Hot Springs, Arkansas: A Visitor’s Guide to the Bathhouses, the National Park and Where to Stay

Hot Springs, Arkansas, welcomes around 9.7 million visitors a year, and roughly six in ten of them come for the day rather than staying the night. Its biggest draw is Hot Springs National Park, and in particular Bathhouse Row, the stretch of Central Avenue that made the city famous as “the American Spa.”

Most visitors start at the Fordyce Bathhouse, now the park’s visitor center, before booking into one of the two bathhouses still in business for a soak in water that fell as rain thousands of years ago.

But there’s more to Hot Springs than the springs. It’s a small city with a colorful past, a handful of genuinely unusual attractions and some excellent places to stay if you’d rather not make it a day trip.

Hot Springs, Arkansas, at a Glance

• It’s the oldest area in the National Park System. Congress set the springs aside as the Hot Springs Reservation on April 20, 1832 — 40 years before Yellowstone became the first national park. It was renamed Hot Springs National Park in 1921.
• It’s one of the smallest national parks, covering about 5,550 acres. Only Gateway Arch in St. Louis is smaller.
• It sits right in town. The park wraps around downtown Hot Springs, so you can walk from a bathhouse to a hiking trail in minutes.
• The water is hot — about 143°F. That’s why you can’t bathe in the springs themselves, only in the licensed bathhouses.
• Bathhouse Row has eight historic bathhouses, built between 1892 and 1923 in Spanish Colonial, Renaissance Revival and other revival styles. Only two — the Buckstaff and the Quapaw — still operate as bathhouses.
• It has a gangster past. During Prohibition, Hot Springs was a haven for illegal gambling and a favorite retreat of Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and other mobsters. The Gangster Museum of America tells the story.

Where Is Hot Springs, Arkansas?

Hot Springs is a city, a resort town and a national park all at once, which can make planning a little confusing.

Think of it as a resort city. It’s the seat of Garland County — not, confusingly, Hot Spring County — and home to around 38,000 people. It sits in the Ouachita Mountains, part of the U.S. Interior Highlands, about an hour southwest of Little Rock.

The springs that give the city its name rise all around downtown, and people have believed in their healing properties for centuries. Hot Springs National Park is also the most-visited national park site in Arkansas, drawing about 2.5 million recreation visits a year — a separate figure from the city’s total visitor count. For the rest of the state, see our Arkansas travel guide.

Introducing Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs National Park protects 47 thermal springs and the forested mountains that feed them. The water begins as rain that soaks deep into the earth — thousands of feet below the surface — before rising back up, a journey that takes around 4,000 years. By the time it emerges, it averages 143°F.

Beyond the bathhouses, the park has 26 miles of hiking trails, the 40-site Gulpha Gorge campground, scenic mountain drives and quiet corners for birding and photography. Along the way, you can fill a bottle with free, clean spring water from the public fountains dotted around downtown.

There’s no entrance fee to visit the park. Current hours, trail conditions and ranger programs are on the National Park Service website.

Things to Do in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Soak in Thermal Spring Water at Quapaw Baths & Spa

Booking a soak on Bathhouse Row is the number one thing to do in Hot Springs, and the Quapaw is the easiest place to start. It has large communal thermal pools filled with natural mineral water, plus private baths, massages and facials.

The pools are at their best in the fall, when crisp air meets hot water. For something more indulgent, The Quapaw package ($150 for one, $275 for two) runs for about two hours and combines a private mineral bath with massage and other treatments.

Prefer the old-school experience? The Buckstaff Bathhouse has offered traditional baths since 1912 — a private tub, hot packs, a steam cabinet and a sitz bath, with massage as an add-on. It works on a walk-in basis, so arrive early on busy days. For more spa and wellness ideas, see our healthy travel guides.

Explore the Botanical Displays at Garvan Woodland Gardens

On a peninsula in Lake Hamilton, Garvan Woodland Gardens is a 210-acre botanical garden owned by the University of Arkansas, with 4.5 miles of wooded shoreline and the striking wood-and-glass Anthony Chapel. Admission is $22 for adults and $10 for children aged 4 to 12 when booked online, and free for children under four; tickets bought at the gate cost more.

For the garden at its most colorful, go in spring, when the tulips and azaleas bloom. From late November through New Year’s Eve, the garden hosts Holiday Lights, an evening display of millions of lights that needs a pre-booked ticket. The garden closes for the month of January.

Enjoy Craft Beer at Superior Bathhouse Brewery

Superior Bathhouse Brewery occupies a converted 1916 bathhouse on Bathhouse Row. It’s the only brewery inside a U.S. national park, and it brews with the park’s thermal spring water — something the brewery says no one else in the world does.

Expect around 18 house beers on tap, from easy-drinking ales to IPAs and stouts, alongside a full pub menu of burgers, pretzels and sandwiches. It gets busy at lunch and dinner, so be ready to wait for a table.

Learn About the City’s Past at the Gangster Museum of America

To get to know the Hot Springs that doesn’t appear in the spa brochures, spend an hour or two at the Gangster Museum of America on Central Avenue. It focuses on the Prohibition era, when figures like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano used the city as a hideout and a playground for illegal gambling and bootleg liquor.

Its galleries hold original artifacts, including antique casino equipment and weapons. Admission is $17 for adults, $15 for seniors 60 and over and $6 for children aged 8 to 12; younger children get in free. Opening hours change with the seasons, so check before you go.

Take in the View from Hot Springs Mountain Tower

For the best view in town, drive up Hot Springs Mountain to the 216-foot Hot Springs Mountain Tower. A glass elevator takes you to an observation deck with views across the Ouachita Mountains, and there’s a small museum about the springs and the bathhouses on the way up.

Where to Stay in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Planning to stay the night? Here are three of the most popular places to stay in and around the national park. For more ideas, browse our hotel guides.

The Waters Hot Springs, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

Right across from Bathhouse Row on Central Avenue, The Waters is a restored historic building with modern rooms, a restaurant and a rooftop bar with views over downtown. Its location makes it easy to walk everywhere.

The Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa

The Arlington is the largest hotel in Arkansas, with nearly 500 rooms, and one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. It first opened in 1875, and the current building dates from 1924; Al Capone was a regular, reportedly always in room 443. The hotel has its own thermal-water bathhouse and has been working through a multimillion-dollar restoration while staying open.

Hilltop Manor Bed and Breakfast

For somewhere more personal, Hilltop Manor is a historic bed and breakfast on Park Avenue, a short drive from downtown. Rooms are individually decorated, breakfast is cooked to order, and the grounds are a lovely place to watch the sun go down.

Plan Your Trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas

Hot Springs is Arkansas’s most-visited tourism destination, and you can go any time of year. The best seasons are spring (April to May) and fall (September to October), when daytime temperatures usually sit between the mid-60s and low 80s — ideal for hiking the park’s trails.

Crowds are also thinner than in summer, which makes bathhouse treatments easier to book. And remember: there’s no entrance fee for Hot Springs National Park. For more trip ideas across the country, explore our USA travel guides.

All TOP Arkansas Hot Springs:

• Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center — 369 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901
• Quapaw Baths & Spa — 413 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901
• Buckstaff Bathhouse — 509 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901
• Superior Bathhouse Brewery — 329 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901
• Gangster Museum of America — 510 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901
• Hot Springs Mountain Tower — 401 Hot Springs Mountain Dr, Hot Springs, AR 71901
• Garvan Woodland Gardens — 550 Arkridge Rd, Hot Springs, AR 71913
• The Waters Hot Springs — 340 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901
• The Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa — 239 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901
• Hilltop Manor Bed and Breakfast — 2009 Park Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901