Hot Springs National Park and Bathhouse Row: Everything You Need to Know About Hot Springs, Arkansas

Episode 22 of Marrying Your Passions: The DINK Travel and Adventure Podcast

What if one of the best destinations for DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids) in the country was a place that probably never crossed your mind? Hot Springs, Arkansas and Hot Springs National Park surprised us at every turn, and we almost never put it on the itinerary. We are so glad we did.

We spent three days there from June 25 through June 27, 2025, and came away convinced that Hot Springs is one of the perfect destinations for child-free couples, empty nesters, and anyone who loves history, nature, great food and drink, and experiences you genuinely cannot find anywhere else.

At the Hot Springs National Park Sign. Peppermint Patty's first National Park hike!

Hot Springs is approximately 3 hours from Memphis and pairs perfectly with a stop in Branson, Missouri, making it an ideal anchor for a broader mid-South road trip. We have two episodes on Branson on Marrying Your Passions if you want to make it a full trip!

About Hot Springs National Park

National Park sign on Bathhouse Row

Hot Springs National Park is unlike any other national park in the country. The city and the park are completely intertwined, so much so that you genuinely cannot tell where one ends and the other begins. You can walk from a historic bathhouse to a trailhead to a downtown restaurant without ever getting in your car.

According to Arkansas.com, Hot Springs is a place where history and healing have been drawing visitors for centuries. Native American tribes were the first to discover the restorative power of the thermal springs in the Ouachita Mountains, and by 1832 Congress had set aside the land as Hot Springs Reservation, making it the first federally protected area in the nation's history, a full 40 years before Yellowstone! The town that grew up around its 47 natural springs became a glamorous resort destination attracting everyone from gangsters like Al Capone to baseball legends like Babe Ruth. At its peak, 250 professional baseball players trained here each spring. The reservation officially became Hot Springs National Park in 1921 and today it remains the only national park centered inside a living, breathing city.

As far as the national park itself, the National Park Service describes it: "Hot Springs National Park has a rich cultural past. The grand architecture of our historic bathhouses is equally matched by the natural curiosities that have been drawing people here for hundreds of years. Ancient thermal springs, mountain views, incredible geology, forested hikes, and abundant creeks, all in the middle of town, make Hot Springs National Park a unique and beautiful destination."

The Lamar Bathhouse is one of the many historic spas on Bathhouse Row. It currently houses the National Park's Museum Store.

The park protects 47 geologically unique thermal springs. Rainwater falls, travels 6,000 feet underground, heats to 143 degrees Fahrenheit via geothermal pressure, and takes 4,400 years to resurface. It is the second smallest national park in the country at just 5,550 acres, and it is the only national park legally mandated to give away its primary natural resource for free. You can bring a jug and fill it up at the designated spring fountains throughout the city at no cost. We watched locals doing exactly that.

We saw may people filling up jugs with FREE spring water on our visit!

Hiking West Mountain Trail with Peppermint Patty

Peppermint Patty and Alicia getting ready for our hike on the West Mountain Trail.

One of the highlights of our trip was hiking the West Mountain Trail on June 26. We took the Oak Trail section, logging 2.55 miles with 619 feet of elevation gain in just over an hour and eight minutes. It was Peppermint Patty's very first national park hike and she absolutely crushed it.

The park is pet friendly on leash on all trails, which is huge because not all national parks allow dogs on the trails. At the top of the trail there is a beautiful historic stone shelter with sweeping views of the city below and the Ouachita Mountains stretching out in every direction. You can see the entire city nestled in the valley, historic buildings, a water tower, and even the roller coasters at Magic Springs peeking through the tree line in the distance.

Overlooking the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas

After the hike we came right down off the mountain and walked onto Bathhouse Row, and that transition from wilderness to historic streetscape is one of the things that makes Hot Springs unlike anywhere else.

West Mountain Trail Sign and Map

Bathhouse Row

Ozark Bathhouse. Currently houses Mystic Ozark an interactive science museum.

Bathhouse Row is one of the most stunning and historically rich streets we have ever walked. Eight historic bathhouses line Central Avenue, each built in the early 1900s when Hot Springs was known as America's first spa city. Each building has its own architectural personality, from Spanish Colonial Revival to Italianate, and each has a sign in front telling its story.

