Hot Springs National Park is small and partly urban, so it doesn't get as much love from people who travel to all of the National Parks. I've seen it included many times on lists of the worst National Parks, I guess because people visiting expected to see something like Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon. But Hot Springs definitely has its charms.
Because it is the oldest park, it was formed and managed in a way completely different than the parks that came later on. When the land around the hot springs was first protected by the federal government in 1832, the springs were already a popular tourist attraction. So the park was developed in ways to use the spring water to benefit the many tourists who were attracted to the springs for their supposed health benefits. If the springs were discovered later, perhaps the 47 hot springs would have been kept in more of a natural state and how they were displayed and managed would be different.
The city of Hot Springs was a massively popular tourist attraction. People from across the country travelled here to take the baths. And for a time, Hot Springs was also the first "Sin City," as gambling and prostitution was overlooked and allowed to flourish. The city was at its peak from the 1920s to the 1950s, but things began to decline in the 1960s. People began to stop seeking thermal waters for treatment, and the state began to crack down on the illegal gambling. Soon many of the luxurious bathhouses along Bathhouse Row closed, and sat empty for decades.
Recently the National Park Service renovated many of the old bathhouses and opened them up to new usage. It also seems like Hot Springs is emerging again. There is the fancy new casino added at Oaklawn Park. The old Medical Arts Building, which was once the tallest building in Arkansas, is being converted into a hotel. And the iconic Arlington Hotel is getting a much-needed facelift.
We made a quick visit to Hot Springs a few weeks back, and it's always a fun place to walk around and take pictures. I walked down Central Avenue after dark, trying to get a few pictures along Bathhouse Row. Here is a shot of the traffic along Central Avenue, near the Superior Bathhouse. The Superior was built in 1916 and is now home to the Superior Bathhouse Brewery. It is the only brewery located in a US National Park and the only brewery in the world that uses thermal spring water to make beer. I've tasted many of their offerings and they are all pretty good.
The fanciest and most ornate bathhouse in Hot Springs is the Fordyce, which opened in 1915. It now serves as a Visitor Center and museum.
Further down is the Ozark Bathhouse, which was built in 1922. It's now used as a Cultural Center that provides gallery space for art exhibits.
The Buckstaff Bathhouse opened in 1912 and is the only bathhouse to have never closed and has operated continuously for decades.
Walking back to the car, I passed by the Hale Bathhouse and stopped to get this shot looking down Central Avenue. The Hale was built in 1892 and is the oldest of the structures on Bathhouse Row. It is now used as a boutique hotel.
And one more shot, of traffic along the always busy Central Avenue. The taller building is the Dugan-Stuart Building, which was built in 1904. Originally it held medical offices, but was converted into a hotel. In the 1980s, the upper floors were left abandoned. On the far right is the Josephine Tussaud’s Wax Museum, which operates in the old Southern Club. The Southern Club was established in 1893 and soon became one of Hot Springs most popular casinos. It was Al Capone's favorite spot, where he had his own elevated poker table which provided a clear view of the entire room.
The next day I drove out to visit Garvan Gardens, which sits on the outskirts of Hot Springs along Lake Hamilton. The jewel of the gardens is the amazingly beautiful Anthony Chapel, which stands 57 feet tall is made of glass and wood.
I drove out there thinking that it would be hard to get inside, since it is a popular wedding venue. And sure enough there was a guard keeping people back while a lucky couple was tying the knot inside (the cost to rent the chapel for a wedding is about $3,000 to $4,500). Once the wedding party went off to celebrate elsewhere, I was able to get inside for a few pictures....
Next to the chapel is the Carillon, a 57-foot tall electric bell tower.
I drove back along Central Avenue to try to get a few more shots with the infrared camera. I parked by the old Army and Navy Hospital, which was built in 1933 and was the first general hospital in the nation that provided treatment to both Army and Navy patients. The hospital was at its peak after World War II, but was soon ran by the state who used it as a Rehabilitation Center. That center closed in 2019 and the building is currently vacant and unoccupied. Vandals have reportedly made their way inside, which is incredibly unfortunate. It's a shame that this huge landmark is empty, and hopefully it won't have the same fate of the Majestic Hotel (which was abandoned and then later burned). It is frustrating because the state of Arkansas is currently sitting on a billion dollar surplus. I would love to see some our state funds go to preserve our historic landmarks like this (but I know that won't ever happen, sadly).
