7 Of The Quirkiest Towns In The Ozarks

The Ozarks is a range of highlands tucked in the south-central United States. It has backwoods geography and a backwoods reputation, but the region is rife with vibrant and unique attractions that might shatter stereotypes. From a postmodern chapel to a trafficked animal sanctuary to medieval castles to an amusement park that rivals Disney World, the Ozarks are much more than dark forests and jagged cliffs. Here are seven Ozark communities that are quirky for the right reasons.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs seems like a fantasy land. Geographically, it is in the calloused clutches of the Arkansas Ozarks. Environmentally, it is a free-flowing, free-spirited community designed with postmodern art and Victorian architecture. Examples of the former are Thorncrown Chapel, a real chapel whose crisscrossed trusses and "invisible" windows create optical and iconic illusions; Quigley's Castle, the inside-out home of a deceased eccentric dubbed the "Ozarks' strangest dwelling"; and Christ of the Ozarks, a 67-foot sculpture of a homegrown Jesus in hog heaven.

Victorian architecture is exemplified by the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, a historic and literal haunt supposedly swarming with ghosts. If that is not fantastical enough, Eureka Springs has lions, tigers, and bears at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. It puts the Oz in the Ozarks.

Eminence, Missouri

In addition to lions, tigers, and bears, the Ozarks have horses - only these are wild. Allegedly the descendants of livestock left behind by Depression-era farmers, multiple herds of feral horses roam Eminence, Missouri, and its surrounding Ozark National Scenic Riverways, which count the horses among their federally-protected features. After seeing the stallions at Shawnee Creek Campground or Round Spring Campground, you can follow the scenic rivers to a double whammy of weird wonders: the Alley Spring and Mill. It is a 130-year-old defunct flour mill with a red hue contrasted by a turquoise mineral spring that stays 57 degrees no matter the season. The name Eminence is no coincidence.

Baxter Springs, Kansas

Baxter Springs is so quirky that it sits in the Ozarks despite being part of Kansas. Yes, the Ozark Plateau extends ever so slightly into The Wheat State, encompassing this extreme southeastern community. Besides its geographic quirkiness, Baxter Springs has worn several different hats throughout its life, from an Indigenous headdress to a slat bonnet to an army cap to a cowboy hat to a miner's helmet. This cultural diversity is preserved at Fort Blair Historic Site, which is a recreation of the titular fort that was attacked by Quantrill's Raiders during the Civil War, as well as the Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum, which has two climate-controlled floors displaying all those hats both literally and figuratively.

But Baxter Springs' weirdest attraction is Route 66, the historic and supposedly satanic highway that runs through town and is commemorated by the Kansas Route 66 Visitors Center, a former Phillips 66 gas station converted into a museum and souvenir shop.

Camdenton, Missouri

The Ozarks are the unlikely graveyard of two medieval-style castles. The first, near Lead Hill, Arkansas, began as a project to create a 13th-century French castle using era-appropriate methods and materials and was abandoned in 2012 due to a lack of funding. The second rests near Camdenton, Missouri, and has an even stranger backstory.

In 1904, Kansas City businessman Robert McClure Snyder bought thousands of acres of prime Ozarks land and began constructing a 60-room England-inspired mansion. On a bluff overlooking a lake called Ha Ha Tonka, the "castle" was built with locally quarried stones transported by mule-drawn wagons supervised by Scottish masons. But before the castle was finished, Snyder died in one of Kansas City's first fatal car accidents. His dream stood half-realized for years before his children decided to complete construction. Ha Ha Tonka Castle, as it came to be known, served as a family vacation home and hotel until 1942, when a fire left it in the state that offbeat tourists can now find it in Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

Aside from the castle ruins, the park has unique geological features like Balanced Rock, while nearby Thunder Mountain Park contains Bridal Cave, a near-mile-long limestone cavern used as a weird wedding venue. Newlyweds can honeymoon in Camdenton's Ozarkland, an Ozarks-exclusive chain store selling everything from chocolate to knives.

Sullivan, Missouri

Bridal Cave is far from the only subterranean spectacle in the Ozarks. Just northwest of Sullivan, Missouri, are the Meramec Caverns, which constitute The Cave State's largest commercial cave system. Formed by millions of years of limestone erosion, the caverns have a mostly unconfirmed history as a Native American shelter, saltpeter mine, and hideout for outlaws like Jesse James. But what is confirmed is its grandeur. The Meramec Caverns are seven stories tall and illuminated with multicolored LEDs. After touring the caves, visitors can see the revisionist Jesse James Wax Museum in Stanton and then take the former Route 66 to Sullivan proper for The Surprise Shop, a cache of quirky collectibles ready to be discovered.

Jasper, Arkansas

There is another Grand Canyon in America, which is carved into the Ozarks outside of Jasper, Arkansas. The "Arkansas Grand Canyon" is not a true canyon but as a massive mountain valley that offers grand views. Arguably, the best views are from a designated rest stop on the AR-7, served by the Cliff House Inn, which has food, souvenirs, and rooms. From this lofty base, tourists can ogle the Ozarks and explore its sites like the Buffalo River and Triple Falls. Moreover, they can check out an open-air museum in Jasper that contains the 19th-century Bradley House, Chaney Log Cabin, and other relics from bygone days.

Branson, Missouri

While Eureka Springs seems like a fantasy land, Branson actually is one. This small Missouri community boasts WonderWorks, Hollywood Wax Museum, Branson Mountain Adventure Park, Bigfoot Fun Park, the World's Largest Toy Museum, Aquarium at the Boardwalk, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, The Butterfly Palace, Silver Dollar City, Fritz's Adventure, Branson's Promised Land Zoo, the Titanic Museum Attraction, and many other mind-blowing businesses. Of course, we cannot neglect to mention Dolly Parton's Stampede, a dinner theater stamped by the legendary country singer. Branson proves that if you can make a theme park city in the Ozarks, you can make one anywhere.

The Ozarks are undeniably quirky, but some quirks are more attractive than others. Whether it is the unique architecture of Eureka Springs, the wild horses of Eminence, the historic highway of Baxter Springs, the castle ruins of Camdenton, the illuminated caves of Sullivan, the "Grand Canyon" of Jasper, or the theme parks of Branson, this backwoods region can stimulate the forefront of a curious mind. Embark on a trip to the Ozarks.