Weekend at the Crescent

In October, my cousin Eric had his wedding at the Crescent Hotel. I had not stayed there since I was a little girl and was very excited that we were going to Eureka Springs for the weekend. Ok, I am going to play tour guide for those of you who aren't familiar with the Crescent Hotel. The Crescent Hotel is a Beautiful hotel and spa that sits on top of Mt. Crescent in Eureka Springs. The hotel was built in 1886 and at the time was known as one of "America's most luxurious resort hotels." In the 1930's, which is known as the hotel's "darkest time period", the hotel was sold to Norman Baker who made it into a Cancer Hospital complete with a morgue. There are many spooky stories of what went on in the hotel during this time. He was arrested in the late 40's for mail fraud. After this the Crescent was turned back into a hotel and spa, but they say it is still haunted from what went on in prior years. Today it is known as one of America's Most Haunted Hotels and has been featured on the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters show.
It was close to Halloween, so I thought we needed to stay in a "haunted" room. We stayed in room 419 and were told if we were going to see a spook in a room this would be the one. Room 419 is called Miss Theadora's room and there are many stories of happenings in this room. Of course, I was so excited and was on full ghost buster alert. Greer had been in the car all day so when we got in our room she ran around like a crazy woman...well, for a minute.In the room there were three closets;one was nailed shut and the other two became Greer's favorite place to hang out(In the dark I will add). It was really strange because she would go in the dark closet, shut the door, and giggle. She did it the entire weekend so we assumed she had met a new friend...maybe Theadora? Boo!
Even if you don't believe in ghost, it is really fun if you let yourself get psyched up during your stay. They even have ghost tours if you need a little help scaring yourself. It is funny how most everyone staying there is looking to find something paranormal. Kelsey and I were bound and determined to see something spooky so before we left for the rehearsal dinner we made sure all the TVs were on and we left the bathroom light on. When we came back they were all off. After Greer went to bed we stayed up reading stories about the hotel and other ghost stories. It was kind of like we were at a slumber party. Kelsey and I were in our room's parlor and Josh was taking a shower when something really did happen. I was setting still on a chase lounge talking to Kelsey, who was in his bed, when it felt like something jumped on the chair with me. It made a loud bang and you could hear a spring pop. I flew up and looked at Kelsey. His eyes were as big as they could get. We could not believe it and hated that Josh missed it because he had been making fun of us all night. But what happened next was GREAT. Like I said a lot of the people there are trying to make themselves believe in ghosts and Kelsey and I had our moment to make two teenagers believe for a second. Kelsey and I heard some teenagers running down the hall like they were scared so we open the door to see what is going on and just as we do we see a boy and girl running to their room. Kelsey jumps out and makes a loud scary noise. It was priceless. The teens were totally horrified. The girl falls down screaming and looks at us with an I've just peed myself face and the boy could not get the key in the door fast enough. It looked like it was straight from a movie. I wish everyone could have seen it. I am cracking up right now thinking about it.
The next morning we took a trolly ride downtown and shopped. We had so much fun Greer loved the candy store and seeing all the people. We did make one huge mistake. We forgot the stroller. If you have a baby with you... Don't Forget Your Stroller!! By the end of the day I was ready to pay mega bucks for one, but there were none to be found. But we made it and while Greer was taking her nap Cookie, G-pa, and I toured the grounds, watched a few weddings,tested the products in the spa, and had a really relaxing time.That evening we went to the wedding. We were setting in front so I was a little worried about Greer, but she did great. Cookie had promised her a special prize all day if she was on her best behavior and she earned it. Her prize was a Carriage Ride. They have two that run from 5-9 every night. Greer had the best time. She thought she was a princess and loved the horse. After the ride, we went back to the reception and Greer danced and put on a show for everyone. She is such a ham. We had a fabulous time and I can't wait to go back. I love the history and it is such a fun little town.