It’s also the only national park with a brewery inside.
When most multitude think of national parks , geysers , canyons , and bison are probably top of mind . Al Capone and tub ? Not so much . That ’s part of what makesHot Springs National Park , a for the most part urban park in the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas , such a unique base of the National Park Service . A far vociferation from preconceived national park notions , you wo n’t see any intimidating wildlife or sky - scraping trees here — rather , Hot Springs preserves other important facets of American history , both natural and man - made .
Initially called the Hot Spring Reservation , the park technically predates Yellowstone as the first place in America to pull in any type of Union protection , earning protected status back in 1832 . It was a will to the instinctive lustre of the area ’s thermal saltation Ethel Waters , which have been flow off the mint and billowing steam for thousands of yr .
Native American tribes , such as the Tunica , Caddo , Quapaw , and Choctaw , reverence the bounce for their cleaning and healing abilities — so much so that this “ Valley of the Vapors , ” as they dub it , became a sort of peaceful neutral ground for all tribes . That persuasion contain over into subsequent centuries , as Hot Springs built up into “ The American Spa , ” a mecca of Gilded Age architecture , steam water fountains , and sumptuous bathhouses , drawing the likes of global dignitaries , professional athletes , and mobsters — including Al Capone — to soak in its famously regenerate caloric waters .
Inside the Quapaw Bathhouse at Hot Springs.|Photo courtesy of Visit Hot Springs
Nowadays , while much of Hot Springs may depend like an irregular national ballpark , it ’s one where story is on full showing as a multi - sensational experience . Whether you ’re drink it or soak in it , these outflow Ethel Waters initially descend as rain some 4,000 days ago , trickling 7,000 feet below the Earth ’s surface before boil back up and re - emerging at a cool 147ºF. Visiting Hot Springs National Park is like taking a free fall in American history — not to remark it ’s probably the only clock time we ’ll take internal green advice from a mobster .
When to visit Hot Springs National Park & what to know before you go
Thanks to its mostly moderate weather twelvemonth - pear-shaped ( middling summer high are around 93ºF , while the average in high spirits for January is a sufferable 50ºF ) , and the fact that much of the marquis attractions are indoors , Hot Springs is more of an evergreen national park than most .
The pinnacle summer months of June through August bring a bulk of the crew , and considering Hot Springs is now the16th most visited national commons in the country , that can make bottleneck trails on Hot Springs Mountain or extended wait times for a soak in Quapaw Bathhouse . Your good bet is to prefer for fall or early spring , quash school vacations as well as possible . The weather will be temperate , the crowd will be down in the mouth , and you wo n’t have to resort to standing - way - only in the park ’s resident brewery ( more onthatlater ) . After the holiday hoopla , wintertime is also prime time here , since it ’s not typically too freezing or snowy andthe springiness are a soothing balm for those wintertime blues .
For a lot of travelers on a quest to inflict all the national parks , Hot Springs may amount as a surprise , for the better or worse . consider this is one of the smallest national parks by land area and that it ’s mostly an urban parking area , you wo n’t require to spend week here to get the full experience — you’re able to easy do it all in two or three Day . That ’s not to suggest , though , that innovative planning is n’t involve . On the contrary , this bustling small tourist city tends to replete up its bagnio , hotels , and restaurants fairly apace , so plan out front and make trust reservations , especially if you ’re traveling over summertime break or during the holiday .
Weather at Hot Springs is solid year-round.|Photo by John David Pittman for Thrillist
Soak Your Winter Blues Away in America’s Most Beautiful Natural Hot Springs
You deserve it!
Soak in the historic spas on Bathhouse Row
The rare internal park that conflate outdoorsy escapade with sempiternal pampering , Hot Springs is the kind of place you visit to relax . The star of the show , of course of study , is the outpouring water itself , which you could receive in a vat or even as a restorative beverage along Bathhouse Row . Built between 1892 and 1923 , the comic strip runs through the heart of the park , consisting of eight palatial building in gorgeous Spanish and Italianate computer architecture , each one resemble the Clue mansion more than a distinctive watering place . While most of the bathhouse have been repurposed into common home base , visitor centers , museum , and even a brewery , you may still make mental reservation for a thermic soak at Quapaw and Buckstaff .
Quapawhas both private room ( washup suits not require ) and a monolithic communal area ( bathing suits required ) with legion pools ranging in temperatures from 95ºF to 104ºF.Buckstaff , meanwhile , has been offer private soaks , plus a full compass of other spa services , since 1912 , relieve oneself it the only installation in the park that has n’t closed since military operation began .
Technically , there are more than 40 lifelike springs in the wild of the common , but they ’re entirely too hot for bath . However , you ’re free to touch and tope them as much as you ’d care , so long as you permit the urine gelidity before chug it . The park ’s two main outpouring , theDisplay Springbehind Maurice Bathhouse andHot Water Cascadeon Arlington Lawn , are the blot where you ’re encouraged to have-to doe with the water . Sure , it bubbles up at 147ºF , but it ’s cool down down enough to advert by the metre it hits these pools .
