Okay, don’t make fun of my lack of geographical knowledge…but when I started planning the Tennessee Loop, the fact that I had to pass through Arkansas to access Louisiana came as a surprise. Just being honest.
Then I remembered one of the YouTube couples we have been following for over a year went to Hot Springs. I plotted it out by travel day distance (EVERYTHING gets plotted out by distance first), and Hot Springs became the Arkansas landing spot. This is sort of the half way point so I booked us three days and four nights here. I totally copied Craig and Victoria’s itinerary too.
I have never been to Arkansas so this was going to be an adventure all itself…and I get a new state sticker. 🙂
WEST MEMPHIS
We actually landed in Arkansas two days earlier than planned. I had booked us a state park just outside of Memphis, Tennessee. But Gary read the reviews and after the awful road into Fall Creek Falls State Park and the terrible site (not level and definitely not a pull thru) in Cedars of Lebanon, I have been grounded from state parks. So, we booked a KOA in West Memphis, Arkansas, just outside of Memphis. (There is no Memphis blog but I dropped two videos about our time in Memphis. Click the buttons to see them!!!)
After the KOA we headed to Hot Springs. Who knew there were mountains in Arkansas. First, in West Memphis, Arkansas looked a lot like south Georgia. It was flat and there were cotton fields. But further in we started going up again.
Arkansas has interesting off ramps. They use a lot of service roads that run parallel to the highway so they very quickly dump you off onto the service road. This took us greatly by surprise.
Hot Springs Campground and RV Park
I had even booked where Wild RV Life had stayed, at the Hot Springs Campground and RV Park. We turned right into the Campground and were immediately facing a very large hill. I went into the office and the lovely manager, Nona, greeted me by name! Super sweet people. She pulled out a map, highlighted my site and how to get there….it was the top most right hand corner. I said, “Ma’am, I have a 41 foot Class A.” She asked if we booked on line, I had. I said “I need to see the site.” So I tell Gary “I am walking it.” I head UP the hill. Gary was walking also. We got to the top and wanted to cry. BUT, there was Nona, climbing up after us. She had a pull through site closer to the bottom that she could give us. We dropped the car and plotted our route. The roads were only one lane and not marked one way or another so I literally ran ahead of the RV up the hill to make sure no cars were coming down. He then turned down another street to approach the site. And we were in. 🙂
We had no yard so I set up the chairs on the driveway behind the RV - the sun was setting on the windshield and it was still warm here in Arkansas in late October!
Garvan Woodland Gardens
The next day we set out for Garvan Woodland Gardens. I have shared this on Facebook, but in case you didn’t see it….DID you KNOW that you can get a reciprocal membership to almost 400 botanical gardens across the US by purchasing a membership to one? I used my birthday money and paid $75.00 for the two of us for one year and this gives us access to botanical gardens all over the nation!!! I can’t wait to try it out!
We received a map and it looked a little daunting. There were multiple trails off the main trail and it was printed on legal size paper with very small print. It turns out the distances are NOT that far. And some of the main paths are paved. I thoroughly enjoyed Garvan Woodland Gardens. I had very low expectations for blooming flowers this time of year. But there were azaleas blooming, nice fall mums, some camellias and the Southern Garden was showing off! We even saw wild flowers from the wildflower lookout.
Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, AR
Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, AR
Full Moon Bridge, Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, AR
The park staff and volunteers were busy decorating for Christmas with so many lights. I am truly sorry I will miss the holiday lights, there were some I have never seen before and I am sure it is going to be spectacular.
Christmas Decorations at Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, AR
Christmas lights at Garvin Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, AR
There is a children’s garden with sculptures and a tree house for them to explore. I was so wishing I had all of the grandchildren with me!
The Tree House in the Children’s Garden at Garvan Woodland Gardens
And at the edge of the children’s garden was a fairy garden with all sorts of little buildings. It was very sweet. There was also a train village set up, although due to lack of volunteers the train was not running the day we visited day.
We headed back to the gift shop for post cards and then what I thought was the last thing to see. This, my friends, is the Anthony Chapel at Garvan Woodland Gardens.
Anthony Chapel, Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, AR
Anthony’s Chapel in Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, AR
While the gardens largely began in the 1950’s, it was taken over by the University of Arkansas in 1993 but the Chapel was not completed until 2006. It is made up of natural pine, glass, steel and native flagstone for the floors. It seats 200 and is rented out for weddings. I wanted to burst into song as I am sure the acoustics are amazing. This was the prettiest chapel I had ever been in. I didn’t feel like I could linger because there is a constant flow of traffic. While I understand God is not contained in a building, this was just a very beautiful place that felt almost sacred.
