This is our guide to our 1-Day spontaneous trip to Hot Springs, AR. Below is everything we crammed into approximately 36 hours!
We took a1 day and drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas. I thought it was a 4 hr drive, turns out it’s 5 1/2 hrs away. (first mishap)
The most important detail is we stayed one night and a ghost got me!! I have 3 rubber rings I wear and I stacked them on table and put my earrings in middle before bed. I woke up to them scattered and missing one earring and one ring. I looked everywhere for probably 10 mins. I walked away from the table saying it’s gotta be a ghost. I said out loud, ya know, just in case, can I please have them back…. Scott then walks to same table and they are in a freaking earplug box!!!! I swear to you I tipped that box over and checked it! (They provide earplugs because of hotel being right on road). - FYI I checked with front desk fellow and he’s had his own experiences with children on that floor.
To sum up the rest- Old mobster town, safe haven for Capone, Lucky Lucioni and others. Illegal gambling and brothels were huge in this hidden area. Underground tunnels right in the middle of town. Before Civil Rights everyone here just co-existed. I’d like to think with all the criminals openly here, no way anyone was drawing any unwanted attention.
And the hot springs, coming out of ground at 142° , bathhouses we’re the huge cure all. (Google that!)
Annnddd the town having super paranormal activity and all.
Total time from home to Hot Springs to home? 36 hours.
The Stay: The Waters Hot Springs, Tapestry Collection by Hilton (Haunted?)
The Waters Hot Springs, Tapestry Collection by Hilton was a beautiful place to stay! The rooms and bathrooms were huge. We had a King Deluxe room overlooking Central Avenue.
| Side Note: They give you ear plugs in the rooms as it tends to get a bit loud outside on the streets with loud cars.
The Hotel has Bar/Restaurant in the main lobby and a Rooftop bar on the 6th floor. You can get drinks and food at both locations.
We opted for drinks and dessert at the rooftop bar [See picture above for picture of Cheesecake and Chocolate Cake]. They had live music there as well until 10:00 p.m. (It was definitely worth sitting there and people watching!)
After our mineral bath at the Buckstaff Bath House (More on this later), we came back to the hotel and ate brunch at the restaurant in the main lobby, The Avenue. The breakfast here was delicious! [See the pictures above.]
Overall, this Hotel was amazing. The staff was friendly and helpful. The food was delicious. Rooms were clean. Also, as a Diamond Hilton member you get a $15 food and beverage credit per person in your room. We took advantage of that at the Rooftop Bar.
The only hiccup of the stay was the "Paranormal Activity". If you believe in this sort of stuff, then pay attention to this part. If you don't believe in it, well it's still a pretty good story.
Jen: I have 3 rubber rings I wear and I stacked them on table and put my earrings in the middle before bed. I woke up to them scattered and missing one earring and one ring. I looked everywhere for probably 10 mins. I walked away from the table saying it’s gotta be a ghost. I said out loud, ya know, just in case, can I please have them back…. Scott then walks to same table and they are in a freaking earplug box!!!! I swear to you I tipped that box over and checked it! - FYI I checked with front desk fellow and he’s had his own experiences with children on that floor.
Scott: Had a dream that our Hotel Phone rang and someone on the other end was telling us to look in our room to see if anyone was there. The dream certainly felt real and I could definitely hear the phone ringing . . . Knowing how Jen is with the Paranormal, I wasn't going to tell her about the dream until we realized she was missing an earring and a ring.
Learn the History of Hot Springs at the Gangster Museum of America:
If you want to know the trust history of Hot Springs, AR then you need to take the tour at the Gangster Museum of America. Here you will learn about the illegal and legal activities that turned Hot Springs into what it is today.
The tour will last about an hour and will walk you back in time when Hot Springs was a safe haven for criminals during those times. Gangsters such as Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Owney Madden, and others all had ties to Hot Springs and were influential there.
Everyone in political positions here were corrupt which created the perfect safe haven for gangsters. As long as you did not commit trouble in Hot Springs then nothing would happen to you.
Not only did many well known gangsters frequent Hot Springs, but many notable major league baseball players visited as well. Hot Springs is well known for baseball as many of the players would come here to practice and take baths in the mineral water at the Bathhouses.
Baseball Players, Gangsters, Politicians, and everyone in between seemed to meet and get along in Hot Springs, AR. As long as people were making money and everyone else was staying out of trouble, you could get away with just about anything in Hot Springs.
Buckstaff Bathhouse: A Traditional Bathing Experience in Hot Springs, AR:
Buckstaff Bathhouse opened in 1912 and is the only operational traditional bathhouse on Bathhouse Row.
We decided to venture down to Buckstaff on the morning we were leaving since we had a late checkout at the Hotel. We had no idea just what we were getting into.
