Today’s post is 1375 words, 27 photos, a 7 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
Last week I took you to Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, the smallest park (91 acres) in the National Park Service. Click here if you missed that episode. This week I’ll head down the road to the second smallest, Hot Springs National Park with 5500 acres. Located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, this park features history, culture, and scenic mountains. Come take a look.
Hot Springs
After leaving St. Louis at about noon, the rain started coming down, sometimes in what seemed like sheets of water. Fortunately, traffic was light on Highway 67 that runs south to the Arkansas line. It was way past lunch time and we were looking for a place to have something to eat. We pulled off the highway into a small hamlet and found this hole in the wall restaurant. They offered window service out front but the rain quickly drove us inside. All but one table was filled with what looked to be locals. We were the odd ones out, dressed different, no southern accent. I placed our order at the gate and soon it was delivered to our table. The food was hot, service was excellent, and reasonably priced. We were glad for the stop.
Hot Springs, Arkansas, population about 37,000 in the city, over 100,000 in the metro area, is located 50 miles south and west of Little Rock. Hot Springs is known for tourism around the steamy hot water that bubbles out of the 47 springs that gives the city and national park their names. Native Americans frequented the area to soak in the healing waters, followed by French explorers and the Spanish conquistadors until Hot Springs came under control of US through the Louisiana Purchase.
It didn’t take long before people started coming to Hot Springs for the waters. Entrepreneurs began building hotels and bathhouses that attracted even more people to the area. A land ownership dispute in the 1830s was settled when the Federal Government created the Hot Springs Reservation to protect the thermal waters. During the Civil War, the tourist traffic essentially stopped. After the war ended, the great rebuilding of the bathhouses, lodging, restaurants, and other amenities began. By the mid-1870s, trains delivered customers to Hot Springs for spa treatments. Some people, those with arthritis, muscle aches, and other physical ailments, and the necessary monetary resources were sent to Hot Springs by doctors for healing.
South of the city of Hot Springs is Lake Hamilton with over 200 miles of shoreline providing water based recreation such as fishing, boating, swimming, and resorts. North of the city is considered a wilderness area that is open for hiking, biking, camping, and other outdoor recreation. Nearby by is Bethel Lake, a 4000 acre impoundment that provides water for the city of Hot Springs.
It was pitch dark and the rain continued as we drove into Hot Springs to our hotel. Absent the rain, we would have scoped out the city and found the national park location. Instead, we settled into our hotel, hoping the rain would be gone by morning. It wasn’t.
Bathhouse Row
As mentioned earlier, Hot Springs National Park protects the 47 hot springs that emerge from the ground. The main part of the park, Bathhouse Row, is located along Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs. The eight remaining historic bathhouses were built between 1892 and 1923. Their architecture are excellent representatives of the “Gilded Age,” an opulent style that is an amalgamation of Gothic, French Baroque, Italian Renaissance, and Roman classical. They are quite stunning, a few examples are below.
There are two of the historic bathhouses still offering bath and spa treatments. The Buckstaff is the longest continually running bathhouse that began offering services in 1912. It’s privately owned and operates under a concessions contract with the National Park Service. A typical bath package consisting of a whirlpool mineral bath and massage and runs about $100. Of course there are add on services that will increase the bill.
The other bathhouse is the Quapaw. In addition to private baths, they offer access to a public thermal pool for $25 and a steam cave for $15. The remaining six bathhouses are gift shops and the park visitor center.
We had no interest in trying out one of the bathhouses. That is until we met Amy and Chris (pictured below) while checking out the park interpretive center. They’re from Decatur, Illinois and recently married. They told us they went to one of the baths the day prior and found the experience relaxing and invigorating. After the bath, they were so relaxed, they couldn’t do anything else for the rest of the day. Oh yes, they raved about their bathhouse experience for several minutes. Given more time before heading onward and the continuing rain, we might have tried it out. Maybe next time to relieve the aches and pains of our aging bodies!
The museum and interpretive exhibits took up three floors of the park visitor center. We enjoyed seeing the baths and all the contraptions that were used to enhance the bathing experience. We learned how the hot mineral water comes to the surface and how it was used to heal both the body and spirit.
Below is an example of one of the tubs where clients would soak in the hot water. There were also showers including some that were icy cold. After the bath, one had to cool down before the massage.
There was also some experimentation to improve function, some of it looked to be quite dangerous and even cruel.
The quacks showed up, billing themselves as doctors who could heal the sick and ailing. There were some legit, conscientious doctors that really did help people improve their quality of life. 
The following photo is of the men’s bath in the Fordyce Bathhouse. It was quite opulent compared to the more modest women’s section. My Traveling Partner said, “That’s about par for the course.”
You can’t spend all your time at the bathhouse soaking in the hot water. There were workout rooms and lounge areas where attendants would bring drinks and snacks. For those who could afford it, there were evening dinners and dancing, a real social occasion.
Most of the attendants in the bathhouses originated from Africa. As the poster below indicated, they weren’t allowed to bath in the places where they worked. Arkansas was part of the Jim Crow south and those rules were strictly enforced.
Outside the visitor center was an example of some of the hot mineral water that bubbled out of the ground. I could feel the heat standing next to the bubbling stream of water.
Behind Bathhouse Row is the Grand Promenade where clients could get some fresh air and enjoy conversations with other guests. 
After exploring Bathhouse Row and the gift shops, it was time to move on. The rain continued but we wanted to see the wilderness segments of the park. So off we went.
The Scenic Drive
There are two scenic drives in the park and several hiking trails.
The nearest drive to Bathhouse Row is the Hot Springs Mountain Drive. The 3.6 mile drive begins with a series of switchbacks that takes visitors to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. This is operated as a concession so there is a fee to ride the elevator to the observation deck. It’s said that on a clear day that visitors can view 140 square miles from the 216 foot tower. Today, one would see fog!
It took us a bit to find the entrance to the West Mountain Summit Drive. The Maps app on my phone finally pointed us to entrance to the 4.7 mile drive. It was still raining but some of the trees were turning so the ride was pleasant and traffic was very light. I took a quick snap of the downtown area from one of the overlooks when the rain let up.
This photo is of the tower mentioned a couple of paragraphs above. Not much to see.
Below is my parting photo from Hot Springs National Park. It’s an interesting place to visit, plan on spending at least a half day or more is you decide to indulge in one of those baths.
It was mid-afternoon when we headed south towards Texas. We spent the night in Nacogdoches and had an excellent meal at the Clear Springs Restaurant recommended by the hotel clerk. The next day we’d be in Houston.
Until next week, happy travels!
Tom