And one last shot from Hot Springs, of the old Medical Arts Building. This is one of my favorite buildings in Hot Springs. It opened in 1929 and was the tallest building in the state. But by the 1990s, only the first floor was in use while the upper floors were abandoned. Luckily the building was recently purchased with plans to convert it into a hotel. I would love to stay there once it opens.
The city of Hot Springs was a massively popular tourist attraction. People from across the country travelled here to take the baths. And for a time, Hot Springs was also the first "Sin City," as gambling and prostitution was overlooked and allowed to flourish. The city was at its peak from the 1920s to the 1950s, but things began to decline in the 1960s. People began to stop seeking thermal waters for treatment, and the state began to crack down on the illegal gambling. Soon many of the luxurious bathhouses along Bathhouse Row closed, and sat empty for decades.
Recently the National Park Service renovated many of the old bathhouses and opened them up to new usage. It also seems like Hot Springs is emerging again. There is the fancy new casino added at Oaklawn Park. The old Medical Arts Building, which was once the tallest building in Arkansas, is being converted into a hotel. And the iconic Arlington Hotel is getting a much-needed facelift.
We made a quick visit to Hot Springs a few weeks back, and it's always a fun place to walk around and take pictures. I walked down Central Avenue after dark, trying to get a few pictures along Bathhouse Row. Here is a shot of the traffic along Central Avenue, near the Superior Bathhouse. The Superior was built in 1916 and is now home to the Superior Bathhouse Brewery. It is the only brewery located in a US National Park and the only brewery in the world that uses thermal spring water to make beer. I've tasted many of their offerings and they are all pretty good.
The fanciest and most ornate bathhouse in Hot Springs is the Fordyce, which opened in 1915. It now serves as a Visitor Center and museum.
Further down is the Ozark Bathhouse, which was built in 1922. It's now used as a Cultural Center that provides gallery space for art exhibits.
The Buckstaff Bathhouse opened in 1912 and is the only bathhouse to have never closed and has operated continuously for decades.
Walking back to the car, I passed by the Hale Bathhouse and stopped to get this shot looking down Central Avenue. The Hale was built in 1892 and is the oldest of the structures on Bathhouse Row. It is now used as a boutique hotel.
And one more shot, of traffic along the always busy Central Avenue. The taller building is the Dugan-Stuart Building, which was built in 1904. Originally it held medical offices, but was converted into a hotel. In the 1980s, the upper floors were left abandoned. On the far right is the Josephine Tussaud’s Wax Museum, which operates in the old Southern Club. The Southern Club was established in 1893 and soon became one of Hot Springs most popular casinos. It was Al Capone's favorite spot, where he had his own elevated poker table which provided a clear view of the entire room.
The next day I drove out to visit Garvan Gardens, which sits on the outskirts of Hot Springs along Lake Hamilton. The jewel of the gardens is the amazingly beautiful Anthony Chapel, which stands 57 feet tall is made of glass and wood.
I drove out there thinking that it would be hard to get inside, since it is a popular wedding venue. And sure enough there was a guard keeping people back while a lucky couple was tying the knot inside (the cost to rent the chapel for a wedding is about $3,000 to $4,500). Once the wedding party went off to celebrate elsewhere, I was able to get inside for a few pictures....
Next to the chapel is the Carillon, a 57-foot tall electric bell tower.
I drove back along Central Avenue to try to get a few more shots with the infrared camera. I parked by the old Army and Navy Hospital, which was built in 1933 and was the first general hospital in the nation that provided treatment to both Army and Navy patients. The hospital was at its peak after World War II, but was soon ran by the state who used it as a Rehabilitation Center. That center closed in 2019 and the building is currently vacant and unoccupied. Vandals have reportedly made their way inside, which is incredibly unfortunate. It's a shame that this huge landmark is empty, and hopefully it won't have the same fate of the Majestic Hotel (which was abandoned and then later burned). It is frustrating because the state of Arkansas is currently sitting on a billion dollar surplus. I would love to see some our state funds go to preserve our historic landmarks like this (but I know that won't ever happen, sadly).
And one last shot from Hot Springs, of the old Medical Arts Building. This is one of my favorite buildings in Hot Springs. It opened in 1929 and was the tallest building in the state. But by the 1990s, only the first floor was in use while the upper floors were abandoned. Luckily the building was recently purchased with plans to convert it into a hotel. I would love to stay there once it opens.
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