in the heart of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and offers the Sylvan splendors and waterfront landscapes that will melt the heart of a first-time visitor. To enhance the spellbinding beauty of this blue-space gem, the glass-clear Jacks Fork River meanders through the middle of Eminence and imbues it with a look and an ambiance that is both enticingly cool and rustic. Described as "flowing," this Missouri treasure features several water-based adventures not limited to canoeing, hunting, fishing, and camping. Attractions that are a few minutes from town include Alley Springs Mill — as well as Blue Springs, Missouri's largest and bluest spring.

Mammoth Spring, Arkansas

Mammoth Spring is sandwiched between the majestic Ozark Mountains and the lush plains of the Arkansas Delta on a spot that will elicit open-mouthed wonder in a first-time visitor. While the town is tiny and plays host to a population of less than a thousand, it is huge in charm and character and exhibits some of the most spectacular scenery in the Natural State. Whether you will want to enjoy a slow-paced evening on the front deck of a rustic cabin — or sample the shopping and dining scene in the downtown area, Mammoth Spring will check every box. But here is the exciting part: This cute charmer plays host to the spring that lends it its name — and which is reputed to be the largest spring in Arkansas.

Jasper, Arkansas

Beloved for its vibrant colors and special patterns, Jasper is a fine-grained variety of the silica mineral chert. It has been nicknamed "Supreme Nurturer" and mythologized in folklore as able to bring joy into life. While historians are not sure why this Arkansas gem shares a name with a beautiful gemstone, the evidence will be all around. Expect your senses to be dazzled and delighted, and your heart ravished as you set foot in a picturesque area where the Buffalo River, America's First National River — embarks on its 135-mile-long journey. Jasper's downtown area is picture-perfect and features tongue-tingling eateries, including the Ozark Cafe, a restaurant that serves delicious food in an awesome atmosphere that is casual but classy.

Mountain View, Arkansas

Mountain View is another delicious eye candy that redefines beauty. The town boasts a population of about 2,900 and is widely known for traditional folk music and culture. For perspective, Mountain View has been called the "Folk Music Capital of the World." It is not uncommon to find informal music gatherings and light-hearted jamborees — with residents belting out folk tunes right in town, especially around the town square. If you want to experience the musical side of Mountain View, you will want to check out the Ozark Folk Center, a culturally rich facility that preserves the music, crafts, and culture of the Ozarks. These include glass art and apothecary. Whether you want to buy beautifully handcrafted items such as leather purses and quilts or just admire some of the finest art exhibits, the Ozark Folk Center is a must-do.

Branson, Missouri

Branson may be a little touristy for anyone's liking; however, that just speaks to its well-deserved popularity in vacation circles. Even if you leave out the Silver Dollar City, arguably the best theme park in the United States and an attraction that draws more than 2 million people every year, Branson boasts other incredible offerings. For starters, the scenery around Branson is breathtaking and perfect for those who crave an intimate encounter with nature in all its pristine glory. The hills around Branson are gorgeous, the White River is crystal clear and picturesque, while the tree-lined Table Rock Lake, famous for excellent bass fishing, is a stunning water wonder first-time visitors rarely get enough of. For avid shoppers, however, Branson Landing is a world of adventure worth checking out. 

Siloam Springs, Arkansas

Siloam Springs is a lovely Arkansas gem that occupies the northwest corner of Arkansas, a region noted for its surreal, fairytale beauty. A beautiful creek known as Sager Creek — which spans about 13 miles — flows through Siloam Springs and lends it a noticeably rustic look that elevates the visual appeal of the town. The creek was named for one of the town's earliest settlers, a German immigrant known as Simon Sager, whose historic cabin, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is on the campus of John Brown University. Needless to add, that means Siloam Springs, because it plays host to John Brown University, is a vibrant college town ideal for those who love rolling with a young crowd. Siloam Springs boasts several opportunities for hiking, biking, and leisurely strolls, including at City Lake Park, the five-mile Sager Creek Mountain Bike Trail, and the Siloam Spring Kayak Park.

St. Robert, Missouri

Named for Robert Bellarmine, a 16th-century cardinal reputed to have been one of the most enlightened theologians and one who played a central role in the debates with Galilo regarding the position and mobility of planet Earth, St. Robert is a Missouri secret that lies on old US 66 in Missouri's Pulaski County. Boasting a population of less than 6,000, St. Robert is the quintessential small town, complete with quaint shops and casual, locally-owned restaurants. St. Robert is also quite funky, and if you want to prove this, ensure you check out one of the town's show-stoppers, Uranus Fudge Factory and General Store. While this popular St. Robert staple features several on-site attractions, including a museum, its number one draw is the fudges it makes, which many swear are the best in the world — and by far.

Calico Rock, Arkansas

Let us start with a spoiler alert. Calico Rock is not beautiful in the sense of cobble-stoned streets, well-maintained topiaries, glitzy skyscrapers, or twinkling fountains. The beauty of Calico Rock lies in its natural scenery and its somewhat creepy and scandalous history that survives through many of the town's present-day attractions. Calico Hall plays host to Peppersauce or East Calico, arguably the only authentic ghost town in Arkansas — and the only ghost town in the United States that is located within the precincts of an actual living town. Spotting vine-covered buildings as well as those whose windows are broken, exploring Peppersauce is an eerie experience — and one you will hardly forget. Secreted along the banks of the White River, the natural setting of Calico Rock is enticingly rustic, unassuming, and authentic.

The Takeaway

The Ozark is a spellbinding expanse that features scenes and sites that often melt the hearts of first-time visitors. Indeed, nature comes smiling in one of America's most underrated regions. Then again, spread across this vast outdoor paradise is an array of small, beautiful towns, most of which are ideal for a Netflix movie setting. Eureka Springs, for instance, is an eye candy that defies superlatives. Other small towns in the Ozarks that are nearly as beautiful as Eureka Springs include Jasper, Arkansas, Versailles, Missouri, and Mountain View, Arkansas, of course, among others.