“Soaking in” Hot Springs

October 7 – 14, 2020

Knowing that we had a 6 hour day ahead of us, we were packed up and on the road by 9 a.m. We almost immediately noticed a rather bad vibration and remarked that we expected the roads (almost all interstate) to be smoother on this leg of our journey. Just to be sure, we stopped at a Loves Truck Stop to visually inspect the tires. Since all seemed to be well, we continued on our way. After vibrating down the highway for a bit, we speculated that we might have a problem with one of the front tires on the truck. We diverted into a rest area where Bill swapped out the right front tire with the spare. We figured that if it were a tire problem, we had a 50-50 chance of correcting the issue. Back on the highway, our guess proved to be wrong as the vibration intensified. At this point we weren’t sure whether we actually had a tire issue or something mechanical going on. We stopped at yet another Loves near Blytheville, Arkansas to consider out options. After a Google search and a couple of phone calls, we found Raben Tire and Auto Service in Blytheville. They took one look at the left front truck tire and immediately diagnosed that the belt was separating. Kudos to these guys as they quickly did a tire swap and got us back on the road. Wow – what a difference!

Just south of Blytheville, we began to encounter smoke along I-55. A common practice in northeastern Arkansas is crop field burning to remove the organic residue and prepare the field for the next season. The practice has voluntary practice guidelines but the smoke can be quite dense.

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The various stops for our tire issue had cost us about 3 hours which put us around Little Rock at rush hour. Between the traffic and construction there, we lost another half hour. We finally arrived at our campground around 6:30 after the office had closed. Fortunately they had directions and park information waiting for us in the kiosk. After a minimal set-up it was time to relax.

Catherine’s Landing

Our home base for the week was Catherine’s Landing an RVC Outdoor Destination. The DRV Owners Group had used this resort for a rally so we knew our rig would fit. The resort includes a heated saline pool, water frontage on Lake Catherine with boat rentals, a disc golf course, large pavilion, hiking trails, dog parks, a zip line, and fabulous sunsets.

Downtown Hot Springs

The next afternoon we drove into downtown Hot Springs. I wanted to go to the National Park Visitor Center located in the Fordyce Bathhouse but it was closed due to Covid. Fortunately the Bathhouse Row Emporium located in the Lamar Bathhouse was open so I was able to get my passport stamp. From there, we continued our walk along Bathhouse Row enjoying the unique and lovely architecture.

The first bathhouses were crude structures of canvas and lumber, little more than tents perched over individual springs or reservoirs carved out of the rock. Later, businessmen built wooden structures, but they frequently burned, collapsed because of shoddy construction, or rotted due to continued exposure to high temperatures and humidity. As the bathhouses continued to grow in popularity, the park’s superintendent deemed that more resilient and fireproof structures were needed. Starting in 1896, many of the wooden bathhouses were replaced with the bathhouses that we see today made of masonry and steel.

The Bathhouse Row you see today consists of eight bathhouse buildings that were constructed between the years of 1892 and 1923. This area along with the Grand Promenade was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1987.

nps.gov

The original main entrance to the Reservation (Park) was between the Maurice and Fordyce Bathhouses directly below the Stevens Balustrade, at about the center of Bathhouse Row. The two bronze federal eagles on their stone pillars still stand guard over the old entrance, forming a gateway to the concrete path that leads between the two bathhouses up to the baroque double staircase of the balustrade. Below the eagles are the names of Secretaries of the Interior Hoke Smith (1893-96) and John Noble (1889-93) and “U.S. Hot Springs Reservation.” The balustrade itself is of limestone ashlar masonry and concrete construction. The central bay houses a vaulted hemicycle niche containing a drinking fountain. The upper portion of the balustrade leads to the Promenade. A bandstand was located along the top of the balustrade on the Promenade, but it was removed because of its deteriorated condition in 1958. 

nps.gov

After completing the walk along Bathhouse Row we crossed to the other side of Central Avenue to investigate some of the shops and restaurants. While there, we decided to have an early dinner at the historic Ohio Club – Arkansas oldest bar.

It all started in 1905 as a Bar and Casino. The Ohio Club has been a stop off place for many a celebrity. Al Capone, Bugsy Segel, Bugs Moran, Lucky Luciano, just to name a few of the gangsters and it was also visited by many Major League Ball players since they had spring training in Hot Springs in the early 1900’s. Babe Ruth was the most famous to visit. Because of all the gambling that went on in Hot Springs, many headliner talents were brought to Hot Springs. In 1915 Al Jolson performed at the Ohio Club, Mid 30’s saw Mae West perform and an entire host of Blues and Jazz performers played though the 60’s. Live entertainment is still the mainstay at the Ohio Club with music 7 nights a week.

The Ohio Club

Needing to walk off our dinner, we climbed the steps beyond the Arlington Lawn at the north end of Bathhouse Row for a stroll along the Grand Promenade.

