Hot Springs National Park | Anniversary Trip
Every year for our anniversary, Mr. San Diego and I take a trip somewhere to celebrate! This year we chose to go to Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. If we didn’t live in Dallas, I don’t know if this place would have ever been on my radar, but after we discovered it was just under a five-hour drive, we decided to book a trip!
What makes Hot Springs National Park so special is the WATER - it is filled with natural geothermal springs (not the stinky sulfuric kind)! It’s the smallest of the National Parks in the country and the cutest little part of town runs right through it! We discovered that Arkansas is absolutely beautiful and we learned so much about the fascinating history of this location. We took a bunch of photos and I’m sharing all the fun things we did, should you ever decide to go too!
Top: One More Time Pullover - CCB Independent Stylist
walking BathHouse Row
With over a century of history, this National Park is unique compared to other National Parks I’ve ever been to. Part of it runs through this beautiful and historic part of Hot Springs that was a hot-spot due to the stories of the thermal waters in the area having medicinal properties. It isn’t a very long part of town but it’s beautiful and full of cute little shops. You can stroll behind the bathhouses down the Grand Promenade, which is a half-mile long brick pathway with some natural hot springs along the way! It’s very cute!
free water
One of the coolest things about this National Park is the availability of free thermal water at a few different outdoor locations! You can bring your own jugs, or walk into the Lamar Bathhouse’s Emporium and buy a glass jug for about $10! You’ll see tons of people with cars loaded with jugs and crates, filling up as much as they can to take home with them. While the water may have myths of healing powers, the Park can at least confirm that the water is safe to drink! It tasted great and I didn’t die from it!
Click on the link below to read about the water contents AND to find out exactly where the water locations are and whether it’s hot or cold! I’ll add a screenshot of it here as well!
Image Source: nps.gov
fordyce bathhouse museum - free
As the largest bathhouse on Bathhouse Row, Fordyce has been converted to a fully furnished museum. You don’t have to pay anything to walk around the three-story building, and it’s a great place to start your trip. It’s fascinating and I really enjoyed exploring and learning about this century-old building. Also, the tile floors throughout are super impressive! There is a little room with an old video on loop that explains what kind of services were offered and how they were done. It’s weird and dated, but it explains a lot and is worth the watch!
superior bathhouse brewery
Our favorite place to eat on the row was Superior Bathhouse Brewery! It was converted to a fully functioning restaurant and brewery and is the smallest of the bathhouses on the row. They use the local thermal water to brew their beer and root beer, and honestly, they were really good! They had a “Beez Knees” brew with honey and basil, and it was absolutely delicious! It is so cute on the inside and the food was great too. We loved it so much, we ate there twice! It’s definitely worth a visit!
Website: superiorbathhouse.com
the ohio club
Did you know that Hot Springs, Arkansas was a hot-spot for gangsters and baseball players?! People like Al Capone and Babe Ruth would hang out at the Ohio Club, making this a super cool place to check out. It’s small but it still has the old charm to it, and it’s the oldest bar in Arkansas. The giant mirror on the wall behind the bar is the original, and they definitely play up the gangster theme. We got a drink and some food at the bar and to be entirely honest, neither were very good. We mainly went there for the history and at least that part didn’t disappoint!
Website: theohioclub.com/history
Hot Springs Mountain Tower - $8
We took a trip to the top of the 216-foot tall tower that offers a great overlook of the National Park! It’s only eight bucks per person and there is an elevator that takes you to the top…unless…you’re unlucky and it’s OUT OF ORDER when you get there. You can take the stairs as we did at a discount five-buck price. It was rough but we made it!
Website: hotspringstower.com
Mountain Valley Water Visitor Center - free
I didn’t really take any good photos here, but I weirdly enjoyed this small water museum. As I sit here typing, I’m drinking a one-liter bottle of their sparkling water. It’s delightful and comes from the area! I love the vintage-y green look of their bottles and there is a person with a dolly ready to haul cases of water to your car, should you choose.
quapaw bathhouse - $20
We couldn’t go to Hot Springs without taking a dip in the magic water! Since the only way to swim in the waters is to do it in a bathhouse, and since the only bathhouse (that we found) that had a cheap co-ed option was Quapaw…well, we went there! For $20 each, we got to spend time in a variety of different temperature pools with other people…all sweating in a community pool…together…in a hot pool…really opening up everyone’s pores….you know, together…just trying to relax as these thoughts swim around your brain, with other swimming with you.
Website: quapawbaths.com
Garvan Gardens - $15
Only a few miles outside of the main tourist part is the Garvan Gardens, which is the botanical garden by the University of Arkansas. It’s so big and has the COOLEST treehouse I’ve ever seen in my life! We originally went to check out the Anthony Chapel (which is free), but we decided to explore the gardens anyways and I’m glad we did!
Website: garvangardens.org
anthony chapel - free
This is, without a doubt, the most gorgeous chapel I’ve ever seen in my entire life. It’s open to the public whenever there isn’t an event and it’s located at the Garvan Gardens. You don’t need to go into the gardens to see it and it’s free! I love, love, loved it! I wish I took more photos in there and wish I could get married in there!
our airbnb
We stayed at the coolest Airbnb just a few miles from the main part of town! It was right on the lake, had a GORGEOUS view, and was a super cool A-frame style house with a loft! Honestly, it was sooo cute and I felt it deserved a share on here.
Website: airbnb.com/rooms/31867443
Airbnb: airbnb.com/c/karinas1372 (if you’ve never stayed at an Airbnb before, use this link to sign up and get $55 off your first trip!)
other places we went
SQZBX Pizza: sqzbx.com - it’s a very cute accordion themed eatery with yummy pizza!
Grateful Head Pizza Oven & Beer Garden: yelp.com - we went here with the intentions of eating, but I think the host took the Grateful Dead theme too seriously because he was high out of his mind. Plus, there were a lot of people waiting, so we didn’t end up staying to eat.
Kollective Coffee and Tea: kollectivecoffeetea.com - um, this place was just okay. My latte was $8 and wasn’t very good. It’s super cute on the inside at least.
English Muffin: yelp.com - I LOVED THIS PLACE. We had the world’s nicest waitress and every person we talked to was incredibly friendly and nice. The breakfast was exactly what we expected and very good!
Weldon’s Meat Market: yelp.com - they cut ribeyes to order here! GASP. We had a great steak dinner that was cut to order and we grilled it at our Airbnb.
