5 minute read
Making The Move
RANDAL & RHNEA EMBREY
Ready to get out of the rat race, Randal and Rhnea Embrey began searching for a place to retire, even though retirement was still a few years away “We wanted to get out of the city,” Randal says “I’d been in Dallas since college and she grew up in the area It was great when we were younger and wanted nightlife ” But Randal grew up in a small town and knew what that lifestyle had to offer.
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Arkansas was on their radar because Randal had visited it with his family when he was younger and he had some distant cousins in the state “I first came up here with my family when I was a kid,” Randal says “I thought it was beautiful I brought Rhnea up here and she fell in love with Eureka Springs We decided this is where we want to make our permanent home ” The Embreys moved to Eureka Springs two years ago and married on Valentine’s Day in the historic downtown in 2020
“Eureka kind of reminds me of a little Austin, Texas Unique and diverse with music It’s just so quaint,” Rhnea says She loves the nooks and crannies of the historic downtown with stairways and paths half hidden between buildings and cliffsides. The Victorian architecture, numerous events and shops also hold plenty of appeal “We love that the restaurants aren’t your chain restaurants that we left in the Dallas area,” she adds “The unique restaurants are one of our favorite things We’re trying to hit every single one of them and we’re doing pretty good ” The Embreys also like to take advantage of all the great hiking in the Eureka Springs area and Arkansas as a whole “We love the outdoors and, of course, that’s a great part of living up here,” Randal says “We bought a log home on the Kings River and we bought a couple kayaks ”
“We’ve been so happy to be here, just getting out of the traffic and the noise,” Randal adds. “We love how peaceful and quiet it is here We see deer and wild turkey and all kinds of wildlife Compared to Dallas it’s very affordable.” They own three acres on the Kings River, a choice property they couldn’t have afforded in the Dallas area
Randal says he has a couple years yet until he retires While Eureka Springs has good internet connectivity for conference calls and video meetings, he still travels a couple of times a month for his job The Northwest Arkansas National
Airport (XNA) located only one hour away makes work travel easy
“I was pleasantly surprised at XNA and at how many non-stop flights there are to major cities,” he says “I guess that’s the Fortune 500 companies headquartered here And, it’s a lot easier to get in and out of than DFW that used to be my hub ” Eureka Springs is also located within an hour of larger Arkansas cities with more amenities Rhnea likes that Eureka Springs is not Fayetteville or Rogers, yet those cities are not far away for access to big box retailers, entertainment venues or world class museums like Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
MAKING THE MOVE
RANDAL & RHNEA EMBREY
The close proximity to the Branson area is another plus for offerings such as Dogwood Canyon, Top of the Rock, and more “You’re just not far from any of that stuff,” she explains “We’ve been pleasantly surprised at all the culture ”
Nearby small towns have plenty to offer too, like Berryville with its Saunders Museum “We love history,” Rhnea explains “We feel like this is still a well-kept secret ” Randal says, adding that many people questioned their move to Arkansas “But Eureka is really a very cool place It’s just a little oasis
We have a long list of friends and family that want to come visit us because it’s such a cool area ” “When my family comes in, they just fall in love with this place,” Rhnea says From eateries to entertainment offerings, the Embreys have a long list of places to show their family and friends “It’s almost hard to do it in a long weekend,” Rhnea says “You almost need a whole week to get it done ”
“It’s one of these things where we just pinch ourselves,” she adds “Is this real? Our home is a beautiful house on a hill and the view is beautiful We are so content I can’t imagine being anywhere else We really do love it ”
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