Long Weekend trip to Hot Springs with lots of friends
Jul 25th, 2008, 06:42 AM
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Long Weekend trip to Hot Springs with lots of friends
My friends and I are planning a getaway in mid-august. We are coming from Dallas area, and will be driving to Hot Springs, AR. There will probably be 8 travellers (including 3 couples), and we plan to stay in a vacation rental (just need to find the right fit for our group).
We will be there for 3 nights, and were thinking that day 1 will be our more active day of outdoor fun, then day 2 possibly we will go to the hot spring spas. Plans and activities will likely rely upon where we end up staying. We are open to other destinations outside of the city of Hot Springs, but we don't want to make the drive time from Dallas much beyond 5 hours.
I know there are some Arkansas experts out there!
We will be there for 3 nights, and were thinking that day 1 will be our more active day of outdoor fun, then day 2 possibly we will go to the hot spring spas. Plans and activities will likely rely upon where we end up staying. We are open to other destinations outside of the city of Hot Springs, but we don't want to make the drive time from Dallas much beyond 5 hours.
I know there are some Arkansas experts out there!
Jul 30th, 2008, 03:56 PM
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There are lots of vacation rentals in the Hot Springs area--it's quite busy in the summer b/c of all the lakes. You might try looking on VRBO to see what you can find; also just google "Hot Springs vacation rentals" and that should link you up with other rental agencies. I think that Hot Springs stays busy through the summer so you really should start looking now. Lake Katherine and Lake Ouachita are also popluar lakes in the area and are really pretty.
The bath house that's open in downtown for bath services is the Fordyce (I think--it's been a while since I went there). You might want to look into this further b/c it's a communal type bath house; not a lot of privacy as you go between bath areas, steam areas, etc. I like being in my own private space, but if being almost naked (or just naked!) around strangers of the same gender doesn't bother you, then you'll be fine. I should add, though, that the bath felt good, as did the massage at the end.
There are hotels in the downtown area that offer massage and bath services and I think they are more private. The Arlington Hotel is one such place and is also a popular place to stay. When we got to HS overnight, we rent a condo. My parents rent it from some friends who own it though, so I can't pass along a specific rental agency to you.
I know from driving down by Lake Hamilton that there are places that rent boats, if you're interested in that. I would suggest being very careful, however, if you take a boat out on Lake Hamilton on a weekend--it's crazy out there. I feel like it's way too crowded with boats, barges, and jet skis and so many of the jet skis are being driven by kids and teens. I no longer feel safe on that lake during summer weekends, but that's just me.
One more thought--check the Arkansas Boards on Tripadvisor and you can often find Hot Springs information there. Have a good trip!
The bath house that's open in downtown for bath services is the Fordyce (I think--it's been a while since I went there). You might want to look into this further b/c it's a communal type bath house; not a lot of privacy as you go between bath areas, steam areas, etc. I like being in my own private space, but if being almost naked (or just naked!) around strangers of the same gender doesn't bother you, then you'll be fine. I should add, though, that the bath felt good, as did the massage at the end.
There are hotels in the downtown area that offer massage and bath services and I think they are more private. The Arlington Hotel is one such place and is also a popular place to stay. When we got to HS overnight, we rent a condo. My parents rent it from some friends who own it though, so I can't pass along a specific rental agency to you.
I know from driving down by Lake Hamilton that there are places that rent boats, if you're interested in that. I would suggest being very careful, however, if you take a boat out on Lake Hamilton on a weekend--it's crazy out there. I feel like it's way too crowded with boats, barges, and jet skis and so many of the jet skis are being driven by kids and teens. I no longer feel safe on that lake during summer weekends, but that's just me.
One more thought--check the Arkansas Boards on Tripadvisor and you can often find Hot Springs information there. Have a good trip!
Jul 30th, 2008, 05:14 PM
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Thanks for your input everyone! I thought I put more of a question in the original post than I apparantly did. I guess I deleted it during revision, lol.
Yes I"m just interested to know about some of must-see/must-dos in the area. It helps to have some places to start on all the baths in the area.
Lake Hamilton sounds as bad as lake Lewisville down here when it comes to boating accidents. Maybe we'll look to other fun outdoor activities.
We will be staying in hot-springs villiage, which I belive is about 15 min outside of the city. Since we'll be driving in, does anyone know if its difficult to find parking downtown?
Yes I"m just interested to know about some of must-see/must-dos in the area. It helps to have some places to start on all the baths in the area.
Lake Hamilton sounds as bad as lake Lewisville down here when it comes to boating accidents. Maybe we'll look to other fun outdoor activities.
We will be staying in hot-springs villiage, which I belive is about 15 min outside of the city. Since we'll be driving in, does anyone know if its difficult to find parking downtown?
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ejcrowe
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Jul 2nd, 2008 11:15 AM