Walking the row is completely free and absolutely worth your time. Some of the bathhouses still operate as spas, some have been converted into breweries, galleries, hotels, and visitor facilities, but all eight buildings are still there and still stunning.

One of the many signs letting you know the historic information for each bathhouse. This one is for the Ozark Bathhouse.

Quapaw Baths and Spa

Two of the original bathhouses still operate as working spas. We chose Quapaw Baths and Spa and it was one of the most relaxing and memorable experiences of our entire trip.

The building itself is stunning before you even walk in: white stucco facade, striped awnings over arched doorways, a large Native American relief carving above the main entrance, and a beautiful tiled dome rising above it all with an American flag at the top. It genuinely looks like you are walking into history.

Quapaw Bathhouse, currently the home of Quapaw Bath and Spa where enjoyed soaking in the natural spring water!

We booked a private couples bath, which means a private room with a large soaking tub filled with the same natural spring water that people have been using here for centuries. There are candles, attendants who bring ice water when you ring your bell, and a beautiful cooling area with ice water and cool cloths waiting for you when you are done. We walked out not wanting to leave.

Important note: Quapaw does not have online booking. You have to call them directly. Plan ahead, especially in summer. The number is 501-609-9822.

Happy faces after enjoying the spa!

The other operating bathhouse is Buckstaff, which has never stopped running since the early 1900s. We did not visit but it is on the list for next time.

The Grand Promenade and the Springs

Alicia visiting Spring 29, "Dripping Spring"

Behind the bathhouses runs the Grand Promenade, a beautiful 30 minute walking path that takes you along the hillside and lets you get up close to the actual thermal springs. The springs are numbered and embedded right into the stone walls and rock faces of the hillside. We touched the water at Spring 27, the Tunnel Spring, and Spring 29, the Dripping Spring. It is a genuinely surreal moment to be that close to a natural thermal spring that has been flowing for thousands of years.

Enjoying the fountains along the Grand Promenade

The Grand Promenade also leads to the Hot Springs Cascade Display, a beautiful stone waterfall feature surrounded by ivy, lush greenery, and string lights. A perfect quiet moment tucked behind the bustle of the row.

Grand Promenade sign behind Bathhouse Row

Hotel Hale

We enjoyed grabbing a snack inside Hotel Hale and seeing its beautiful architecture.

While walking Bathhouse Row we stopped into Hotel Hale, the oldest structure on the row, originally built in 1892 and converted into a boutique luxury hotel that opened in 2019. Even if you are not staying there it is worth walking in just to see the lobby: original marble front desk, long elegant hallways, arched windows, pendant lighting, and a beautiful gallery of art on the walls.

They also have a bakery cafe right inside the lobby with fresh baked goods including German Chocolate cake, Strawberry cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter cake, kolaches, cookies, and fresh squeezed lemonade. We grabbed a treat and it was a perfect midday stop after the heat of the day.

Hotel Hale has only nine individual suites, each with a large soaking tub with hot spring mineral water pumped directly into the room. If you want the full Hot Springs luxury experience, book early.

Hot Springs Hat Company

Go do the fun, free stuff! We loved our random visit to Hot Spring Hat Company!

We also stopped into the Hot Springs Hat Company on Central Avenue, Arkansas' largest hat store featuring everything from lake hats to formal top hats. Alicia tried on what felt like every hat in the store including a massive orange top hat that absolutely made us laugh. The staff was incredibly patient and fun and Alicia ended up finding one she loved on the clearance rack. A great way to get out of the heat and just be silly together.

Superior Bathhouse Brewery

We loved the challenge of trying all 18 beers at Superior Bathhouse Brewery.

Superior Bathhouse Brewery is the only brewery in the world located inside a national park, and the only brewery that brews its beer using the thermal spring water flowing naturally beneath the city. It operates inside the restored 1916 Superior Bathhouse right on Bathhouse Row.

We ordered the Beer Bath Taster, which features all 18 beers on the menu. Yes, 18. We shared it between the two of us and worked our way through every single one, from light lagers and wheats to IPAs, stouts, and seasonals. The flight board is covered in signatures from guests who have done the same, and we added ours. The food was great too and the view of Central Avenue from the window seats is perfect for people watching.

Alicia adding Dollshyne to the board after we finished all 18 beers. Dollshyne is a combination of our nicknames for one another and Dollshyne LLC is the official business name of Marrying Your Passions! We added it to the board over a year before we were officially a business!

