Tips for Traveling the Ozark Gateway

Let us help you uncover the hidden jewels of the Ozark Gateway. Our travel writers can help you find that perfect place for dinner, an exciting outdoor adventure, a family friendly festival and more!

Explore our travelogues to learn more about the Ozark Gateway:

Recipe for Revival
Main Street Batesville has embraced a familiar strategy to revive downtown. The 2nd Friday Downtown Wander and Wonder Walk, launched on August 8, is a monthly downtown festival with extended shopping hours, free live music, free films, special events, fun activities, refreshments, and lots of local color.
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Off The Beaten Path Studio Tour
The 7th annual "Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour" will be held September 12th, 13th and 14th, 2008. Twenty five artists, representing a wide variety of 2-D art and fine crafts, are participating in this free self-guided driving tour. [ More »»»]

Depot Days Festival - Newport
The 11th annual Depot Days Festival will be held on Saturday September 27th on Front Street in downtown Newport, Arkansas.  The festival will feature Rock and Roll legends Billy Lee Riley as well as Sonny Burgess and the Pacers. [ More »»»]

Janine’s Café Offers Lunches To Go
Sandwiches, Soups, Salads Available for Fast Pick-Up
Janine Winters Café at 991 Batesville Boulevard is making it easier for area residents to enjoy her acclaimed lunches. Winters, well-known as a chef, food educator, herb farmer, and culinary entrepreneur, opened her café over two years ago and quickly developed a clientele for her one-of-a-kind gourmet sandwiches, soups, and salads. [ More »»»]

Southern Fried Saturdays
SOUTHERN FRIED SATURDAYS is a lyrical documentary about life in a small Ozark foothills community, as experienced by three inquisitive, engaged teenage girls.  In the film’s moving narration, the girls share their feelings about rural life, family, and the future. [ More »»»]

Old Independence Regional Museum Celebrates Native American Heritage
A major photographic exhibition, a lecture by Dr. George Sabo, an exhibit of Indian artifacts from the White River region, a Native American Day Camp for children, and a Native American Family Day are planned for July and early August. [ More »»»]

Batesville’s Burgeoning Antique District Will Anchor 2nd Friday Downtown
Monthly Event Kicks of Friday, August 8
Downtown Batesville will be staying open on Friday evenings once a month beginning in August with the initial 2nd Friday Downtown “Wander and Wonder Walk.” The event is a joint project of Main Street Batesville and the Batesville Area Arts Council. [ More »»»]

Jacksonport State Park is Open for Business!
Arkansas and the enormous amounts of rain it has received in the last month or so had made news all over the country. Contrary to what public perception might be from those reports, the state is not under water. Attractions around the state, such as Jacksonport State Park at Newport, are open and welcoming visitors. [ More »»»]

65th Annual White River Water Carnival
Country Music legend Earl Thomas Conley and rock’n’roll favorite Night Ranger will headline the 65th Annual White River Water Carnival August 1st and 2nd. [ More »»»]

Friday Afternoon at the Museum
Old Independence Regional Museum will host an open house event on Friday, May 16th from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the museum.  “Friday Afternoon at the Museum is an event scheduled periodically as an opportunity for people to network with other museum friends, and to introduce others to the museum’s offerings.” [ More »»»]

Timber Ridge
TimberRidge Lodge is one of a kind. Built almost entirely by Don Henley and his family using cypress from the land that was cleared for the lodge and surrounding area, and decorated by Henley’s wife Ina Lee, an antique dealer and world-class scavenger, TimberRidge is unique inside and out.
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Ozark Foothills FilmFest
The 2008 Ozark Foothills FilmFest marks the introduction of an annual Screenwriting Competition. Twenty-one talented writers entered the initial competition, nineteen from Arkansas. [ More »»»]

Batesville’s Antique District
Batesville’s downtown historic district, an open-air museum of early 20th century architecture, can now also boast an emerging antique district that seems capable of rivaling the state’s finest.
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Batesville Farmers' Market Finally Gets a Home
Farmers' markets of all sizes and varieties dot the Ozarks landscape, some little more than a pick-up truck under a shady tree, others occupying entire town squares. [ More »»»]

Esta's White River Retreat
Esta’s White River Retreat in tiny Locust Grove, just outside Batesville, is the paradigm of what a retreat should be.  Secluded without being remote, off the beaten path without being hard to find, Esta’s offers the privacy and natural beauty that characterize many Ozark Foothills retreats, but adds a surprising and welcome level of comfort and amenities. [More »»»]

Motorcycle Trips in the Ozark Gateway
The Ozark Gateway region is a popular destination for motorcyclists traveling alone or in groups. There are many opportunities for touring, including the following suggested routes. [More »»»]

Josie’s on the White River, More than a Steakhouse
There is something magical about dining within view of a flowing river. The motion of the water creates a calm that seems to stir the appetite and inspire contemplation.  It only takes a few moments for the pressures and anxieties of the day to evaporate.  Eating becomes dining when the body and spirit are at peace, and a meal becomes an occasion to be savored. [More »»»]

Canadian Blend
Life in the Ozarks has long been enriched by settlers, people who “settled” here by choice, with all that the word implies.  These settlers bring traditions, imagination, energy, and a sense of the possible. Dani Kvern and Wes Obrigewitsch, founders and operators of Batesville’s MorningSide Coffee House, are the kind of settlers every community welcomes.  In just over two years, the couple has managed to turn their coffee house/café/bakery brainchild into a gathering spot where teens and retirees feel equally at home, and where chance and arranged meetings bring a community closer together.  [More »»»]

Horseshoe Bend, a Never-Ending Story of a Dream Community
The carefree lifestyle enjoyed by residents and guests of Horseshoe Bend is unforgettable. One visit may change a family’s outlook on vacationing, resort living, retirement and the future!
A major attraction is the free-flowing Strawberry River, which carves a large loop through the park-like setting in the Ozark foothills. [More »»»]

French Twist - A Transplanted French Chef Woos Ozark Appetites with
Herbs, Herbs, Herbs
Georges Clouzot’s marvelous and underappreciated 1956 documentary film, The Mystery of Picasso, allows the viewer to watch Picasso paint as if from behind the canvas, witnessing each piece take shape stroke by stroke. Picasso’s strokes are bold, vigorous, and decisive; the act of creation seems more purposeful than inspired, as if an age-old recipe is being followed from memory. [More »»»]