Hot Springs National Park Self Guided Audio Tour

This is not to be confused with the National Park Visitor Center, further up Bathhouse Row. If the City Visitor Center is open, you can step inside and get a map of historic downtown Hot Springs. There are also restrooms inside, as well as brochures on area activities, and helpful staff on hand to answer your questions.

The Hill Wheatley Plaza consists of the City of Hot Springs Visitor Center, the water jug fountain, and Bill Clinton Park, which has two display fountains. The land for this plaza was donated by local Hot Springs businessman Hill Wheately, whose statue stands above one of the fountains in bill Clinton Park.

Bill Clinton Park was named after famous Hot Springs resident and former US President Bill Clinton. Take a rest in the shade of the trees, and admire the peaceful fountains.

The National Park Administration Building, on the corner of Central Avenue and Reserve Street, was built by the National Park in 1936, so it’s not one of the original bathhouses. There are two fountains in front of the building along Reserve Street: a decorative fountain, and a water jug fountain, the latter of which you are welcome to drink from.

The current Lamar Bathhouse was built in 1923, and now serves as the National Park Emporium gift shop. Inside, you can sample the spring water, take your picture in an old bathtub, and shop for souvenirs. What you might not see, is that the building also houses offices for the park's Resource Management employees, the park archives, museum collection storage spaces, and a small research library.

The Buckstaff was built in 1911, and has been in continual operation ever since. Today, you can step inside and make reservations for a hot mineral water soak, a relaxing massage, and other spa treatments. Services inside the Buckstaff haven't really changed since the heyday of Bathhouse Row, a hundred years ago.

Today, the Ozark houses the Hot Springs National Park Cultural Center. It has limited hours, pretty much only Saturdays and Sundays during the summer. It’s free to enter when open, and inside, you can find gallery spaces for the National Park’s Artist in Residency, as well as other temporary exhibits.

The Quapaw Bathhouse is named after the Native Quapaw Tribe, and along with the Buckstaff, is one of two bathhouses still in operation. But while the Buckstaff has been in constant operation, the Quapaw sat empty for more than 20 years, from 1984 until it was purchased for renovations in 2007. It has a gift shop, and a simple cafe with light fare if you’re hungry.

The Fordyce Bathhouse opened in 1915. And it was actually the first bathhouse to close in the 1960s, after advances in modern medicine caused the bathhouse business to decline. The Fordyce was built by railroad tycoon Samuel Fordyce, who moved his family to Hot Springs in 1876. He was an early and influential investor in the town, helping to build hotels, an opera house, infrastructure, and utilities.

Between the Fordyce and Maurice Bathhouses, you can find the Grand Staircase of the Hot Springs Grand Promenade. And at the base of the stairs, you can find the Stevens Balustrade Shell Fountain. The water’s hot, because it comes from the Maurice thermal spring. And to the left of the shell fountain, behind the Maurice Bathhouse, is the Display Spring. There, you can sit and watch the water bubble right out of the mountain.

The current Maurice Bathhouse was built in 1911 in a Mediterranean style, setting the standard for the bathhouses that came after. As of 2024, the Maurice Bathhouse is the only building on Bathhouse Row that remains empty.

Between the Maurice and Hale Bathhouses, you can find the Maurice Historical Display Springs. Set into the natural tufa rock is the Dripping Spring. Up the stairs to the left of the Dripping Spring, you can find the Tunnel Spring. These were the first two display springs in the National Park. All of this stonework, designed to display the springs to visitors, was completed in 1903.

the Hale Bathhouse of today is at least the fourth building to go by that name on this site. It was built in 1892, somehow surviving the devastating fires of 1905 and 1913, making it the oldest structure on Bathhouse Row. And today, it serves as the luxurious Hotel Hale. It also contains a restaurant called Eden, which serves up delicious food in a garden-style environment.

Made of brick, the Superior Bathhouse really stands out from the other bathhouses. The Superior Bathhouse is also a bold name, especially considering that it was the smallest bathhouse on the row. The Superior also offered limited services, only basic hydrotherapy and massages. Ya might say that the only thing superior about this bathhouse, was the name.

