Hot Springs, Arkansas

Hot Springs National Park has been valued for its beauty for many years. It was the first piece of land in the United States to be designated for preservation, with its “reservation” status predating even the national park system. Hot Springs National Park is the home of Hot Springs Mountain, which is part of the Ouachita Mountain chain.

This mountain’s western slope is where visitors will find the park’s thermal springs, which give the park its name and are said to have healing properties. Hot Springs National Park runs directly through the city of Hot Springs, making its hiking trails and attractions very easily accessible.

Hot Springs National Park, Hot Springs, AR 71901, Phone: 501-620-6715

The Grand Promenade is a wide, half-mile long brick walkway that runs alongside Hot Springs’ Bathhouse Row and Central Avenue. This pedestrian-only path serves as a nice oasis from the noise of the city, as it is somewhat removed from the crowds of the main streets. Standing at a raised elevation, it gives its visitors a peek at the backs of the bathhouses on Bathhouse Row.

While strolling along this promenade, you will find some of the cold and hot springs the city is so famous for. In 1982, it was deemed a National Recreation Trail, and several of the hiking trails that go through the national park begin along this pathway.

Hot Springs National Park, Hot Springs, AR 71901, Phone: 501-620-6715

The Ouachita National Forest stretches over 1.8 million acres between Arkansas and Oklahoma and is mostly located in the Ouachita Mountains. This is a multiple use, working forest with managed wood and timber harvesting, wilderness management, minerals leasing and spectacular recreation. You can enjoy driving through many paved scenic roads, kayaking and canoeing in one of many wild mountain rivers, hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicle riding through many trails, some of which are easy and some of which are quite challenging.

Nature lovers enjoy bird watching and wildlife spotting . One of the most popular trails is Horsethief Springs Trail, an 11-mile long trail that starts at Cedar Lake and loops across numerous streams and through magnificent forests with many different tree and plant species. The trail loops back taking you down the northern face of Winding Stair Mountain back to Cedar Lake.

100 Reserve Street, Hot Springs, AR 71902, Phone: 501-321-5202

Once upon a time, though not so long ago (in the 20's, 30's, and 40's), Hot Springs was a hot place to visit, and not only because of the hot, healing mineral waters. Bootlegging, gambling, and other illicit pleasures readily available in Hot Springs attracted all kinds of visitors from all over the world, some of them of dubious reputation.

The Gangster Museum of America offers a historically accurate and entertaining account of the interaction of some of the America’s most notorious criminals with the innocent, quaint population of the charming little town in the mountains of Arkansas. There are seven galleries with fascinating audiovisual presentations. You can try your hand in the antique casino or listen to the stories told by the local historian in the museum’s theater. You will find that sometimes real life can be more interesting than movies or novels.

Gangster Museum of America, 510 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901-3597, Phone: 501-318-1717

Imagine holding a baby alligator in your hand, or feeding its 10-foot long mama from a stick! These are just some of the attractions in Arkansas’ most famous and oldest alligator farm located in Hot Springs just across from Whittington Park. Established in 1902 mostly to raise alligators for their hides and to sell them to zoos, the farm quickly developed into a tourist attraction popular among the many visitors to Hot Springs.

The farm now has more than 300 gators and a petting zoo with emu, deer, pygmy goats, ponies, and sheep. The farm is also home to a number of primates, wild ducks, Arkansas mountain lions, turkeys, wolves, peacocks, and many others. The farm briefly became nationally famous in 1918 when Babe Ruth threw a home run during spring training in Whittington Park just across the road from the farm. The ball landed in one of the alligator’s ponds and was never seen again.

Arkansas Alligator Farm , 847 Whittington Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901-3318, Phone: 501-623-6172

Mountain Valley Spring Water is a popular brand of spring water that has been bottled in Hot Springs at the same natural spring source since 1871. The Mountain Valley Spring Water Visitor Center is located in downtown Hot Springs in a beautiful, elegant 1910 Classical Revival building that was originally built for DeSoto Springs Company and meticulously renovated in 2004.

The building, also serving as a museum, is a great place where visitors can learn about the history of this company so closely linked to the history of Hot Springs. If you want to visit its bottling facility, join a tour and learn more about the establishment, which is located only 20 minutes from downtown.

150 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901, Phone: 501-624-1635

Visitors are invited to stop by and learn about the unique Superior Bathhouse Brewery. The brewery occupies the premises of a former historic bath house (built in 1916), located within the Downtown Hot Springs National Park. For many years the property lay empty until it was decided to turn it into something really special, where the mineral waters from the natural hot springs are used to brew some extraordinary craft beers. You can try some of these unique beers in the tasting room – tasting flights of 4 (or 18) of the craft beers will quickly help you find your favorite. There is a tasty menu of popular pub grub to nibble while you sip.

Superior Bathhouse Brewery, 329 Central Ave, Hot Springs National Park, AR 71901, Phone: 501-624-2337

There is no lack of amusement opportunities for families in Hot Springs. Magic Springs and Crystal Falls offer two kinds of fun for the price of one – there are more than eighty attractions such as Arkansas Twister at Magic Springs and fun on the water at Crystal Lagoon, with three body slides, four tube slides, Crystal Falls Wave Pool, Kodiak Lazy River, and many others.

You will find 200 ways to get soaked during the summer. The rides at Magic Spring range from really scary such as the Gauntlet and the Hawk to the beautiful Arkansas Twister that takes you high above lush hills of Arkansas. There are several family friendly rides and a few the little ones can enjoy on their own.

Magic Springs Water and Theme Park, 1701 E Grand Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901-4802, Phone: 501-624-0100

Garvan Woodland Gardens, a botanical garden complex belonging to the University of Arkansas and located inside Hot Springs National Park, is composed of over fifteen separate natural areas and picturesque sites of interest.

The Ouachita Mountains surround the gardens’ 210 acres of beautiful wild forestry and manicured territories, and part of their shoreline runs along Lake Hamilton, offering visitors stunning lakeside views. A highlight of the woodland estate is the award-winning Garden of the Pine Wind Japanese garden, which incorporates cascading streams, Asian-inspired bridges, and 300 types of Asian ornamental flora into a calming space for quiet meditation.

550 Arkridge Road, Hot Springs National Park, AR 71913, Phone: 501-262-9300, Video

Fordyce Bathhouse, which was a working public bathing facility from 1915 to 1962, is now home to the visitor center for Hot Springs National Park. Guests at the park can take a tour of the Fordyce bathhouse to learn about the bathing routines of the past. The bathhouse has been fully restored to its historical heyday, reminding visitors of the roaring 20s and 30s.

Its elegant first floor is covered in marble and stained glass, while the second and third floors are home to the men’s baths and dressing rooms and the music room, respectively. Surprisingly, this bathhouse even had a bowling alley during its operational tenure, completing the recreational bathing experience.

Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center (Fordyce Bathhouse) , 101 Reserve Street, Hot Springs, AR 71901, Phone: 501-620-6715