Tips for Eureka Springs -
Best Places to Eat - Cafe Santa Fe (and I usually don't like Mexican) on Main a few blocks past all of the tourist shops, and best burger is at a little ice cream shop about two blocks further out on Main (closes at 4:00 PM). Sparky's burgers are pretty good but this place draws the obnoxious biker/poser crowd like flies (Hey, I'm a motorcyclist and have been 35 years, but I do so because I like to ride, and I have never needed to dress up and pretend to be a future Hell's Angel member).
Rip Offs - The railroad trip (about 2 miles and a cheap sandwich), the Cresent Hotel ghost tour, food at the Crescent Hotel (expensive and bad). All buffets are weak. Most of these places only have food when some event is in town, and now-a-days these are few and far between.
Best Places to go - 1) Branson old downtown district (East side of expressway, not the bumper-to bumper traffic on the West side loop that goes by 100 country music concert halls, 200 t shirt shops, and 300 bad restaurants; the only place worth seeing on West side is the Outlet Mall). Try the food downtown at "The Shack" - where the locals eat. Like Irish Pubs - good fish & chips or bangers & mash at Waxy O'Sheas in The Landing. Do take the Branson Downtown railroad dinner trip - excellent food and service on a nice two hour train ride. 2) Springfield - Bass Pro Shops main store - everything for the outdoor person,and there's a very nice old music store downtown in a college area for the musician; looks like its been there 100 years.
Driving the local 2 lane roads can be great if there are no bikers.
