Fall Getaway to Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs flourished in the 1800s when visitors flocked to drink from the town's mineral springs. Gingerbread-trimmed houses sprouted like wildflowers from the Ozark bluffs, and hotels opened to accommodate the crowds. Eureka Springs deteriorated with the advent of modern medicine but has emerged as an artists' colony and wedding destination -- and, when the summer heat mellows, a lovely end to a fall drive.

Beyond the budget motels and Pine Mountain Jamboree marquee on US-62, you'll find a maze of impossibly steep streets lined with quaint homes and inns. Spring Street packs galleries, gift shops and restaurants. Tiny parks protect natural springs, and spas echo the town's history as a haven for healing. Even the old-timey photo studio and saltwater taffy machine have an air of legitimacy here. This has always been a tourist town; maybe the Victorians took fudge home, too.

Pictured: Visitor Steve Pointer aims for fall foliage in downtown Eureka Springs.