Thorncrown Chapel

The short version

Thorncrown Chapel sits in the woods about a mile and a half west of Eureka Springs, at 12968 Highway 62 West. Arkansas architect E. Fay Jones designed it, and it opened in 1980. It rises 48 feet into the trees, with 425 windows and more than 6,000 square feet of glass. More than nine million people have visited, and it has won the American Institute of Architects' Design of the Year Award and its 25 Year Award.

It's free, it's open March through December, and for most people it's a 15- or 20-minute stop.

What it's like

What we thought: It's well worth a quick stop, even with kids. Mine enjoyed seeing it, and all of us appreciated a quiet moment. It's like a church of nature, built to put you in the trees and slow you down for a minute. There's something about it that feels different.

It's a quiet place, so keep the kids' voices down and don't disrupt people who are sitting and reflecting. Most families walk up, sit for a few minutes, take in the architecture and head on.

Hours and closures

Thorncrown is a popular wedding chapel, and events can close it to visitors. If you're planning to go late in the day, call ahead.

Getting there and parking

The address is 12968 Highway 62 West, Eureka Springs, AR. Thorncrown says GPS often shows the wrong location, so watch for the sign.

The turn into the parking lot comes up on a winding stretch of Highway 62, and it's a tricky spot to turn in and out. Slow down well ahead of it and be careful pulling back onto the highway.

Its sister chapel: Cooper Chapel in Bella Vista

About an hour's drive west, in Bella Vista, is Thorncrown's sister: the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel. E. Fay Jones designed it with his partner Maurice Jennings, and it opened in 1988. John A. Cooper Sr. commissioned it in memory of his wife, Mildred.

Where Thorncrown is wood, Cooper Chapel is steel: 15 repeating Gothic arches made from 31 tons of steel, about 50 feet tall, with 4,400 square feet of glass and a native stone floor. It's in the woods near Lake Norwood, at 504 Memorial DriveMapCopy, off AR-340 in Bella Vista's Town Center.

It's free to visit, with donations welcome. Like Thorncrown, it closes for weddings and private events, so call 479-855-6598 or check the chapel's Facebook page before you drive over. If you're already in Bentonville or Bella Vista, it's an easy way to see a Fay Jones chapel without the drive to Eureka Springs.