When we came to Hot Springs on our first attempt it was right at the beginning of the pandemic. All of the indoor spaces were closed except the brewery which is housed in one of the old bath houses. We were able to hike the Grand Promenade but that was about it.
I really wanted to come back to see the inside of the bath houses and to do some actual hikes. The visitor center is now housed in the Fordyce Bath House which has preserved it as a museum. It was really cool to see everything as it was originally made and used. We camped at Gulpha Gorge campground right on the stream which gave us easy access to some hiking trails as well. I found a cool rock that was almost a perfect cube.
I (Liz) came back alone to the Quapaw Bath House and paid $20 to soak in the public mineral water pools. The bath house was incredibly clean and well maintained. They limited the number of visitors so it didn’t feel at all crowded. The 4 pools range in temperature with the intention of soaking in a hot (104°) for a bit before going to a cooler (98°) one to cool off. There was a little Cafe inside that had a nice lunch special where I grabbed some lunch. It was wonderful to soak in the hot pools. Definitely a must-do if you’re visiting.
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