Getting into Hot Water in Hot Springs!

April 11-19, 2021

We camped at Hot Springs National Park during our stay in Arkansas.  Hot Springs National Park is the smallest national park in the country, but don’t let that influence you!  It may be small, but it is certainly worth a visit.  The park’s campground is nestled in Gulpha Gorge and has Gulpha Gorge Creek running right through it.  We were fortunate enough to be able to snag a campsite beside the creek, which provided sweet music, lulling us to sleep each night!

Gulpha Gorge Campground Site 43!

Frankie found a Frisbee field!

Access to the park’s hiking trails is at the north end of the campground, making it irresistible to spend a bit of the day exploring different trails.  The trails were distributed around North Mountain and Hot Springs Mountain, both of which are part of the Ouachita Mountain range.  You may have inferred from the fact that the campground is located in the gorge and the trails are in the mountains that each hike started out with a little bit of a cardio work out!  It was perfect for me, as this mountain range topped out at 1040 feet above sea level (about 400 feet above the gorge).  At the peak of the Hot Springs Mountain trail there is a tower you can go up in.  The observation tower takes you up an additional 216 feet for a spectacular 360-degree view of the area.  On a clear day, you can see 120 miles!  

View from Goat Rock Trail

Promenade Trail behind Bathhouse Row

Hot Springs Mountain Tower

Continuing along the trails takes you into the historic area of Hot Springs, dropping you off immediately behind Bathhouse Row!  There is so much history to these bath houses!  They were built in the early 1900’s and soaking in them was believed to medicinal.  The national park has added many of the historic buildings to its property, making it pretty unique to have part of the operating city as part of the national park.  Fordyce Bathhouse has been converted to the national park visitor center; however, it was closed due to COVID during our visit.  Superior Bath House has been converted into a brewery, making Hot Springs the only national park that contains a brewery.  They have a wonderful selection of beers, brewed from the hot springs water, from which to choose along with a pretty tasty dinner menu!

Just add hot spring water and bubbles!

Superior Bathhouse turns into Superior Brewery!

Superior Bathhouse

As you descend the mountain into Hot Springs, you come across a couple of the hot springs seeping from the mountain.  This water fell as rain 4400 years ago!  The rain water goes down a little over a mile into the mountain and then rises, emerging from the side of Hot Springs Mountain at a temperature of 143 degrees F – almost too hot to put your hands in!  In the early 1900’s, they had fountains lined up along the street and people would stroll the street with their cups to “quaff the elixir” or to take a “sip at every seep”!  Today there are still fountains where you continuously see people filling jugs.  I have to admit, it is a good drink of water! 

Hot springs!

Hot Spring water fountain (yes, the water is hot!)

I celebrated my 64^th birthday while we were in Hot Springs and Dick treated us to Buckstaff’s hot springs baths and Swedish massages!  Buckstaff is the only original bathhouse still operating.  It has been open continuously (minus the several months when COVID shut it down) since 1912.  It has all of the original bathtubs, sitz tubs, steam boxes…  It was fun imagining all of the people who have come over the years for a “treatment”.  The bathhouses began falling out of favor in the 60’s and by the 80’s most of them had closed.

Buckstaff Bathhouse

Hot Springs was also an attraction for major league baseball teams!  Beginning in 1886, teams began to go there for spring training.  They would take to the mountain trails to work out and then hit up the hot spring baths to take away the aches and pains.  Babe Ruth, Lefty Grove, Jimmy Fox, Hank Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio were a few the many whose footprints we looked for on the trails we hiked.  I couldn’t help but imagine Dick soaking in the same tub Babe Ruth had soaked in!  

Go Red Sox!

Home run!!

Trying to catch Babe's home run hit!

Standing where Babe hit the longest home run in history!

Foley Park, where the teams played, is now a parking lot.  You can still see a section of the bleachers from where fans cheered the teams on.  Home plate is still there, embedded into the parking lot.  This is where Babe Ruth hit a 573’ home run on St. Patrick’s Day in 1918, purportedly still the longest recorded home run in major league history!  There is an entire baseball trail throughout the city, pointing out interesting facts of various players.

View from West Mountain

Dick standing on novaculite (Arkansas Stone).

In addition to the baseball players, apparently the gangsters were also drawn to Hot Springs.  There is a Gangster Museum where we learned all about them.  Frank Costello, Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel, Al Capone, Owney Madden were a few of the names included in the stories we heard.   They brought gambling and bootlegging to the area and pretty much ran the city.  The Ohio Club was a former gambling and liquor hangout for the gangsters.  It operated at the Ohio Cigar Store, having a false front.  If you knew the correct password, you would be admitted to the back which operated as a saloon/casino during prohibition.  Of course, we had to go there for a drink.  We had planned to also have dinner there, but their kitchen was closed due to a landslide a few weeks ago that took their kitchen out!  They hope to reopen in time for Memorial Day.   

Cheers!

"You can call me Al"

We did make it to Rolando’s one afternoon for an early dinner.  They have an amazing patio built right into the mountain on the back of their restaurant.  Seeing this made it easier to imagine how a landslide took out the Ohio Club’s kitchen, but still left their dining area untouched!  Rolando’s offered live music in the outdoor environment which made for such a relaxing end to our day.  One thing we did learn from this experience is that Arkansas has 33% taxes on “mixed drink restaurants”!  If you ever visit the area, beware if you go out for dinner!  Despite the high taxes, we did go out for a drink and appetizer at what was the former Hale Bath House.  It not only has the restaurant and bar, but has been converted into a 9-room hotel.  An intriguing fun fact is that each room includes its personal bathtub which is piped into the hot springs water!  

Rolando's makes a great mojito!

Patio at Rolando's

We had a couple of rainy days while we were at the park.  This allowed me time to pull out my sewing machine and spend some time on a baby quilt for Baby Girl Peterson (due in late July).  I also made a trip to Hickory Hills Quilt Shop for fabric for borders.  It is a pretty sweet quilt shop with a wide selection of fabrics.  Better than that, however, they sell Berninas!  I didn’t even allow myself to go to that section of the store!  Way too dangerous!!

An hour south of Hot Springs is Crater of Diamonds State Park.  The park contains a field that is plowed up once a month, where you can pay $10 to hunt for diamonds.  Word is to go the day after it rains and look for something glistening in the sunshine.  Other advice we were told was to take a child, as they always find the shiny object.  We went the day after it rained, but darn it, where are those grandchildren when I need them???  Needless to say, we didn’t find a diamond; however, it was so interesting looking and talking to others who were also looking.  Each day a few diamonds are found in the field along with several other precious gems.

Looking for shiny objects!

Gathering gravel to wash and sift.

Frankie has been found to be hosting way too many ticks so, one day, she got a bath and probably the shortest haircut she has ever had.  She’s not quite as cute with her short cut, but I am way more comfortable letting her snuggle with me!  Ticks give me the creeps!!

We ended our stay in Hot Springs going to mass at St. Mary of the Springs Church.  We have so very much to be thankful for.  Attending mass is always such a peaceful activity.  St. Mary of the Springs is a beautiful parish.  It was fun seeing young couples gathering at the Grotto dressed to the nines!  Based on the attire, it must be prom night!

Our next stop is a short stay in Missouri, mostly a stopover spot on our way to Iowa.  Baby Norah is now 6 months old and I simply can’t stay away from her any longer.  Iowa, here we come!!