Hot
Springs Arkansas is located deep within the Ouachita Mountains and is set among several natural hot
springs for which the city is named. The center of Hot Springs is the
oldest federal reserve in the United
States, preserved as Hot Springs National Park. The hot spring water has been popularly believed for
centuries to possess medicinal properties, and was a subject of legend among local
Native American tribes. Following federal protection in 1832, the city
developed into a successful spa
town. Incorporated in January 10, 1851, the city has been home over
the years to Major League Baseball spring training, illegal gambling, speakeasies and gangsters
such as Al
Capone, horse racing at Oaklawn Park, and 42nd
President Bill
Clinton and bills itself as “America’s first resort town.”
Of
course, the main attractions are the hot springs. If you have just a day or so, plan to spend
it walking downtown along historic Central Avenue, the core of the National
Park area. There’s lots of shopping but
you want to see and experience the baths.
You might start off at the Fordyce Bathhouse
Museum and get an overview of the resort’s history and bathhouse culture.
Next,
proceed to the Buckstaff Baths, opened in 1912, and the only traditional
bathhouse still in operation for your own experience. There, splurge for the deluxe treatment and
spend the next hour and a half or so in pure luxury. Men and women are catered to on separate
floors. Your very own bath attendant
will start you in a large tub filled with spring water at between 105 and 110
degrees (F). Afterwards, you’re steamed,
showered, and swaddled in hot towels.
Finish off with a massage. It is
a glorious experience!
Have
more time? There’s plenty more to do,
year –round. Check out visitor
information for Hot Springs.
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