Hot Springs and Little Rock

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April 17

Leaving Memphis at 11:30 AM, we crossed over the Mississippi River. Always a cool thing.

We got to the Arkansas State Capitol building in Little Rock around 3:00 PM. Typical of Capitol buildings, this one is totally amazing, complete with a glorious rotunda.

Our first destination here was the treasurer’s office. We wanted to be sure to find somebody still there this late in the day so we could get the chance to hold a real pile of money as guaranteed by the Arkansas state constitution. Luckily somebody was there just starting to give a historical tour of the treasurer’s office to another couple. She led us into the huge safe in the office and handed us a pile of money…$600,000 to be exact. It’s kept there because the state constitution demands that the people of Arkansas should, at any time, be able to see their money as a guarantee that it isn’t being used elsewhere.

Hot Springs National Park

On to Hot Springs about 1 hour away. Camping at the Hot Springs NP campground was fully booked months in advance, and there were no other campgrounds located in the area we wanted, which was in Hot Springs or between Hot Springs and Little Rock. So, I booked a motel in Hot Springs. Dame Fortune Cottage Court is where we settled for the next two nights.

This average motel is just on the edge of the north side of town. It’s a 10–15-minute walk to beautiful historic Bathhouse Row downtown. That stretch between downtown and the motel is strewn with abandoned resort hotels, homes, and other buildings, and vacant lots. In other words, sketchy.  The guy at the desk was very friendly and helpful, and the room itself was adequate and clean. But ours was the only room without proper window treatments. The white, lightweight curtains kept out no light, and people could look right in on us if passing by. We hung one of our sleeping bags over the curtain rod, and that gave us the darkness and privacy we needed.

After checking in and putting up our sleeping bag curtain we walked into town to get oriented, and dinner.

Upon reaching the main downtown we realized we had actually entered the Hot Springs National Park on one side of the street.  One of the first things we encountered was Hot Water Cascade, the largest visible hot spring in the park. It’s right off the sidewalk downtown! The cascade collects into a beautiful natural stone pool. And, whooda thunk…the water is very HOT!

We then walked the main drag that Bathhouse Row was on to find dinner.  This section of town is very nice. However, we had only a very average dinner at Brick House Grill.

Walked around town to get familiar with Bathhouse Row. These mansion-like buildings are wonderfully, and fortunately, preserved by the National Park Service. The Hot Springs National Park Visitors Center is actually housed in one of these beautiful bathhouses. Two of them are still active bath houses. Our plan was to indulge in one of them the following morning.

We found the promenade, at the foothills of the National Park across from Bathhouse Row, and walked it a little bit. We found a newly sprung hot spring along the promenade.

Then we got an awesome homemade root beer float, and a beer at Superior Bathhouse Brewery and then a nightcap across the street at the chic Avenue Restaurant and Bar.  Emilie had a chance encounter with Al Capone, as well.

The we walked back to the motel…wondering what happened to all of these businesses on this north side of town, and whether we were safe walking here at night. The guy at the motel did say it was safe. It was dreary but we had no issues.

April 18

Coffee from the room, and pop tarts from the car for breakfast. Then we walked into town to soak in a hot bath. We chose the Buckstaff Bathhouse because the only other active bathhouse, the Quapaw was closed this day.  The Buckstaff was no longer doing advanced reservations for a bath so we were hoping to get in first thing in the morning. We got to the Buckstaff around 9:00AM and we got right in.

Em went to the women’s bath, and I to the men’s.  No couple’s baths here. We opted for the traditional Whirlpool Mineral Bath. This was a 20-minute mineral bath with loofa mitt back scrub by the attendant for $40.  The large room with the baths hasn’t been updated since it was built in 1912, which is what makes it such an experience. It’s like stepping back in time.  The mineral water was soothing, and the attendants attentive.  We don’t know why, but they don’t allow photographs in the bathhouses, so no pics.