The last thing we saw was the structure for the bells. It is called a carillion. We got to hear it chime 1:00 when we were about to enter the chapel.
Carillon at Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, AR
This might be my new favorite day. God has just created so much beauty for us to enjoy. This had so many outdoor elements to enjoy. I highly recommend you make a trip to Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas!!
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Our second day of excursion took us to the town of Hot Springs. Let me tell you, in its heyday, this was a happening place. People from all over traveled to sit in the water derived from the hot springs. So many testimonies of people arriving in wheel chairs and walking out under their own power.
The history dates way back to Native Americans who reportedly enjoyed the springs and called it a neutral zone, allowing all tribes to come together at this spot. It is said that Hernando DeSoto was here in the 1500s. The French then owned this land but it was purchased in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. President Jefferson sent two men to check out the land 1804. In 1832 President Andrew Jackson declared the area as Hot Springs Reservation making it the first federal reservation in American history. It later became a National Park.
Today the town has a lot of empty buildings, including a gigantic Army and Navy General Hospital that used the thermal mineral water for medicinal purposes. It opened in 1887 but was closed by the military in 1960. They sold it to the State who ran a rehab facility until they completely closed the doors in 2019.. There is also a good amount of restoration and rehabilitation happening, which is good news. The original buildings were wooden and the town often was threatened by fire, in 1913 60 city blocks burned. After that, all reconstruction was to be of brick and stone.
Bathhouse in Hot Springs, Arkansas
There were so many different hotels that offered the Hot Bath services. Hot Springs has done a great job of sharing their history and educating people. There is a visitor center with free access to all four stories of one of the original bath houses, complete with a 17 minute educational video.
The saddest thing I saw was a sign that acknowledged that once antibiotics were invented in the 1950s, people stopped coming in droves for its healing qualities. God has always supplied exactly what we need.
The water literally comes out of the ground at 143 degrees. Your hot water heater in your home is probably set at 120 degrees. There are a number of places where the springs can be seen. One spot is along a lovely spot called Arlington Lawn lined with magnolias and the spring can be seen in its natural habitat, coming out of the ground steaming , and down the side of the mountain, pooling at the bottom.
There are also some spots in town where you can see it gushing out of a pipe and steaming. Throughout town there are stations where you can fill up water containers for free. I accessed some of the hot water - the cold water has been treated with an ozone filtration. The hot stuff is pure liquid gold. I carry a metal water bottle so I filled it up. Glass jugs can be purchased at different businesses in town for this express purpose.
Another super cool piece of history about Hot Springs…Baseball’s spring training began HERE. In 1886 the president of the Chicago White Stockings (Later the Chicago Cubs), took his team to Hot Springs for preseason training. That year they won the National League pennant!!!
From the 1890s until the 1940s Hot Springs became the destination for Major League, Minor League and Negro League teams for spring training. However, areas like Florida, Arizona and California started competing for spring training with more reliable weather and better facilities.
Today the four fields are non-existent or a ghost of their prior days. We walked for miles to see some historical markers and to see an old forsaken field. But it was a little like the field of dreams. If you closed your eyes and stood still you could almost hear the crack of the bat, the cheering fans and the hum of days of old.
The former grandeur and beauty of this town is still evident. I hope that they continue to find ways to restore the old buildings and generate tourist traffic.
This was an evening I had planned dinner out. Earlier in the day, Gary found a Mediterranean restaurant with a nice looking eggplant dish he was interested in. This is kinda of a big deal. Back in Columbus I have a friend I go to Thai food with, I used to have a friend that went to eat Mexican with before she moved back to Indiana…trying new foods isn’t usually on his Pennsylvania Dutch palate.
THE GOAT
So we ventured to The Goat. I told the waitress I had never eaten Mediterranean and I wanted the full experience. She suggested the chicken shawarma and that is what I ordered. We had a wonderful meal bursting with flavors. Gary enjoyed his stuffed eggplant
and I enjoyed my chicken shawarma.
The GOAT, Hot Springs, Arkansas
I could not finish dinner and got a to go dish (which was TWO lunches). However, I did think it was important for us to fully embrace the experience so I ordered the single baklava.
Baklava, The GOAT, Hot Springs, AR
It was just enough sweet yumminess to top off a wonderful day.
Get out there, friends. Visit somewhere you have never been, even if it is your own town. Go explore. Learn a new historical fact you didn't know before. Try a new restaurant, a new food, or let the waitress order for you. Adventure. Live life while you are living.