Finally, the forecast is calling for no rain and it’s a great day to visit the Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs. Bathhouse Row today consists of 8 bathhouse buildings that were constructed between the years of 1892 and 1923. This area along with the Grand Promenade is a National Historic Landmark District.
The Fordyce Bathhouse was our first stop to get our first National Park cancellation stamp in our Passport Book (first of many!). In its heyday, this had to be a state-of-the-art facility with baths, massages, exercise rooms, and most importantly, the hot springs filled with minerals. We learned that the hot springs in this area come out of the ground at 143 degrees and it originates from rainfall over 4000 years ago that seeped through the earth and rock formations, then is forced back up from fissures to exit the ground in various locations and can never be turned off. From the intricate floor tiles to the stained-glass ceilings on 3 floors, the costumes of that bygone era, it is truly a worthwhile visit.
Our next stop was the Lamar Bathhouse to purchase our National Park stamps, a dog scarf, and a drinking bottle we filled with the local mineral water.
The promenade is a wide sidewalk flanked by large Magnolia trees (fully green) and holly bushes (in bloom with red berries) on the other side. Here’s where I sat with Santa and told him all my Christmas wishes and we walked through the Christmas ornament arch. Justice met a lot of dogs; this is a very dog-friendly area! We stopped for some refreshments at Superior Bathhouse brewery for a beer for Ron, water for Justice and me. The brewery provided a water bowl and a free doggie scarf for all 4-legged visitors.
At several points, you can access hot springs coming right out of the mountains. Dipping our hands in, you can feel how hot the water is – really amazing.
From here we opted to visit the Observation Tower for some beautiful views overlooking the Hot Springs area. There is a long and winding road leading to the Tower and after parking you enter the visitor center to take an elevator up to the top where you can walk around the observation deck. It is a spectacular view of the town and surrounding countryside of hills and woods.
Later in the evening, at the campsite, we were going to wash dishes and discovered that our hot water tank would not come on. After several attempts to no avail, we knew there was a problem. We googled local RV repair and found a company that makes house calls. In a couple hours, the repair technician arrived and after a few minutes of testing, he determined that our thermocouple was bad. A few minutes and a couple hundred dollars later, he had us back in hot water.
2025 Airstream Travels 