We highly recommend Superior Bathhouse Brewery. Let them know Marrying Your Passions sent you.

Where We Stayed: The Gold-Inn and Motel Row

Gold-Inn on historic Motel Row was perfect for us DINKs.

We stayed at the Gold-Inn, a classic mid-century property on what is known as Motel Row. A little background: during the height of Hot Springs' popularity in the 1940s and 1950s, when visitors were flooding in from across the country for the baths, the gambling, and the racing at Oaklawn, a whole strip of motor courts and motels grew up along Central Avenue to house them. Many of those original properties still stand today, some operating as boutique hotels and inns with all the character of that era intact.

The Gold-Inn is fully part of that story. We stayed in a two bedroom suite with a full kitchen, which was perfect for a road trip where you want the flexibility to cook. The location is just down from the main drag and the park, quiet enough to sleep but close enough to walk everywhere. And most importantly for us, the Gold-Inn has a dog park on the property, a fenced grassy area where Peppermint Patty could run off leash after long days of traveling. That detail made the whole trip easier.

Hear more about this trippy blue lighted dog park in the episode!

The Gold-Inn was also extremely affordable, under $150 a night for the two bedroom suite when we visited. For the location and the character, it is outstanding value.

The Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center and Museum

The National Park Museum is top notch. You see the bathhouses as they actual were in the early 1900s!

On our last morning, June 27, we almost skipped the visitor center because we were short on time. We are so glad we did not.

The visitor center is located inside the historic Fordyce Bathhouse, one of the most ornate buildings on Bathhouse Row, and it is completely free to enter. The museum covers the entire story of Hot Springs: the geology of how the thermal springs form, the Native American tribes who used the waters for thousands of years before European settlement, the development of Bathhouse Row in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the gangster era, the baseball spring training history, and the evolution of the national park itself.

Most of the rooms are still set up as they were in the original bathhouse. You walk through the women's locker room, the men's locker room, the relaxing hall, and past original medical equipment from the era when people believed the waters had healing properties. Some rooms you can walk into and touch. Some you look into through the doorway. All of it is fascinating.

Inside the visitor center

Between the two of us we took close to 200 photos in there. We were there for about 45 minutes and could have spent a full day. Do not skip it. A rushed half hour is infinitely better than nothing. If you can, visit it first so everything else you experience in Hot Springs makes more sense.

There was so much to see and learn in the visitor center!

Our Takeaways

A short visit is always better than no visit. We almost skipped the visitor center. We almost skipped Hot Springs altogether. Both would have been mistakes. Whatever time you have, go. See what you can see.

Hot Springs is a perfect DINK destination. It has history, nature, relaxation, great food and drink, and a pace that rewards couples who want to explore and enjoy without a schedule built around anyone else's needs.

Hike early, bathe at midday, walk and shop in the late afternoon. Late June in Arkansas is warm. The trails are beautiful in the morning, the thermal bath is a perfect indoor midday activity, and Central Avenue cools down enough to enjoy in the early evening.

Book Quapaw in advance. They do not take online bookings. Call them. Do it before your trip, especially in summer.

The Gold-Inn dog park was a game changer. If you travel with a dog, look for properties that give your pet real space to decompress. It makes the whole trip better for everyone.

Resources

Hot Springs National Park: nps.gov/hosp

Quapaw Baths and Spa: quapawbaths.com | 501-609-9822

Superior Bathhouse Brewery: superiorbathhouse.com

Hotel Hale: hotelhale.com

Hot Springs Hat Company: hatsprings.com/

Gold-Inn: goldinnhotsprings@gmail.com

Arkansas.com Hot Springs Guide: arkansas.com

Listen to the Episode and Connect with Us

You can hear our full Hot Springs experience on Episode 22 of Marrying Your Passions: The DINK Travel and Adventure Podcast. Find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

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Stay tuned for our next episode on Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The adventure continues!

Nathan, Peppermint Patty, and Alicia

Marrying Your Passions is hosted by Nathan and Alicia Adams, a married DINK couple who travel, run marathons, and eat and drink their way through life together. Whether you are a DINK couple, empty nester, or anyone ready to adventure now, this podcast is for you. New episodes every other week. Subscribe, leave us a review, and keep adventuring!