After leaving Oklahoma City early we headed to Little Rock Arkansas for the remainder of the week. Scott booked a lovely little RV park on the river, right across from the Clinton Presidential Library.
We did not go in the library, though we did wander through the nearby “William E. Clark Presidential Park Wetlands” and saw a Great Blue Heron.
We tried out Lime e-scooters and took a tour around Little Rock. The downtown was much smaller than we expected. It apparently was also prom, because we kept seeing high schoolers in fancy dress clothes. Many were taking photos around the Clinton Presidential Library.
Friday evening we checked the weather for our upcoming travel day (on Saturday) and it looked like we were going to get drenched, something like 2 inches in an hour so we postponed our travel day to Sunday and avoided the rain.
Our next stop was Hot Springs, Arkansas. The first National Park scheduled for this year. According to their history, this Hot Springs location has been a travel destination since the 1800s when people would travel here for their health to soak in and drink the mineral water. At this point there is only one visible hot spring runoff; the rest were covered and diverted to the Bathhouses.
The main attraction in town is Bathhouse Row, a street that used to be full of establishments where you could get the full “bathing regiment” for your health. Most of the buildings have been renovated and are used as shops. One is the National Park Visitor Center and is a bit of a museum showing their history.
Two establishments still function as places you can soak in the spring water. The Quapaw offers soaking pools and other modern-day spa treatments. The Buckstaff Bathhouse provides the treatment it has used since it was founded in 1912.
We chose to experience the traditional bath regimen. There were different spaces for men and women, so Scott and I went our separate ways and had different experiences. We both opted to wear bathing suits, but that was not required. We started in a little room where we undressed and placed all our belongings in a locker. I was then wrapped with a white sheet by an attendant. I received a 20 minute bath that ended with a loofah scrub by a different bathing attendant. I was again wrapped in the sheet. My next station was a table I laid on with hot towels on my back, legs, and torso, and a cold towel over my face/neck. Then I went into the hotbox, kind of a personal sauna with steam from the hot mineral water, but closed over your shoulders and your head sticking out (apparently the vapors aren’t great to breathe in). My final station was a little tub for just my bum (it’s on the right in the above photo with the shower – that little porcelain footbath looking thing). The tub was on a bench, my legs went over the side. Scott said his station also had hot water splashing down his back. Along the journey, I was offered water, which was a cup of ice filled with hot mineral water (cooling it off). Scott also experienced these stations, but in a different order. He got the bath, the bum tub, the box, then the table. It’s certainly a throwback to a different era, but we both think experiencing this routine once was enough for us.
There were some hikes, but not a lot compared to some of the other parks we’ve visited. The hikes are all surrounding the “tower” which is privately owned and operated but constructed in the park.
There was also a horse racing venue in town. Neither Scott nor I had been to a horse race before so we decided to see what it was like. They had 8 or 9 races, each with 8 horses. We bet on two races (I lost, Scott won a few, but we spent more than we gained).
Next stop Mississippi!