Places to Visit While You’re Here in Hot Springs

Upcoming Festivals

Documentary Film Festival

October 15-25 2010

Click HERE for more information.

Hot Springs Jazz Fest 2010

September 14-19

Click HERE for more info.

Spa City Blues Society – 2010 Hot Springs Blues Festival

September 3-4 2010

Click HERE for more info.

New Resturaunts 2010

The Oyster Bar

510 Central Ave

Hot Springs, AR 71901

(501) 318-1100

Great family food and cajun dinners at a reasonable price.

Bohemia

517 Park Ave

Hot Springs, AR 71901

(501) 624-3903

This restaurant has great lunch prices for amazing high end food, yet a casual atmosphere.

Educational

Mid-America Science Museum

This museum is a great place to take your kids. There are plenty of interactive exhibits as well as a laser light show and a motion simulator. http://www.midamericamuseum.org/

National Park Museum

The Fordyce Bathhouse used to be a bathhouse, but now has been opened as a free museum where you can tour and see what this bathhouse was like in the past. http://www.nps.gov/hosp/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

Fun

Magic Springs

Magic Springs is the top family destination in Arkansas, with dozens of attractions appealing to every member of your family. Nestled at the foothills of the scenic Quachita Mountains, the beauty of our Magic Springs park is matched only by the thrill of its adrenaline-jolting signature coasters – X-Coaster and The Gauntlet. Other high-flying rides include Dr. Deans Rocket Machine – a free-fall not for the faint of heart – and Plummet Summit, the cool-down plunge everyone loves! www.magicsprings.com

T-Rex indoor minigolf

A Jurassic Park themed indoor miniature golf course located in the heart of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. based on “Jurassic Park,” each one of our 17 holes is a place of interest or pre-historic adventure. Each one of the holes is a Jurassic experience full of fun, adventure and excitement. T-Rex Jurassic Golf is in a blacklight setting to give the greatest experience of pre-historic times.

Tiny Town

Don’t come to Hot Springs without setting aside a couple of hours for Tiny Town. Further, there is an interactive component to the attraction. Pushbuttons along the rails start trains, fire guns in the miniature shooting gallery, initiate a bear-dance and more. A handmade town with a train exhibit. Great for small kids under 10.

Ride A Duck

The duck boats take you on a tour of the city of Hot Springs and also takes you out on Lake Hamilton. http://www.rideaduck.com/ducks/index.php?p=tour

Hiking, Biking, and Nature

Lake Ouachita State Park

Plan to spend a day at lake Ouachita where you can ride bikes, hike, swim, fish, play on the playground, rent boats, canoes, and paddle boats and just have fun.
Lake Ouachita is the third cleanest lake in the nation. The lake is 26 miles long and all the shoreline is forest except for the 7 marinas. There are no houses on the lake and theres plenty of islands to explore.
We highly suggest taking a day to rent a boat and have a picnic on one of the islands. Here’s a link to there website for more information.

Visitor Center

Head over to the Visitor Center downtown to get maps of all the great hiking trails in Hot Springs.

http://www.cityhs.net/dept-parks-gallery.html

Cedar Glades Park

This park has disc golf, playgrounds, a rock climbing wall, and biking/hiking trails. http://www.cedargladespark.com/

Click here to see the secret back entrance

Gulpha Gorge

This campground has hiking trails leading to downtow and the observation lookout. There is also a stream where you can wade in the water.

Panther Valley Ranch

Panther Valley Ranch is a great place to go horseback riding. Call ahead with a minimum group of five people. http://www.panthervalleyranch.com/

Coleman Crystal Mine

The Coleman Crystal Mine is a great place to search for quart crystals. This can be a lot of fun, but gets messy. http://www.colemanquartz.com/

Bathhouse

Quapaw Baths

The Quapaw Bathhouse is the public bathhouse in Hot Springs. It has big pools so a group can go together. http://www.quapawbaths.com

Buckstaff Bath

Buckstaff Bathhouse has individual bathing. This bath and spa is primarily for adults. www.buckstaffbaths.com

Charlton Springs

Charlton Springs is located about 35 minutes away on Highway 270. What makes it unique is that it’s a spring fed natural swimming pool. Even in the very hot weather, the water is always cold. It’s a great place to take the family hiking, fishing, and swimming. Charlton Springs also has a playground for the little ones. Your best bet is to watch the YouTube video to see what it’s like.

Here is a link to a description I wrote of things to do in Hot Springs in more detail. It may be worth reading or printing out. Here’s the link.

Nom Nom Nieves

The most popular ice cream and popsicle place in Hot Springs. There’s a place called Nom Noms on central ave. that is a Mexican ice cream and Popsicle place located in an old taco bell restaurant. The ice cream and popsicles are so good because they are made with fresh ingredients right on location. there are so many unique flavors and there stuff tastes so good you will most likely go a second time. For those who don’t like milk based products they have popsicle flavors such as lime or pineapple that taste so fresh you won’t believe it. Make sure you ask for a to sample a few of the flavors before you make your decision. A must see place in Hot Springs. Their facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/nomnomsnieves?ref=ts