The Grand Promenade is now a National Recreation Trail. It runs on the east side of Bathhouse Row, behind Bathhouse Row, between Reserve Street and Fountain Street. It is between a quarter of a mile and a half-mile in distance, and it’s a brick walkway. It is sort of a complement to the Magnolia Promenade, the sidewalk that runs in front of Bathhouse Row. The Grand Promenade had its origins in some inspiration by an architect named Charles Peterson, who talked about the Prado, a pedestrian walkway in Havana, Cuba. So that was his inspiration, and they graded for the path. There was a roadway to the Tower and also a supply road back here, but they graded all that to an even level in the 1930s. They put bricks from the south end up to almost halfway, around the early 1940s, and for awhile the rest of it, going over toward Fountain Street, was just basically a gravel walkway. However, they did end up finishing the Grand Promenade in the late 1950s. They completely changed the south entrance, which had been a straight up-and-down staircase, with this almost spiral pattern, and then adding the staircase here. They also moved the Noble Fountain from its place closer to Central Avenue, toward a location just at the end of the Grand Promenade. The Grand Promenade features landscaped scenery. It has fountains, so that you can “quaff the elixir,” as they used to say of drinking the hot spring water, along the way. Exercise was part of the cure, but of course this was a social resort as well as a medical one. So you would certainly want to promenade in your finery, here at this great social resort, this great American spa. And if you wanted just to sit down and relax, this was a good place to do it. They even provided tables and seating, so that you could play checkers or chess along the way.

nps.gov

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As we exited the Promenade at Reserve Street we couldn’t help but be impressed by the imposing 200,000 square foot structure of the Hot Springs Rehabilitation Center – once the Army – Navy Hospital.

Hot Springs National Park

The next day we drove the Hot Springs Mountain Scenic Drive in the national park. The drive, originally built as a carriage road in the 1880s, starts at the end of Fountain Street off Central Avenue. It continues through a series of switchbacks until you reach the Pagoda overlook and the Hot Spring Mountain Tower. Since they were limiting the number of people in the tower (and gift shop), we took the short walk down to the Pagoda overlook instead.

We continued along the North Mountain Loop back down to Fountain Street.

Garvan Woodland Gardens

On another day, we took a friend’s suggestion and went to explore the Garvan Woodland Gardens.

Welcome to Garvan Woodland Gardens, the botanical garden of the University of Arkansas. Nestled in the picturesque Ouachita Mountains of Southwest Arkansas, the Gardens are a wonderful gift to all people from local industrialist and philanthropist Verna Cook Garvan.

Garvan Woodland Gardens is an example of The Natural State at its best: a canopy of pines reaching skyward providing protection for delicate flora and fauna, gentle lapping waves that unfold along the 4 ½ miles of wooded shoreline, and rocky inclines that remind us of the surrounding Ouachita Mountains.

Garvan Woodland Gardens’ mission is to preserve and enhance a unique part of the Ouachita environment; provide people with a place of learning, research, cultural enrichment, and serenity; develop and sustain gardens, landscapes, and structures of exceptional aesthetics, design, and construction; and partner with and serve communities of which the Gardens is a part.

From the dynamic architectural structures to the majestic botanical landscapes, Garvan Woodland Gardens offers breathtaking sights (and fantastic photo opportunities) at every turn.

garvangardens.org

Since viewing hours of Anthony Chapel were limited, we went there first.

Set on a hillside overlooking Lake Hamilton, the majestic Anthony Chapel is a serene sanctuary nestled among the dense pines and hardwoods of Garvan Woodland Gardens. An elegant blend of native wood, glass and stone, the 160-seat chapel boasts a soaring vaulted wood and glass ceiling surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, amassing more than 9,860 square feet of glass that reveals the woodland canopy and sky above and surrounds visitors with breathtaking views of Lake Hamilton and the surrounding forest.
The impressive 57-foot-high Anthony Chapel ceiling is supported by an intricate cross-beam system and massive yellow pine columns. Expansive windows allow an ever-changing dance of sunlight and shadows on the native flagstone floors. At night, dramatic wall sconces project a golden glow that softly illuminates the interior, contrasting with the darkness of the surrounding forest.

garvangardens.org

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After that we followed the paths through some of the various themed gardens. Some are designed around children’s features including the

• Sugg Model Train Garden which consists of 389 feet of track and 259 trestles and encompasses three independent operating loops
• Children’s Adventure Garden with Treehouse and Cedar Bridge
• Fairy Garden

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Several are designed around unique bridge and water features including streams, ponds, and waterfalls.

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Still others feature beautiful flowers and woodland views and inhabitants.

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New Tires

We took a day off so that Bill could take the truck into Little Rock for all new tires. He wanted to put on a set of 6 matched Goodyear tires. So, the truck got “new shoes”!!

Lake Catherine State Park

For our final outing we spent a day investigating nearby Lake Catherine State Park. The Lake is one of five lakes in the Ouachita Mountain region. The park includes a launch ramp, pavilion, picnic sites, playgrounds, and three well-marked trails . We choose to hike the Falls Branch Trail that leads to the scenic waterfall on Falls Creek.

Transiting to Texas

We absolutely loved our time in Hot Springs. We didn’t really have an opportunity to enjoy a spa treatment in one of the bathhouses so we didn’t literally soak in Hot Springs. Perhaps next time. For now, we’re on to Texas.