Odyssey In The Ozarks!

Come join the SCA for our next conference, in Arkansas, “The Natural State.” 

The conference will give you the opportunity to explore how the area’s natural environment has affected tourism and the roadside’s built environment throughout the late 19th and 20th Centuries. The conference will be headquartered in Fayetteville, a vibrant college town that is home to the University of Arkansas and the area’s cultural center.

See Arkansas’ rural beauty on two tours.

Tour #1 will cross U.S. 62, nicknamed the Ozark Skyway, through the Ozark Mountains from Fayetteville to Eureka Springs, Arkansas’ premier 19th Century resort community with fascinating roadside architecture that was built as the community adapted to auto tourism in the first part of the 20th Century. Passing tourist courts and motels of the 1950s and ’60s on U.S. 71B and then following U.S. 62 as it winds through the Ozarks, we'll be stopping at Dinosaur World, Christ of the Ozarks, and Thorncrown Chapel, architect Fay Jones’s masterpiece, and Eureka Springs. Lunch at the historic 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa in Eureka Springs Hotel is included. Be prepared to walk over some hilly terrain.

Tour #2 will traverse U.S. 71 through the Boston Mountains between Fayetteville and Alma in the Arkansas River Valley and a short section of U.S. 64 into Van Buren. We will stop at Our Lady of the Ozarks Shrine, Vista Courts, Sky Vue Cabins, Artist Point, and Kopper Kettle Candies. Tour book is included. Lunch will be held atBig Jake's Cattle Co. near Van Buren.

Get energized at the Symposium and Paper Session,

Friday, October 8th

Enjoy morning and afternoon paper presentations, SCA business meeting, and “5-minute stories” at The Cosmopolitan; plus a group lunch at the offices of the Fayetteville Visitors Center.

Enjoy opening and closing events at Fayetteville's finest historic locations

Opening Reception at the Dickson Street Inn, Wednesday, October 6th

Built in 1894 as the residence for local educator John C. Mitchell and his wife, this Victorian mansion, renovated in 2009, is in the center of Fayetteville’s entertainment district. The outside Veranda Wine Bar affords picturesque views of the West Dickson Street Historic District and the University of Arkansas campus.

Closing Group Dinner at The Powerhouse, Saturday, October 9th

The Electric Light & Power Company began generating electricity in Fayetteville in 1888. After several moves, the company built this building in 1902, and it eventually provided electricity to a large portion of Northwestern Arkansas. The building was built on this site because the large spring under the building could be used to provide a means of cooling for the generators. The spring still flows into two hand-dug wells under the dining room. Today, the building has been renovated into a popular restaurant known for its steaks and seafood. We will dine in the private dining room.

Click here for complete schedule. For more information about conference lodging, click here.