Exploring Arkansas: Stunning Landscapes With a Few Bumps in the Road
Middle America Road Trip
Part 5-Arkansas
Like many of you, visiting all 50 US states is on my bucket list. So as we were developing the itinerary for our Middle America road trip (Phoenix, AZ to Kansas City, MO), we investigated what there was to see in Arkansas.
We could take a detour from Oklahoma City and head to western Arkansas. If we didn't take the detour, we'd miss the opportunity to check Arkansas off the list and we weren't sure when another opportunity would present itself. So, what did Arkansas offer?
One place that sparked interest was Hot Springs National Park. We love our National Parks! Plus, Hot Springs National Park and Bath House Row was in driving distance from Oklahoma City, albeit a 5.5 hour drive. We knew Hot Springs is small compared to other National Parks and located within a city—unusual for a National Park—but felt it would be worth a visit.
We extended our trip by a few days and included a detour to Arkansas to see the western part of the state where Hot Springs National Park and the Quachita and Ozark Mountains region is.
Are we happy we took the three-day detour? Yes. Would we return? No. Would we recommend the same trip? That depends. Read on.
The Drive From Oklahoma City to Hot Springs
With its rolling hills and winding roads through small towns, Arkansas's Quachita and Ozark Mountains region is a breath of fresh air. The scenery reminded me of some rural parts of New England, with its natural beauty and wildlife. Some of this association might be because we were there during peak foliage season. The colors were more impressive than I expected, even though they didn't cover the mountains like in New England during peak foliage.
We only saw wildlife as roadkill (lots of raccoons, opossums, and armadillos). I thought we'd see armadillos further west, but we didn't see one until we crossed the Arkansas border, and then there were quite a few—all dead on the roads. So, the region has lots of wildlife or underperforming road cleanup crews.
The ride to and from Hot Springs was relaxing and quite pleasant.
Hot Springs National Park and Bathhouse Row
Our motto is, ‘Never miss the opportunity to visit a National Park.’
But in the case of Hot Springs National Park, it’s essential to manage expectations. It’s only 5,500 acres with 26 miles of walking trails—significantly smaller than most National Parks and any we’ve visited. It’s also in the middle of Hot Springs (the city) with historic Bath House Row (8 bath houses built between 1892 and 1923) situated along the town’s busy main road that cuts through the middle of National Park designated land.
The one-way park loop drive is pretty and not crowded, but many pull offs for viewing are overgrown making the view non-existent. The natural thermal springs and Grand Promenade pedestrian walkway, which run behind the historic Bath Houses, are easily accessible. There are multiple locations to feel the different springs temperatures (waterfall, rock-sided pools) and a place where locals fill gallon milk jugs for drinking water. Although no outdoor spa facilities exist, several of the Bath Houses offer spa services.
Hot Springs has an interesting history. It’s important to note that the side of the main street where hotels, restaurants, and shops are is state land. The Bath Houses on the other side of the street are on federal land since it is National Park designated land. Baseball league teams came for the health benefits of the natural springs. Crime bosses like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano who had local law protection while on state land, came for the underground casino and speakeasy. Underground tunnels connecting businesses and the road's two sides kept them under cover from the Feds.
Garvan Woodland Gardens
Garvan Woodland Gardens, located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, is the botanical garden of the University of Arkansas. We were there on a day young families were celebrating Halloween and volunteers were offering free candy at different stations around the garden.
At the same time, the Gardens were preparing for Christmas, hanging many blue and white lights along the walkways and in trees. One volunteer told us they start about two months before Thanksgiving to complete all the holiday decorating—an impressive effort based on what we saw mid-process.
Anthony Chapel (bottom two photos) is known as ‘the glass chapel in the woods’. It’s on the Garden’s property and is a popular venue for weddings (in fact, we saw a bride and groom leaving by golf cart after their ceremony).
If you’re in the area, it’s worth a few hours.
Should You Plan a Visit to Hot Springs?
Would I recommend visiting Hot Springs, Arkansas? It’s not a slam dunk, and here are the pros and cons.
Cons: The state side of the road is a bit honky tonk with a cheap touristy vibe. Restaurants, including Ohio Club, Arkansas’ oldest bar, serve over-priced but below-average food. I’m sure there are better food options than we experienced—perhaps we were just unlucky, but after multiple disappointing meals, we opted for a salad at a fast-food chain one night. It was pretty good in comparison to the meals we had.
The Waters Hot Springs, a Hilton hotel, across the street from the Bath Houses was another disappointment. Even though it was a historic building with decent online reviews, we felt it was average at best. The carpeted floor in our room was uneven—the floor noticeably sank in an area in the middle of the room. I suspect the hotel took a shortcut and didn’t bother patching or skim coating the cement floor before installing the carpet. We found the hallways poorly lit and the small black and white floor tiles cracked or missing in places, making the public areas a perfect filming location as an institution in a scary movie. Lastly, the hotel seemed understaffed particularly in the lobby area. For these reasons, I can’t recommend staying there. Another nice option, although pricey, is the historic Arlington Resort and Hotel. It’s at the entrance to the loop road in the National Park. Also, Hot Springs has chain hotels within a few miles of Bath House Row, so there’s no need to stay in the heart of Hot Springs NP.
Pros: The drives are beautiful heading southeast from Oklahoma City to Hot Springs, and heading north from Hot Springs to Jasper, Missouri.
Drives through several sections of the park were also nice and there was no traffic or parking issues at pull offs (even during a peak weekend). Some areas are one lane, one way.
The springs and Bath House Row are unique as is the history of the area.
Bottom Line: If ‘Visit All 50 U.S. states’ is on your bucket list and you want a destination in Arkansas other than the Quachita and Ozark Mountains region, you should visit Hot Springs. If your bucket list includes, ‘Visit All U.S. National Parks’, manage your expectations for this park visit, as mentioned.
If you visit the park, don’t bother with the restaurants and shops on the state side of the street. One exception is to get a drink at the Ohio Club to see the historic bar and interior.
Another way to check Arkansas off your bucket list is to focus your visit on Branson, MO, and Missouri’s Ozark region, as there’s a lot to see and do there, and then extend your trip into northern/northwestern Arkansas for part of a day. Drive through the mountains as we did. If you’d like to learn more about Branson, visit Happily Ever Aging, a lifestyle blog created by Marge Dwyer on embracing all life has to offer as we age. I trust her opinions implicitly and she’s got a great article on Branson at Christmas season.
Full Disclosure: It could be that after days spent driving through quiet deserts, plains, and hills, and visiting quiet, clean cities with very hospitable people, the noise of lots of motorcycles and loud, souped up cars on the main drag, and the general vibe of Hot Springs (the city) was jolting.
Final Leg of Road Trip
After Arkansas, we traveled along Missouri’s western state border, making a quick detour into Kansas to see Galena’s famous Route 66 attractions that inspired the Pixar movie, Cars. I’ll cover that final leg of our road trip and will give you a breakdown of the daily miles and hotels we stayed in on our 2,200 mile route in case you want to replicate some or all of it. Stay tuned!
