1886 Crescent Hotel

The 1886 Crescent Hotel sits high above the Victorian resort town of Eureka Springs, in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, USA. Built in 1886 of local limestone, the grand hotel was conceived as a luxury mountain retreat and later, for a time, operated as a women's college. Its most notorious chapter came in the 1930s, when Norman Baker, a charlatan with no medical training, ran it as a 'cancer hospital' promising bogus cures; the episode ended in fraud charges and left a dark thread in the building's story before it was restored as a hotel.

Today the Crescent leans cheerfully into its billing as 'America's most haunted hotel', with nightly ghost tours recounting sightings, cold spots and figures linked to its college and hospital eras. These tales are anecdotal and part of the hotel's entertainment, offered in good fun, and are best enjoyed as atmosphere rather than taken as documented proof.

Beyond the ghost lore, the Crescent is a genuinely significant piece of Victorian resort architecture, a member of Historic Hotels of America and a National Register landmark. Its survival and restoration make it a centrepiece of Eureka Springs' well-preserved historic character.

The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa operates as a full-service historic hotel, with guest rooms, dining, a spa and event spaces, and it remains open to overnight guests and day visitors year-round. Its popular ghost tours run in the evenings and are ticketed, open to both guests and the general public, and often booked ahead during busy periods.

The hotel sits on a hilltop above Eureka Springs, and its historic character means some period features throughout the building. Current room availability, tour times and ticketing are published on the official website, and booking in advance is recommended for tours and peak-season stays.