If you do intend on coming to this bathhouse, make sure you arrive early in the morning. We arrived around 7:30 a.m. (they open at 8:00). As long as you get there early then you shouldn't really have a wait. If you wait till after they are open, you may very well find yourself waiting for a few hours.
After you decide on your treatment for the day and pay at the front desk, you will be sent into the locker room to change. All men are on the first floor and all women are on the second floor. Nothing here is coed.
Once in the Locker room, you'll strip down naked, throw a sheet around you and head off to the tub. (You have the option to wear a bathing suit if you'd like - Most everyone in there opted to go naked).
You'll start off in the whirlpool mineral bath for about 20 minutes. Once completed, you'll head over to the Sitz bath (basically a small tub that you sit down in with water as hot as you can stand - It was a little awkward sitting there). From there, you'll head over to the Vapor Cabinet or Steam room (shown in the picture). The Vapor Cabinet was probably one of my favorite things here, but be prepared because it's hot.
We also opted for the Swedish massage after the mineral bath. The massage will last about 20 minutes and it's definitely a must add-on.
Overall, the entire process will take you about an hour and a half from start to finish, as long as you don't have any wait time.
As we were leaving, some people were just arriving and I overhead the staff advising them that they would be in there approximately 3 hours due to a wait time.
If you're looking for a couples mineral bath, then you'll need to head right down the road to the Quapaw Bathhouse.
The Food in Hot Springs, AR:
The Ohio Club: Opening in 1905, the Ohio Club has seen baseball players such as Babe Ruth and Gangsters such as Al Capone. You will love grabbing a drink and food here while learning of the history.
We ate here for dinner on our first and only night in town. The Hawaiian Burger and Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich were amazing. The drinks were perfect as well.
We were able to walk right in and get a table with no wait. It appeared as though we arrived right before the rush.
- Just to Note: There was a $5 per person cover charge to get in and after 5:00 p.m. it is 21 and up.
They had live music on the second floor (we ate on the first floor).
Since we were only here for one night, we didn't get a chance to eat many other places for dinner. We ate at The Avenue the day we left (See above under "The Stay").
Who wouldn't love a good cupcake? Well I began to wonder what everyone was carrying around in little pink boxes until I noticed the Cupcake shop. Fat Bottomed Girls Cupcakes to be exact. Walking in here is a fat guys dream. When I say they have every possible cupcake flavor and combination available, I mean it. We chose the Strawberry Cheesecake, Coffee Cheesecake, and Chocolate. Overall, the Strawberry Cheesecake was the best, but they were all delicious. (We walked like 6 miles that day, so it's okay to eat cupcakes when you walk that much!)
Everything Else we Crammed into our Trip:
The Arlington Hotel: We decided to go in and explore this hotel a bit. It was under construction while we were there so some areas were closed off.
You can certainly tell how old this building is as you walk through the hallways. Many notable gangsters such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano stayed in this hotel. I'm not sure if it's haunted or not, but there is definitely an eerie feeling as you walk through this hotel.
Anthony's Chapel: On our way out of Hot Springs, we decided to stop by the Garvan Woodland Gardens to see Anthony's Chapel. We first did the self-guided nature walk through the Gardens before walking over to Anthony's Chapel.
We were unable to get up close or go inside the Chapel as there was a wedding going on during our time there. It was still a beautiful thing to see from a distance. (It was also seen on 19 Kids and Counting!)
The Nature walk fairly easy, but there were a few hills to go up and down. The Children's Play area and Treehouse are worth walking to and visiting.
The Grand Promenade: This walk will take you above Central Avenue behind Bathhouse Row. If you're wondering, it does not make a loop, so don't take off thinking it does (like I did). Be sure to stop and read the historical signs along the way.
The Natural Spring: The Natural Spring comes out of the earth at 142 degrees. It was amazing to see the water coming out of the rocks and flowing down to the pool below. You can only hold your hand in the water for a short time (unless you have zero feeling in you hand). The water is super hot in the pool. There are also watering stations around the City where you can fill up water containers with this natural spring water. It still comes out hot so you'll need to be careful.
We filled up a water bottle at one of the stations and took it back to the hotel with us. I put it in the fridge and drank it the next morning. There is definitely something about the natural spring water there that taste very refreshing.
Overall:
Although this was a very spontaneous and short trip it was well worth the 5.5 hour trip (although when Jen brought it up she told me it was only 4 hours). It's definitely on our list of places that we would travel back to.
We feel that we accomplished a lot in 36 hours here. If we had stayed longer then we certainly would have been able to do more and see more, but feel 2 or 3 days is all you really need here. We had no idea of the history in Hot Springs and it's involvement in politics, gangsters, and sports. We definitely did not expect to have any type of paranormal activity there with us either.
Hot Springs, AR should be on your list of places to visit. You won't be disappointed.
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