Growing up as a little boy with two younger brothers just 15 minutes north of Downtown Boston, Massachusetts, was awesome. I know that I speak for us all when I say that our experiences with snow, growing up in New England, was magical.
There are places in this world where time seems to pause, where the rush of the modern age fades into the background, and where the moment itself becomes the story. The bustling metropolis of Boston is one of those places for me, for sure. Now, keep in mind, Bostonians are very used to it, so when a truly sizable blizzard hits that big city and shuts it down, that rushed go-go-go feeling screeching to a halt is truly breathtaking to experience especially in a city that is so historic, so appealing and so vibrant.
Another place where snow felt magical to me in my life was Stevens Pass in Washington State. Jeff and I have a memory embossed in our brain of a time when we lived in Seattle and decided to spend the weekend over the pass in a little Bavarian Mountain town called Leavenworth, WA. As we came back over the pass to Seattle after that glorious weekend away, there were no cars, just us -- and it was snowing as we drove back home.
We decided to pull over and get out. It was when we looked up at the falling snow, and saw EVERY star brightly beaming back at as that we felt that "awe" of nature and of being alive. We've since named that experience, "Silent Starry Night" because we could actually hear the snow as it landed on the already packed snow on the ground ... that night was that silent.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is another one of those places for me. On the morning of February 18, 2025, we awoke to light flurries and as the day marched on the flurries got heavier. It wasn't until the wee hours of February 19, 2025, when those heavier flurries finally subsided and left Eureka blanketed in 11" of beautiful white powdery snow and transforming her into a timeless vision.
The Victorian charm, winding streets, and historic stone facades whisper of a bygone era in Eureka Springs. But when it snows? Oh, my friend, that's when magic happens.
The first flurries drift in like delicate messengers from the past, soft and weightless, swirling through the crisp Ozark air as if they, too, have come to admire the town. They catch on the ironwork balconies of century-old hotels, dust the gingerbread trim of historic homes, and settle into the curves of stone staircases that have guided footsteps for generations.
Basin Spring Park, in the heart of downtown, becomes a snow globe scene come to life. The springs themselves, steeped in lore and legend, continue to flow, their warmth creating little pockets of mist against the frost. Locals and visitors alike pause under the glowing lamplights, their breath mingling with the winter air as they marvel at the town’s transformation in white.
Walking through the snowy streets of Eureka Springs feels like stepping into a postcard, the kind you’d find tucked away in an antique shop. The Crescent Hotel stands like a grand sentinel atop the ridge, its ghost stories blanketed in fresh powder, lending an eerie yet peaceful hush to the night. Down below, the storefronts of Spring Street glow with soft golden light, their window displays taking on an even cozier allure as snowflakes drift past.
Here, in this moment, the concept of time itself softens. Conversations are slower, laughter is richer, and every step taken in the snow leaves an imprint on a town that has seen so much. When you're standing on a snowy, quiet street in Eureka Springs, the sound of horse-drawn carriages echoing off the cobblestones is no longer a relic of the past but feels like a living, breathing part of the present. The past and the now blend seamlessly, as if the snowfall is a gentle reminder that the most timeless places are the ones that refuse to rush.
One can’t help but imagine what this scene would have looked like in the late 1880s, when Eureka Springs was a booming Victorian-era resort town. The clip-clop of horses pulling carriages through the snow, the warm glow of oil lamps flickering inside bustling saloons and apothecaries, and the laughter of visitors who had come to partake in the town’s famous healing waters. The grand architecture, untouched by time, stands as a testament to the resilience of this place, each snowfall a reminder of the days when visitors arrived by train, bundled in layers, eager for a winter retreat in the Ozarks.
And when morning arrives, as the sun crests over the Ozarks and sends its golden light dancing across the frost-laced rooftops, there’s a collective sigh of wonder. For those who wake to a snow-covered Eureka Springs, it isn’t just another winter’s day, it’s a moment out of time, a chapter from a storybook, a glimpse into our town’s eternal soul.
So, the next time the forecast calls for snow, make your way to our little Victorian jewel in the Ozarks. Watch as the snowflakes weave their quiet spell and feel, even if just for a moment, what it’s like to exist in such a timeless place.❤️
Timeless is a blog series where we seek to discover the unique things that shaped and evolved our Eureka Springs into what it is today. There is so much to see, experience and explore here in Eureka Springs and in this series, we will take time to give you a local perspective (my perspective) on what happened, where it happened, why it happened and how did this become something significant for our town's history books. Take a moment to check out the different chapters in this blog series, Timeless, on www.iloveureka.com