Things to Do in Mountain View, Arkansas
The best things to do in Mountain View, Arkansas, are the Ozark Folk Center State Park, the pickers on the courthouse square and a Friday night at the Jimmy Driftwood Barn. It’s a town of 2,877 people and the seat of Stone County.
Mountain View calls itself the Folk Music Capital of the World, and it has earned the name. The Arkansas Folk Festival started here in April 1963, and it grew into the Ozark Folk Center a decade later.
Ozark Folk Center State Park
The Folk Center opened in May 1973 on 637 acres at the north edge of town. More than 20 artisans work in its Craft Village, making baskets, pottery, quilts and wood carvings. Concerts fill the 1,000-seat Ozark Highlands Theater, and there’s a heritage herb garden.
★ Good to know The 2026 season runs April 14 to November 14; the Cabins at Dry Creek stay open year-round.
Courthouse square and Pickin’ Park
This is the free show. Musicians bring fiddles, banjos, guitars and dulcimers to the Stone County Courthouse square and play into the night. Pickin’ Park sits behind the square on the west side.
★ Good to know Sessions usually happen on Friday and Saturday nights from spring through late fall, and only when the weather is good.
Jimmy Driftwood Barn
Jimmy Driftwood wrote “The Battle of New Orleans” in 1936 to teach history to his students, and Johnny Horton’s 1959 recording topped the charts. Driftwood helped put Mountain View on the folk map. The barn named for him on Highway 5 North hosts folk shows every Friday and Sunday night.
★ Good to know Admission is free, with donations welcome; the barn closes in January and February.
Blanchard Springs Caverns
These caverns west of town reopened on May 1, 2026, as Arkansas’ 53rd state park, run with the U.S. Forest Service. Rangers lead two tours, the Dripstone Tour and the Discovery Trail.
★ Good to know The caverns close after the 2026 season for their first major renovation since the 1970s. A reopening is expected in 2028, so book on recreation.gov if you want in before then.
Blanchard Springs Recreation Area
The recreation area around the caverns is about 12 miles west of town off Highway 14. A paved trail leads to the Blanchard Springs waterfall, Mirror Lake is stocked with rainbow trout, and North Sylamore Creek has a swimming hole.
★ Good to know It stays open year-round even while the caverns are closed, and there’s a campground.
Syllamo Mountain Bike Trails
The International Mountain Bicycling Association rates Syllamo an Epic Ride. Its technical single-track loops include the 4.5-mile White River Bluff Loop and the 12-mile Scrappy Mountain Loop.
★ Good to know The trails are open year-round.
White River trout fishing
The White River is one of the Ozarks’ best-known trout rivers, with brown, rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout, some up to 20 pounds. Local guides and outfitters rent gear and run trips.
★ Good to know You’ll need an Arkansas fishing license; Mirror Lake at Blanchard Springs is a smaller, stocked spot for beginners.
The Dulcimer Shoppe
The Dulcimer Shoppe made its first mountain dulcimer in 1962, and it still builds them by hand at 1104 Sylamore Ave. It sells hourglass, teardrop and baritone models, along with books and accessories.
★ Good to know It’s closed Sundays.
Also in town
The Stone Drive-in has shown movies since 1965, the Arkansas Craft School teaches traditional crafts, the Folk Center’s Skillet Restaurant serves Southern cooking, and the calendar runs from the Iris Festival in May to Mountains, Music & Motorcycles in September and Bean Fest and the Championship Outhouse Races in October.
Why is Mountain View called the Folk Music Capital of the World?
Traditional Ozark music never left. Musicians still gather on the courthouse square, and the Ozark Folk Center has kept the music and crafts alive since 1973.
When is music played on the Mountain View courthouse square?
Usually on Friday and Saturday nights from spring through late fall, weather permitting. It’s informal and free, so just walk up.
Is Blanchard Springs Caverns open?
It reopened for 2026 with guided tours from May 1 through October 31, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. After this season it closes for renovations, with a reopening planned for 2028.
What else is near Mountain View?
The White River, the Syllamo trails and the Ozark National Forest are all close by. For more Ozark stops, see Jasper, Heber Springs or our small towns in Arkansas.
Where to find them
- Ozark Folk Center State Park 1032 Park Ave., Mountain View, AR 72560 Website Directions
- Courthouse square and Pickin' Park Court Square, Mountain View, AR 72560 Website Directions
- Jimmy Driftwood Barn 19775 Hwy 5 N, Mountain View, AR 72560 Website Directions
- Blanchard Springs Caverns 704 Blanchard Springs Rd., Fifty-Six, AR 72533 Website Directions
- Blanchard Springs Recreation Area Blanchard Springs Rd., Fifty-Six, AR 72533 Website Directions
- Syllamo Mountain Bike Trails Website Directions
- White River trout fishing Website Directions
- The Dulcimer Shoppe 1104 Sylamore Ave., Mountain View, AR 72560 Website Directions
Plan your trip: for events and current visitor info in Mountain View, see Mountain View Area Chamber of Commerce →
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Where to stay in Mountain View
Keep exploring
Heber Springs, ARAbout 26 miles as the crow fliesGreers Ferry Lake town with trout water right below the dam.Things to do in Heber Springs →
Mammoth Spring, ARAbout 54 miles as the crow fliesTiny border town built around one of the world's largest springs.Things to do in Mammoth Spring →
Jasper, ARAbout 61 miles as the crow fliesBase camp for the Buffalo, the country's first national river.Things to do in Jasper →Also nearby: Dardanelle · Eureka Springs