In terms of drinking the water , it ’s not only allowed , butencouraged ; the springs are known for their nourishing minerals and health benefits , which execute the gamut from bring down tension and boost healthy sleep to comfort pain in the neck and amend blood circulation . “ Quaffing the elixir ” is the local catchword , and you could fill up up your own bottles at spring throughout the park . Any outflow outpouring is fair game , but some examples include the one in front of the National Park Service administration building , the Noble Fountain on Reserve Street , and the Dripping Spring between Hale and Maurice Bathhouses .
Hit mountains, museums, and bars fit for mobsters
Beyond the springtime , Hot Springs is pullulate with activity and attractions both indoors and out . Although not as colossal as the mountains out west , the Ouachitas allow a pretty escape for hikers , bikers , and scenic drivers .
Between Hot Springs Mountain behind Bathhouse Row and West Mountain , the parkland has26 mile deserving of designate hiking trails , most of which are moderately restrained in difficulty . Hoof it upHot Springs Mountainto the peak , whereHot Springs Mountain Towerprovides an epic panorama of the vaporous vale below . The 15 - mileSunset Trailis the only one with gas mileage in the double digits , making a giant iteration around the perimeter of the park along both Hot Springs and West Mountains ; it ’s also the trail with the least base dealings , making it the one to strike for ultimate purdah and serenity . You ’re also welcome to take up both mountains for scenic views , while cyclists are allowed on any paved road in Hot Springs save for the Grand Promenade .
Considering its copious , charismatic history , museums are a huge part of the parking area . TheBathhouse Row Emporium , located inside the Lamar Bathhouse , tender a wealthiness of educational resources and hyper - specific merch , like loofah , bath salinity , and tiny porcelain bathing tub that could double as puncher bowl at a party ( talk from first - script experience ) . Across the street on Bathhouse Row , theGangster Museum of Americais like a meter warp to the Roaring Twenties , home plate to a series of elaborate rooms , videos , and a speakeasy - expressive style gambling parlour that all tell the efflorescence of Hot Springs as a resort townspeople for the rich and ( in)famous .
The Fordyce Bathhouse is over 100 years old.|Photo by John David Pittman for Thrillist
In fact , mobster vibraharp are alive and well throughout blistering Springs today . While the city ’s underground tunnel and illicit affairs are a affair of the past , the Roaring Twenties are still a unwashed theme in the parking area ’s restaurants and bars , likeVault at 723 , where you could eat brandy cream chicken and root vegetable hash in an factual bank vault before heading upstairs to the brand Modern speakeasy - manner cocktail bar , aptly calledHeist . And do n’t sleep onThe Ohio Club , the oldest legal community in Arkansas : date back to 1905 , this place has “ Capone ” written all over it . It originally acted as a whiskey - soaked casino , serve supporter like Babe Ruth and Al Capone ( oh , to be a fly on the rampart ! ) . The gaming may be go , but the lively euphony and unattackable cocktails have proven timeless .
The only brewery within a national park
talk of dining and drinking , if there ’s one stain you visit in Hot Springs National Park , it ’s get ta beSuperior Bathhouse Brewery . The first and only brewery locate inside the boundaries of a home park , it domicile in one of the former bathhouses on Bathhouse Row — intend where once you could souse in thermal fountain , now you could drink them in the bod of a turned beer or hazy IPA .
The cognomen “ Hot Springs on Tap ” is an apt one for this place , as Superior is still the only brewery on Earth to habituate caloric outpouring H2O to make 100 % of their beer . That means this is the only spot in theworldwhere you may sip a beer , like an Arkansour Hopped Sour or a Pray for Snow IPA , whose principal ingredient is H2O that fell as pelting around the same fourth dimension the Pyramids were being built in Giza . There ’s also hard cyder and growlers to - go so you could bring the thermic magic base with you , and the food menu is full of pleasant surprises all its own , from beer cheeseflower fall and thermal water base beer floats to fried cauliflower po ’ boys .
Where to stay near Hot Springs National Park
When you ’re seem to visit Hot Springs , one of your honorable bets is the iconicHotel Hot Springs . Rising like a beacon over business district a couple of stoppage from the thick of Bathhouse Row , the 14 - chronicle property has some of the best views of the area and a snug motif that hark to the region ’s past with tired picture taking and local art . Although it ’s all quite walkable , the hotel bid a gratis shuttle service to take you to Bathhouse Row or the nearbyOaklawn Racetrack , itself a historic atavist dating back to 1904 .
For something a little more rustic , Gulpha Gorgeis the park ’s main campsite , suitable for collapsible shelter and RVs twelvemonth around , located on the opposite side of Hot Springs Mountain from Bathhouse Row . Or for an even quieter oasis , tryCatherine ’s landing place . This quaint timber retreat , nestle along the shimmering shores of Lake Catherine about six mile south-east of Bathhouse Row , is a 400 - Akko campground filled with bungalow , tent sites , RV situation , and glamped - out yurts .
The Gangster Museum of America will send you back in time to the Roaring 20s.|Photo by John David Pittman for Thrillist
Superior Bathhouse Brewery is the only brewery in a national park.|Photo by John David Pittman for Thrillist