Here are pics of some of the other bathhouses along the Row that are not operational but preserved as part of the National Park:

After our bath we got late breakfast at the popular Pancake Shop in town. As we were being seated a large man who had just finished eating said to us, “order just one pancake at a time”. We heeded that advice and were very happy we did….their servings are huge. Their breakfast was indeed very good and hearty.

Back to the motel to get into hiking clothes and grab a backpack to hike the Hot Springs National Park trails. Stopped at the Visitors Center at the Fordyce Bathhouse and toured the cool Hot Springs museum there, and got hiking recommendations from a ranger, as we always do.

It was very hot so we packed some extra water, but we weren’t too concerned. Hot Springs National Park is similar to Central Park in NY, but with hills and springs…an urban park where we would never be too far from civilization.

Most trails started and ended along the promenade. We saw very few other hikers. This park’s main attraction is Bathhouse row and the hot springs, not the hiking. Much like Mammoth Cave National Park’s main attraction is the cave, not the hiking.

We pretty much just meandered many of the interconnecting trails.  We started at the Peak Trail trailhead, which led to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower about .5 miles up.  The trails started as paved trails but turned to gravel and dirt a little ways in.  When at the tower, we of course went up via its elevator.  At over 200 feet high and an elevation of 1,200 feet above sea level it provides amazing views of the Hot Springs Mountain Range.

We continued hiking the trails and made our way to perhaps the best part of the hike…Goat Rock Summit Overlook. This was about one mile from the tower. The overlook’s stone staircase and the resulting view were hiking highlights on this day.

We ended the easy hike at Happy Hollow Cold Spring fountain down on the street. We filled our water bottles with the fresh spring water, as did many others. It was busy with locals filling multiple large containers at a time. Basically, free spring water.

Back to the motel to change for dinner in town.  Our plan was to go to the famous Ohio Club downtown, but they were now closed on Tuesdays….their website said only closed Wednesdays. Bummer! So, we opted for the rooftop grill of The Avenue Restaurant and Bar, where we had late drinks the night before. We had a pleasant casual dinner with good food and a nice server who tried very hard but really needs to do something else.

Em saw a funky dress in a shop window and bought it for the Taylor Swift concert she’d be going to in a couple of nights in Houston.

Off to bed after a very hot day of hiking.

Little Rock

April 19

Packed up the car and checked out of Dame Fortune’s Cottage Court. We drove to the funky and very good Kollective Coffee and Tea downtown for breakfast pastry and coffee.

We had recently learned that Bill Clinton’s childhood home was less than one mile from the motel we stayed at, so we drove by it. People live there so it’s not a place to actually go to. They actually have a sign on the lawn that says, “No Tours”.

Then, on to Little Rock for the day.

First stop: Clinton Presidential Library. The Library structure is unique and hovers over the shore of the Arkansas River.

I don’t think we have ever laughed as much at any other Presidential Library.  There were some very funny videos featuring the Clinton’s mostly spoofing themselves and their political detractors. It’s a beautiful library.

We had an outstanding lunch on the patio at Cafe 42 at the library.

From here we drove to Little Rock Central High School. This was the first integrated high school in America, and is a National Historic Site. It is a very large and beautiful school building, and it is still an active high school.  We spent about 20 minutes at the Visitor Center across the street learning the history.

From here we drove across town to the Big Dam Bridge. This is the country’s longest pedestrian/bicycle bridge.  It spans the Arkansas River, and is built on top of a lock and dam. We walked about one-third of the 4,000 feet across.

While driving in the area of the Big Dam Bridge we saw recent tornado damage.

Having completed our Little Rock checklist, we headed out to see Bill Clinton’s birthplace in Hope, Arkansas. This is a Historic Site about 1 1/2 hours away, and on the way to our intended pit stop for the night, Texarkana.

Grabbed a motel in Texarkana, Arkansas for the night, on our way to Dallas for a day.

Next: Dallas to Galveston