wsoxrebel

I'm planning a small roadtrip this Spring and want to revisit Hot Springs and "take the cure"

Has anyone visited lately to pass on any fresh tips?

RedRock

We visited there several years ago and found the place much over rated. Some of the Bath Houses were closed or a little run down, don't know if that is true or not now.. I hope not.. We did enjoy some of the things the National park had to offer. We have found other areas of the state much more interesting.

http://www.nps.gov/state/ar/

happytourist

One bathhouse is the National Park Service headquarters--be sure to take the tour of their building to see how the baths were done in the old days. Another baththouse is currently in use and is very popular (the Buckstaff). There are several other spas in town that are not old bathhouses. See http://www.hotsprings.org/things_to_...t.asp?cat_id=1 for current listings.

Hot Springs was just rated the number one "value" town to retire in by Warren Bland, who writes a book on retirement towns. There are many other things to do here besides the baths. Go to Lake Ouachita State Park and take a ranger tour; visit the spring flowers at Garvan Woodland Gardens; visit the President Clinton Library in Little Rock; go to the horse races at Oaklawn (end of January to mid-April); go crystal mining; visit the many art galleries downtown (first Friday of the month is Gallery Walk); eat at some of the finest restaurants in the South (Chef Paul's, Belle Arte, Brickhouse).

wsoxrebel

Plans got speeded up. I'll be there early February. What outdoor options would still be good then?

And tell me more about crystal mining, sounds interesting..

happytourist

Well, you can still do the bathhouse tour and the spa. Garvan Gardens won't have anything blooming (too bad--their spring dogwood, flowering bulbs and azaleas are simply gorgeous).

Here is the site for Lake Ouachita State Park: http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/pa...vents.asp?id=9
The eagle tours usually continue through February, although the schedule hasn't been posted yet. You could call them for more information.

I don't know where you live, but February can often be really warm and pleasant here. Are you interested in hiking? Both the state park and the Ouachita National Forest have good trails. You could also go to the top of the lookout in Hot Springs, take a drive up scenic Highway 7 to Ola, go to Petit Jean State Park (about 1 1/2 hours from Hot Springs--a tabletop mountain with spectacular views), play golf at the Hot Springs country club, go to the races (just to look at the horses, if nothing else). They may still have the outdoor ice skating rink up in downtown Hot Springs.

I can also give you some restaurant recommendations if you like. I live in Hot Springs Village, a gated golf course community about 15 miles from Hot Springs. If you're thinking about retirement, I can arrange a tour for you.