Arkansas' Old-World Village Just Outside The Ozarks Is A European-Style Getaway With Exceptional Wine

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Much as it's fun to daydream about a European summer vacation, sometimes — whether due to soaring flight prices, or simply personal or work commitments making it difficult to take enough time out of everyday life — an international trip just isn't in the cards. Luckily, you can get a taste of old-world vibes without even leaving the continental United States by visiting the town of Wiederkehr Village, Arkansas. So the next time that you're looking for an easily accessible wine-country getaway that will have you feeling like you're in a European village (with delicious pours to match), you certainly shouldn't sleep on this one-of-a-kind Arkansas River Valley gem.

To get here, it's just an hour by car from Fayetteville or under 90 minutes from Bentonville, making Wiederkehr Village a quick and ideal destination for urbanites eager for a weekend escape. If you're arriving from further afield, you'll likely want to fly into Northwest Arkansas National Airport, 95 miles away (unless you happen to be traveling from Dallas-Fort Worth, in which case you can take a direct flight to Fort Smith Regional Airport, 44 miles from Wiederkehr Village). Wiederkehr Village's small size means that accommodation in the town proper is limited, but just outside the city limits, you'll find numerous options: there's conveniently-located RV camping in proximity, or you can opt for a quaint and welcoming inn like the nearby Lamplighter B&B or Ozark Inn & Suites. There are also numerous homes to rent on VRBO and Airbnb in the area. 

As the Germanic name might have made you guess, Wiederkehr Village has a rich Swiss heritage: founder Johann Andreas Wiederkehr immigrated to the area in 1880 and set up shop as a winemaker. The family winemaking business has been alive and well ever since, operating continuously throughout the intervening centuries — even, thanks to a loophole allowing them to produce wine for religious usage, during Prohibition. In tandem, the town's resolutely European spirit has remained vibrant over the years. 

This historic town marries scenic Ozark charm with an old-world European sensibility; here, as Arkansas Tourism puts it, "Swiss winemaking traditions meet Southern scenery." While this mix may seem incongruous on paper, the result is something unique and delightful: an American location that serves as a more affordable alternative to the Swiss Alps. Between the town's historic winemaking traditions and Alpine log cabin aesthetics, and the adjacency to breathtaking Ozark landscapes and parks such as Mount Nebo State Park, Wiederkehr Village is truly a European getaway transplanted to Arkansas.

Move over, Napa and Sonoma. You may not have known this, but Arkansas has a winemaking region of its own. Located along the Arkansas Wine Trail on the southern edge of the Ozark Mountains, Wiederkehr Village is situated right smack in the beating heart of Arkansas' wine country. If you're an oenophile, or hoping this trip will turn you into one, a must-do activity is a visit to Wiederkehr Wine Cellars. Here at this Alpine-looking oasis, you can learn about the winery's philosophy and history, tour the vineyard and the hand-dug historic cellar, and sample the award-winning wines yourself by doing a wine tasting at the on-site Vintage 1880 Gift Shop. The winery prides itself in the rigorous experimentation and record-keeping that have led to the bespoke success of its many grape varietals, some of which — as the winery's website points out — were previously "believed to be ungrowable east of the Rockies."

Would you prefer to sip on these exceptional wines alongside a meal rather than in a wine-tasting situation? No problem: just book a table at the Wiederkehr Weinkeller Restaurant, where you can dine on classic Swiss and German dishes like schnitzel, sausages, German fried potatoes, apple strudel, Black Forest cake, and more. Wash it all down with a complementary pour (or two, or three) from the winery's ample wine list of red, white, and blush offerings. And if you like what you've sampled, don't forget to pop into Wiederkehr Village Wine & Spirits on your way out of the winery complex to pick up some bottles to take home.