"Hot Springs, Arkansas" a Hot Springs Travel Page by geanster

Hot Spring's is only a 4 hour drive from Dallas, who knew. My friends and I headed that way in April for a friend's wedding. It was a very cute little town that is a nice quaint size and touristy enough to give you something to do.

The town revolves around the strip of bathhouses that were used for many years as basic cure-alls, there is one that is still active and you can schedule appointments there for your own enjoyment.

The water that comes from the natural sources are extra warm, it's a very interesting phenomenon. While we were there, there was a jazz festival going on in the middle of the town. We did find an okay club with pool tables, music, dancing. We walked down the main street and watched people blowing glass, tasted the most amazing fried pickles, and hiked up the most challenging route to the look-out tower.

Overall, it really did feel like a holiday, and so close-by.

We hiked up this hill by a route that was labeled as one of the more challenging. We took multiple breaks on the way, but the view at the top was pretty worth it. We went into the Hot Springs Mountain Tower which you can see above the trees in this photo, but decided not to pay to go to the top as we were being frugal, and had been told the view didn't get significantly better than what we'd already seen.

For centuries, this misty Ouachita mountain valley was revered by Native Americans as a place of neutrality where all tribes could bathe in peace. In 1832 Congress set aside the thermal springs site as a federal reservation, making Hot Springs the oldest park in the national park system protected by law.

Until the advent of modern medicine in the late 1940's, visitors from around the world flocked to the springs to bathe in its healing thermal waters. Modern generations have carefully preserved the rich history of the springs and the bathing rituals that made the springs a world attraction.

Cool mineral water also flows from these magical springs, and when you visit Bathhouse Row National Park, you'll probably see folks driving up in their cars, hopping out and filling up their water jugs. Take a sip and see how delicious Hot Springs' cool water can be.

Take a tour through the past in the Fordyce Bathhouse and Visitors Center on historic Bathhouse Row and bathe your tensions away in 147 degrees of soothing mineral spring water at one of Hot Springs modern, full-service spa salons.