Stonehaven: A modern castle with Ozarks charm
This post was sponsored by Stonehaven Castle.
Fog-layered hills, shadowed valleys and a chilly calm before the sunrise. My husband Ryan and I were standing on the roof of a three-story castle tower, waiting for dawn. The fog slowly gave way to sunshine, and we could see the valleys before us, stretching and winding through the hills. That was how we began our first morning at Stonehaven, a castle hidden in the woods of Northwest Arkansas.
Located near Eureka Springs, Ark., this castle sits secluded at the end of a gravel driveway that forks off from the also graveled county road 222. Guests will feel like they’re heading to the middle of nowhere, but downtown Eureka Springs is only a five-minute drive away. The property is also 10 minutes from Table Rock Lake, 25 minutes from Beaver Lake and an hour from both Branson, Mo. and Bentonville, Ark. Thorncrown Chapel, a popular wedding venue near Eureka Springs, is also 15 minutes away. Previous guests have rented Stonehaven for wedding parties, leadership retreats, family reunions and birthday parties.
Stonehaven is perfectly eclectic. It’s a rustic cabin melded with a modern castle. The unique indoor furnishings and outdoor landscaping echo the contemporary art scene in nearby Eureka Springs. From the paintings and sculptures inside the castle tower to the alligator-shaped fire pit on the stone patio, the artistic details add offbeat character to the elegant castle-cabin fusion.
The property is managed by Ozarks local, Elana Carson. Her brother Chris Kaspar purchased the property in 2016. They host guests through Airbnb, an online marketplace that connects people who want to rent out their properties with people looking for rentals.
Their Airbnb venture began when Kaspar was scoping out vacation homes, trying to find a house where their family members from Texas and Missouri could meet halfway.
“He ran across Stonehaven and immediately fell in love with the place,” Carson recalled, “So much so that he asked his dad, who has his pilot’s license, to fly him to the house to meet the seller and make an offer immediately.”
Carson said their families spent Christmas together at Stonehaven in 2016. It was after that she and Kaspar knew they wanted to share the place with the rest of the world.
“After Christmas, Chris called me to see if I would be willing to be the property manager so we could rent it out when the family wasn’t in town,” Carson explained. “We worked really hard through the winter to get everything ready and launch by March 2017.”
In the future, Carson and Kaspar want to independently host the property through their own website which is currently in the works. They’re also thinking about making it available as a wedding venue later on. In the meantime, they hope to see Stonehaven become the premier spot for parties, reunions and events in Eureka Springs.
“We hope that guests will be refreshed spiritually, physically and emotionally,” Carson said. “We’ve tried to think of everything a guest may need with the hopes that they can truly spend time in thought and relax.”
On a desk facing the back porch, guests will find a binder with information about the property, local businesses and attractions. One of the activities guests are encouraged to do is explore the 52 acres of Stonehaven’s property. A map is provided inside the binder that shows the property lines and the location of the castle.
Guests are also challenged to find a wrecked 1950s car located somewhere in the woods on Stonehaven’s property. The rumor is that a man was driving the nearby gravel county road to meet a friend when his car ran off the road and plowed into a tree. According to the story, the man died and the smashed car was abandoned. We, of course, accepted this challenge and located the old car. The front of it was still crushed into the trunk of the tree.
One of the local businesses listed in the binder was a coffee shop and tap room called Brews. A growler from Brews is kept in the kitchen and is available for guests to use. We took the growler to Brews on Saturday morning and had it filled with cold brew coffee. That jug of coffee was our main source of caffeine for the rest of the weekend.
We meandered through Eureka Springs for a few hours on Saturday, but we spent most of our weekend at Stonehaven. We cooked meals together, played board games, and relaxed in front of the wood-burning fireplace. The second floor of the castle tower was furnished with a small shelf of books and a table with chairs. We frequented that part of the tower to read, eat and admire the views through the surrounding windows.
One of the guest rooms had a long craft table with paints and canvases. There was a sign on the table inviting guests to help themselves to the supplies and create their own art pieces. We painted our logo on a small canvas and added it to the collection of guests’ paintings on the window sill.
Our weekend at this castle in the woods was uplifting and memorable. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a secluded getaway that also provides plenty to do.
Roast some marshmallows over a crackling fire. Pick a cozy corner and curl up with a book. Take advantage of all the kitchen counter space and cook something special. Stargaze from the castle tower. Soak it all up, and treasure the time.
If you book Stonehaven Castle on Airbnb before June 15, 2018, you can receive $25 off per night for a weekend booking (Fri-Sat) and $50 off for a weeknight booking (Sun-Thurs). Minimum of 2 nights. This offer is good for any date between February 2018 – February 2019 (Excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years weeks).
To take advantage of this offer, mention you saw it on Love Ozarks!
Elana Carson will take care of the details!
BOOK NOW!
For a complete list of amenities, visit Stonehaven’s Airbnb page.
You can also show your support for this local business by liking their Facebook page!