Hot Springs National Park, Hot Springs

What a delightful stop! This is worth a stop on your trip or even a destination. If you have 2 hours you can walk bathhouse row and see the gorgeous architecture of Hot springs and even take a soak in a bathhouse! If you have 6 hours then make sure you tour the cultural center, check out some of the shops, and have a meal along the main street. If this is a destination, then make sure you get an appointment to have a full pampering at the spa and bath houses, enjoy an evening walk, and stay the night at any of the gorgeous art deco hotels like The Arlington. You will not be disappointed in Hot Springs.

This is a beautiful urban park with so much history to explore. There are hikes for every skill level and a good length scenic drive to enjoy as well which leads to a great overlook over bathhouse row. Fordyce Bathhouse is both visitor center and museum. It has four levels to explore and is rather labyrinthine so you'll have to be very careful you don't miss any doorways or turns if you don't want to miss anything. This is where you'll do most of the junior ranger activities and that helped us adults out with seeing everything. Two of the bathhouses on the row are still in operation as bathhouses but there is no way to experience the hot springs, inside or out, with children which is why I can't give this park 5 stars. One of the bathhouses is empty and unused. It feels like a missed opportunity to offer something for families to enjoy together rather than as an adults only spa like the other two operate. Outside the kids can feel the steam coming off several pools, cascades, and fountains. Hot spring water can be collected in containers to drink. There is no opportunity to get into the hot springs, however. I knew that before going and you should too.

We didn't get to spend a lot of time here unfortunately, but it was a short and a very memorable stop on the way home. The park was pretty unique with some nice springs (hot and cold). There are spring fountains in several spots where you can bottle up for free. And then there's a pretty scenic drive up the mountain with great views and a watch tower.

Very unique national park! Totally free park, but try to plan ahead and make a reservation if you’d like to visit the bath houses for a spa day. There’s still other opportunities to drink the water for free and there’s a small museum to spend about 30 minutes inside. There’s also several hiking trails that are easy-moderate. Not crowded during the weekday especially in January!

The city of Hot Springs is super quaint. I felt like I was touring a foreign country as I walked the trails around the hot springs and walked along the downtown. There are several small waterfalls along the trails where you can see and feel the water as it comes out at about 130°. Really pretty. Fun place to walk around.