From the smallest US National Park to Oaklawn Horse Racing to BBQ, this is your ultimate travel guide when visiting Hot Springs, Arkansas.
0:00 Time for a Road Trip! (with cats)
0:29 Curvy Roads in AR
0:47 Welcome to Hot Springs, Arkansas!
1:23 Hot Springs National Park
4:29 Historic Baseball Trail
4:50 Gangster Museum of America
5:15 Murals
5:33 Hot Springs Mountain Tower
5:51 Hot Spring Trolley Tour
6:13 Mountain Valley Spring Company
6:28 Miscellaneous + Events
7:07 BBQ
7:18 Oaklawn Horse Racing
8:22 Enjoy Hot Springs!
1. Hot Springs National Park - It’s what the city was named after, after all. It's free both to enter and park, it's the smallest national park in the US
The Bathhouse Row today consists of eight bathhouse buildings that were constructed between the years of 1892 and 1923.
Each bathhouse offers different things, such as the Buckstaff being the only bathhouse on the row to operate continuously for over a century, since 1912. Many of these bathhouses you can still enjoy time in the healing springwater. Other bathhouses are exquisitely designed with stained glass and murals, offers tours of the once-medical facilities. The Superior Bathhouse is now home to the only brewery in a United States National Park, and the only brewery in the world to utilize thermal spring water to make their beer and root beer.
Many steaming fountains where you can fill your water bottle, You will see many locals come with giant jugs of water to take back. There are cold water springs and hot water springs. We talked to one local who knew which springs had what mineral contents in them (And Hot Springs National Park is the only unit of the national park system that is actually mandated to give away its primary natural resource (thermal mineral water) to the general public in its unaltered state.
That’s a brief overview of this national park, but let’s move onto things to do #2.
2. Hot Springs Historic Baseball Trail - I thought this would be easier to see when here, but have to purposely look for them. Hot Springs is big in the history of baseball with many famous players coming here to train and relax at the hot springs. You can download an app
3. Ok, so there’s baseball, what’s next, Gangsters? Yes, Gangster Museum of America… and Al Capone! Who maintained suite 443 in the Arlington hotel! You can take a picture with al capone,
The museum takes you back to the early 1900s when mineral water, gambling, and bootlegging brought visitors from all over the world to Hot Springs, Arkansas. $16 general admission
4. Murals - There are tons of murals to see in Hot Springs… including this one you can see from the parking garage titled: Quapaw… and there’s many to see so you will definitely accidentally run into them without trying.. But, of course, you can also look up the actual locations to make a DIY tour for what interests you
5. One of the first things you'll see on the skyline other than the bathhouses and old hospital is the 216 foot observation tower. In total, 1,256 feet above sea level. There’s two ways to get there, Two ways to get here - take the scenic drive to the parking lot or hike the 1.5 mile trail from Fountain Street.
6. Hot Spring Tolleys…. You’ll be taken through the historic district with its 1800s and 1900s homes, the mountainous regions with their great views
7. Mountain Valley Spring Company - beautiful historic building built in 1910. Taste free samples of this famous water. The inside is pretty and if you want a specific tour of this, i included a link to another channel, Spa Guy that gives a full tour of the inside:
• Elvis Presley Favorite...
8. One of the easiest thing is to walk in the main area of hot springs on the non-national park promenade side. There’s famous bars and restaurants, like the Ohio club (which children are not allowed in because of Arkansas state law)... and the Josephine Tussaud Wax Museum. Seasonal festivities include the worlds shortest st patricks day parade, and the world championship running of the tubs!
Number 9 is BBQ. It’s not the best BBQ in the world, but it’s very good if you’re craving some BBQ chicken.
10. And last but definitely not least, because you don’t want your horse coming in last, is Oaklawn Horse Racing. IT’s free to get in because.. Well.. they expect you to bet money anyway! There’s also a casino, dining, and a hotel, but we are here for horse racing!
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who won both the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby en route to becoming the first horse in 37 years to win,.
I hope you enjoy your trip to Hot Springs Arkansas, it’s a unique place!! See you next time.
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