The Overlook: the heart of Mount Sequoyah
Celebrate life’s most meaningful moments at the Overlook at Mount Sequoyah. Whether you’re planning a celebration, an intimate ceremony, or a heartfelt memorial, the Overlook offers a stunning, serene backdrop with flexible options to meet your exact needs.
Overlook Park, built during the mountain's earliest years and recently renovated and expanded, is both a historic landmark and one of our most-requested gathering spots. It's open to the public to visit at no cost — and available to reserve for small ceremonies and gatherings, with reservation fees supporting the preservation of this 100-year-old site.
Overlook Guidelines
The Overlook is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It’s a community space in a residential neighborhood and is monitored by video surveillance at all times. Please help us protect it: do not throw objects (homes and families are below), do not block the road, park only in designated areas, keep noise levels down, and avoid littering, smoking, alcohol, and climbing. Please do not trespass on neighboring properties, and respect the surrounding neighborhood. Enjoy the view!
To reserve the Overlook for your next gathering or celebration, contact us at stay@mountsequoyah.org or (479) 443-4531.
The History of the Overlook
The area surrounding the Overlook was originally the site of Fayetteville’s first water treatment plant and reservoirs, built on the west face of Mount Sequoyah to provide water pressure to the University of Arkansas campus.
The cross at the Overlook has been a part of the landscape since the 1930s, built as a replica of the cross at Lake Junaluska, a retreat center of the Methodist Church. In 1998, the Fayetteville City Council recognized the site’s scenic value and designated it a city park, renaming it Mount Sequoyah Gardens Park. Over the years, the city has invested in improving the park, including an arbor with flagstone paving, a native stone seat wall, and ADA-compliant parking and sidewalks.
A major renovation, completed in partnership with Project for Public Spaces and made possible through a Community Placemaking Grant from the Walton Family Foundation, transformed the Overlook into a more welcoming and accessible public gathering space. Improvements include an observation deck, benches, native landscaping, and improved signage, along with a mural on the north side of the deck created by artist Timothy Robert Smith. The project was made possible with additional support from Cox, the Sprague Endowment, DK Design, the Fayetteville Restoration Endowment, White River Rocks, and Westwood Gardens.