The winter malaise known as "cabin fever" can really start ramping up by February, even in a year like this when temperatures so far have been generally moderate in Arkansas.
So it's no surprise that the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism is recommending a "cabin fever" cure that involves spending money on "a peaceful home away from home" getaway for a night or longer.
It may be more amazing to learn that our state offers so many cabin rental choices. The agency's arkansas.com site lists a whopping total of 596 rental operations, presented alphabetically by location, from Alexander to Yellville.
Most all are privately owned and operated, although cabins can also be rented in 12 state parks. The department's promotional pitch is downright alluring:
"Perhaps there's no better way to experience the natural beauty and serenity of the Natural State than by staying in a rustic, cozy cabin tucked away in the woods, in a mountain setting with fresh air and an amazing view, or next to a picturesque lake, river or stream.
"In Arkansas, you'll find dozens [actually, hundreds] of businesses that offer cabin rentals -- including one that offers the right location, amenities, price ranges and enough bedrooms to suit everyone in your group."
The hundreds of cabin rentals are "located near areas popular among outdoor adventure enthusiasts like float or fishing streams, lakes, hiking and biking trails, national forests, state parks, atop mountains or maybe just beyond the bustle of an Arkansas city such as Little Rock that offers great dining and plenty of family friendly fun. You can also just sit and read your favorite book by a wood-burning fireplace on a chilly day."
One personal favorite is Mount Nebo State Park, where 10 of the 15 cabins on the flat hilltop 90 miles northwest of Little Rock were built of stone by Civilian Conservation Corps workers during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Most have views over the Arkansas River Valley, and a Mount Nebo stay in a rustic hideaway with a crackling fireplace feels a thousand miles from the clamor of the state capital.
At Lake Ouachita State Park, 10 miles northwest of Hot Springs, the modern cabins are multi-bedroom and designed for extended families or groups of friends. At Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, the cabins are handily located for enjoying the site's music, arts, crafts and other Natural State pleasures.
Mount Magazine State Park, at Arkansas' highest elevation, is renowned for its stylish lodge. But guests also can rent one of the park's 13 mountain cabins stretching along a bluff near the lodge with dazzling views on clear-sky days.
Although there are no full-fledged cabins at DeGray Lake Resort State Park near Bismarck, visitors can rent the functional equivalent. Available at DeGray are three yurts -- Mongolian-style high-walled tents complete with electricity, wood floors, screened windows and a door that locks. Think of them as cabins with thin, flexible walls.
Prices vary widely for state-park cabins, as they do for the nearly 600 privately operated properties around the state. Eureka Springs seems to be the hotbed (pun intended) of rental cabins, with the Parks and Tourism site listing 72 locations in and around the tourism-driven Northwest Arkansas town.
Forty-two cabin businesses are listed in and around Jasper, 24 for Hot Springs, 19 for Mountain View, 17 for Ponca, 13 each for Calico Rock and Mount Ida and 11 for Heber Springs. For getaway-minded Arkansans who don't already have a favorite spot, the biggest challenge may be sorting through the hundreds of possibilities.
Information on 596 sites with cabins to rent can be found at arkansas.com.
Style on 02/14/2017