We didn’t plan to visit Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, but I’m glad we did! A change in our travel route brought us to the park early in the morning, early enough to score a great parking spot for the RV, a delicious breakfast and a walk around town before it got too hot.
Unlike most national parks, Hot Springs is located in a downtown. It is the only national park that protects a water source – the only high quality non-volcanic geothermal springs in the country. We found one of the hot springs and tested out the water temp with our hands. The water was easily 100-110 degrees.
The hot spring was in fact hot!
The national park office is on what they call “bathhouse row” and located inside an old bathhouse, another surprise. I guess we should have done more homework!
There are several old bathhouses but only two offer the chance to soak in the springs, and you have to be 14 years or older. That was a disappointment for the kids who really hoped to soak in the springs.
The historic Lamar Bathhouse is now the Hot Springs National Park store.
We toured one of the historic bathhouses and thought that the equipment inside could easily be confused for torture or medical devices. Some of the devices were for therapies prescribed by doctors for ailments, like the steam cabinet for jaundice or rheumatism. Medicine has come a long way since the early 1900’s!
Guests would sit inside these metal boxes called Steam Cabinet Rooms, what we call a steam room now.
Aside from the National Park, the town of Hot Springs was nice to walk around. There were lots of cute shops, hotels, hiking trails and parks. The visitor center staff told us they see about 600 visitors a day during the summer months and parking gets challenging. If you plan to visit, definitely go early and call ahead if you want to soak in one of the springs!
