Exploring the Hot Springs Arkansas Region

1. The Hot Springs Woodland Garden, featuring wooded gardens set on a peninsula surrounded by Lake Hamilton

2. Mining for Diamonds about 45 minutes southwest (didn’t find any – darn!) in the only place that has them in North America

3. Hiking in Petit Jean State Park about 1.5 hours north – nice river, great views, well-maintained trail, and a large venomous snake

4. Hiking the Buck’s Loop at Iron Springs – featured quartz crystals in the rocks on the hillside, fields of ripe wild blueberries for the taking, a nice trail, and some overlooks

5. Hot Springs National Park – the first park set aside (in the 1820s) by Congress, featuring 18 thermal (143 degrees F) springs, bath houses, shops, and hiking trails

6. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock (1 hour east) – a weird-looking building capturing most of what happened in the 1990s with a unique spin

7. And a 1.5-hour boat ride on Lake Hamilton, providing views of lakefront homes and some local history

Quick Tips:

Besides the normal tourist guides, check the phone book. We found many discounts for mini-golf, bowling, meals, tours, etc.

Best Way To Get Around:

From the resort, you can walk to several restaurants and a mall. You need a car to get to most other places. The resort offers group tours throughout the week, using their van.

Best Things Nearby:
A wonderful Italian restaurant on a hill next to the resort. Lake Hamilton has a small inlet into the resort. Hot Springs National Park is about 7 miles away.

Best Things About the Resort:
Water access to Lake Hamilton, with nice views of lake. Nice pool. Watched Memorial Day fireworks from resort balcony.

Resort Experience:
We stayed in a lodge two-bedroom that was rated privacy for four but sleeps eight. We had another couple and their two teenage sons join us, and it was cramped. This was the smallest two-bedroom unit we have ever stayed in during our 25 years exchanging with RCI. There were only place settings for six, and we had to have two chairs brought in to seat six. To balance this, the staff was very helpful and did their best with what they had.

We were able to walk to several restaurants, though, by crossing the street in front of the resort--not for anyone who needs lots of time to cross streets.

Hot Springs National Park is located right in the city and is very touristy (like Gatlinburg, TN). It was a short car ride to get there from the resort, and one could hike or get a thermal bath right from the park.

The resort has a long dock and one could rent boats nearby and tie up part of the time. Lake Hamilton is a dammed river and is thus a long, interesting lake to explore by boat, with many expensive homes along the shore. There is also a steamboat that one can take to tour the lake if one doesn't want to handle their own boat.

Our unit was very poorly lit and hard to read in after dark. On the other hand, there were TVs in three places. Shades were very poor at blocking light, and thus, if you want to sleep late, bring blindfolds.

We were able to make several daytrips to nice parks and other attractions during our stay. They had a bunch of activities scheduled which appeared to cover many interests.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Fair
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Very Good

The park rises from the plains surrounding it. We stopped at an overlook when we first entered the park for great views. Then we drove to the lodge. From there, it's a short but steep hike down to Cedar Creek and then up the creek to the falls. Water was a little light for the day, but the falls and rocks around it were still quite impressive.

Backtracking, we then continued along the creek until we reached the Boy Scout Trail crossing. There was no one else on the this trail. Lots of wildflowers, and as we were admiring one, we came upon a large cottonmouth snake in its den. It was happy to let us look (not too closely!).

We then hiked up from the creek and spent a little time in the seven rock formations on the south side of the park before returning to the bear cave and the lodge. It was a nice three-hour hike and could be extended to a full loop around the park, as they have over 20 miles of trails.

We walked around this botanical garden and enjoyed the many waterfalls, trails, plantings, and views. They have a mini-stonehenge circle, a large pavillion, a snack bar, a bonsai exhibit, Japanese garden, wildflower garden, and many types of paths and trails. The gardens are very extensive. They are building a kids' area to make this interesting for younger children. Hydrangea, annuals, and wildflowers were all in bloom when we visited. Occasionally, we found vistas looking down on the Lake. A very enjoyable afternoon outing.

During the day, the downtown is bustling with like a typical tourist town - people hawking tours, timeshares, and who knows what else to those walking up and down the streets. Many little shops are opposite the park buildings. The park buildings are the preserved bath houses and form a boulevard. This park was set aside by the Federal Government in the 1830s and became a NP in the 1920s.

From downtown, we hiked along the Promenade and saw views of the buildings and visited an open spring. Water was hot (120F+), as promised. Surprisingly, the hot water is not a result of a volcano but simply cracks in the earth that let it escape from deep down. We hiked around the top of the mountain. At night, the downtown is very quiet and pleasant to walk around.