June 26 - 27, 2002
Water. That's what attracts people to Hot Springs. They have been coming here since the first person discovered these hot springs long ago.
The town of Hot Springs (boyhood home of former president Bill Clinton) delivers precisely what it advertises: soothing relaxation. You can either take a bath in the coils of these 143ºF (~62ºC) springs (the water gushes to the planet's crust in Hot Springs at a rate of 850,000 gallons a day) or gaze at the green-peaked mountains while cruising Lake Hamilton or enjoy the beautiful panorama of the surrounding mountains and lakes from Hot Springs Mountain Observatory Tower.
Hot Springs is home to the world-famous Bathhouse Row, consisting of eight turn-of-the century structures, which lies within the National Park. Although most of the traditional bathhouses are empty due to diminishing popularity of hot baths, there are still several opportunities to soak your body in the hot water: in the Buckstaff House on Bathhouse Row, in the Hot Springs Health Spa, in the Libbey Memorial Physical Medicine Center as well as in some hotels that offer thermal baths. Moreover there's one Bathhouse on Bathhouse Row that's now a museum. Fordyce Bathhouse gives you a marvellous taste of what the great American Spa experience was like. The focus was on the baths, but recreation and relaxation were also important for therapy. Life was slower then - visits of three weeks and more were common.
So how did we spend our time in Hot Springs? Oli and I did a free Trolley-tour on the first day to get a first impression of the town - it took us to the Hot Springs Mountain Observatory Tower, to Magic Springs (an amusement park) and through the whole town of Hot Springs. On our second day we indulged ourselves in the hot waters of Libbey Memorial Physical Medicine Center. Unfortunately we didn't like it too much as the bath was a bit run-down and the hygienic standards there didn't meet our expectations. Nevertheless we enjoyed the hot water a lot.
During our time in Hot Springs we stayed in the "Happy Hollow Motel" on 231 Fountain Street which is run by an extremely friendly Hungarian woman.
Concluding, I wanna say that we really had a good time in Hot Springs - firstly because of the beautiful nature surrounding us, secondly of the hot waters, thirdly of the relaxing atmosphere there and last but not least because of the friendly encounters with Hot Springs people. Hot Springs is for sure a place that's worth a visit.
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Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Hot Springs
Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs National Park (Service)
Libbey Memorial Physical Medicine Center
Arkansas’ Diamond Lakes
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