Hot Springs, AR is home to a National Park featuring Bathhouse Row, eight historic bathhouses and surrounding gardens along Central Avenue. Beyond the famous healing waters, I like the museums here, such as the Gangster Museum, galleries, inns. For kids, amusement parks such as Funtrackers Family Park or Magic Cove provide family fun. Just outside Hot Springs, Arkansas are several magnificent parks such as the Ouachita National Forest, where you can hike through dense groves of ancient trees.
Hot Springs, AR Highlights:
- For Adventurous Travelers: Hike the trails of Hot Springs National Park – Trek wooded paths to scenic overlooks and forested hillsides.
- For History Buffs: Tour Bathhouse Row
- For Shoppers: Discover treasures in Downtown Hot Springs –
- For Couples: Soak and unwind at a historic thermal bathhouse
- For Families: See alligators up close at the Arkansas Alligator Farm
Best Time to Visit Hot Springs, AR
The best time to visit Hot Springs is spring through fall (March through October), when the weather is ideal for exploring the national park, enjoying outdoor events, and relaxing at the spas. Fall colors in the Ouachitas make October especially scenic.
How to Get to Hot Springs, AR
- If you are traveling by car: Located along US-70 and US-270, Hot Springs is about 1 hour southwest of Little Rock.
- By Air: The nearest airport is Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Little Rock, with rental cars and shuttle services available.
- By Bus: Jefferson Lines and regional buses offer service to nearby cities, with local taxis and rideshares available in Hot Springs.
Where to Stay in Hot Springs, AR
- Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa – Iconic historic hotel
- Lookout Point Lakeside Inn – Upscale B&B on Lake Hamilton
- Hotel Hale – Boutique hotel with in-room hot spring mineral tubs.
Best Things to Do in Hot Springs, AR
1. Soak in the Historic Waters of Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs is under an hour from Little Rock by car but I feel that you should plan to stay at least a night to see everything it has to offer.
I started my visit at Hot Springs National Park which has been valued for its beauty for many years.
I was interested to learn that 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.
You will find the park’s thermal springs here, 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
2. Stroll on the Grand Promenade
The next place I explored was The Grand Promenade, 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 you 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. 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
3. Escape Ouachita National Forest
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
4. Step Into the Past at the Gangster Museum of America
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 you can explore, all 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
Activities and Attractions for Couples and Singles:
5. See Alligators at the Arkansas Alligator Farm
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
6. Visit the Mountain Valley Spring Water Visitor Center
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 you 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
7. Taste Unique Brews at Superior Bathhouse Brewery
You 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
What to do if you are traveling with kids:
8. Play All Day at Magic Springs
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 if you are traveling with kids.
Magic Springs Water and Theme Park, 1701 E Grand Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901-4802, Phone: 501-624-0100
9. Take a walk through Garvan Woodland Gardens
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
10. Tour the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center
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.
You 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
Hot Springs is just 1 hour and 40 minutes from Russellville, Arkansas which I wrote about here.
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