The Arlington Lawn Hot Water Cascade is the largest spring visible in the park. Hot water emanates from the hill side near the Grand Promenade and flows under the path, down a steep cliff into two pools. And even though the hot springs water comes outta the ground hot enough to scald you, it’s cooled down enough to touch by the time it reaches these pools.

Technically, this is a shortcut up to the Grand Promenade. If you'd prefer to avoid stairs, the truth north end of the Hot Springs Grand Promenade is about 500 feet further up Fountain Street, past the Arlington Hotel.

This is the source of the water for the Arlington Lawn Hot Water Cascade Pools. You can watch the water as it trickles down the hill toward the lawn. You can also see some of the specialized plants that grow near the mountain's hot springs.

This is one of the access points to the Tufa Terrace Trail. The northern end of the trail begins on the Arlington Lawn, near the hot water cascade pools. Feel free to wander the trail and observe the natural tufa rock.

At the top of the Grand Staircase, there used to be a Bandstand. While the bandstand is long gone, you can imagine what it might have looked like. Imagine a big band playing music, and crowds gathered below. This is also the opposite, or southern end of the Tufa Terrace Trail. At the bottom of the Grand Staircase, you can access the Fordyce Visitor Center.

The former Army Navy Hospital of Hot Springs is a truly impressive structure. The original building was constructed in 1887, but was replaced in 1933 by the one you see today. That means, this hospital served as another witness to Hot Spring's decline, as modern medical treatments replaced thermal water. When the military abandoned the building in 1955, it was handed over to the state, and became a rehabilitation center for people with physical disabilities. Then it transitioned into more of a career training institute. Finally, in 2019, the facility was closed and abandoned.

The first stop on Hot Springs Mountain includes a peaceful little picnic area with restrooms and a trailhead. The trailhead provides access to the Shortcut Trail, which takes you down the mountain to the Oertal Trail and the Grand Promenade. From the same trailhead, you can also hop on the one-and-a-half mile Hot Springs Mountain Trail. It’s a fairly easy walk around the top of the mountain with several scenic overlooks. And then, there’s the Hot Springs Mountain Pagoda. The pagoda was originally built back in 1910 to house a fountain, but getting water this high up proved too difficult. Now, it’s just an interesting place to take in the views.

The Hot Springs Observation Tower, a 216-foot tall structure, opened to the public in 1983, and is actually the third observation tower in that location. Not only are the views of Hot Springs and the Zig-Zag mountains incredible from the top of the tower, but this is also an excellent place to learn a lot of fun facts and trivia about Hot Springs! Y’see, there are actually two levels at the tower’s peak. The lower level is fully enclosed, and there are signs and displays all about the city’s fascinating history. From there, you can move up a level for some outdoor, and depending on the weather, some very windy views of the surrounding area. There’s a small per-person fee to ride the elevator to the top. And the ground floor has a decent little gift shop if you wanna do some souvenir shopping.

From the North Mountain Scenic Viewpoint, you can see out over the Ouachita Mountains. It's also where you'll find the trailhead for Goat Rock Trail. Goat Rock Trail is a little over two miles round trip, and descends the mountain to a viewpoint on top of Goat Rock. Supposedly, a large goat lived on the rock many years ago, which is where the rock gets its name. It’s a lovely view, but if we're honest, the views are just a little better from the parking area.

The Happy Hollow Jug Fountain is one of the few cool water springs in the park. From the late 1800s, until the 1940s, the Happy Hollow spring was actually part of McLeod’s Amusement Park. At its height, it included a photography studio, shooting gallery, zoo, and souvenir shop. Today, all that’s left of Happy Hollow is the jug fountain. Back then, it was called the Magnesia Spring, and a pitcher of water cost a nickel. Today, you’re welcome to fill your water bottles for free with cool, refreshing spring water.

On this spot, on March 17th, 1918, Babe Ruth hit a record-setting homerun that changed his career, and the sport of baseball, forever. The ball landed more than 500 feet away in an alligator farm that still stands to this day.

The 2nd of two cold water fountains in the National Park, the Whittington Park fountain is located near the entrance to the West Mountain Scenic Drive. Just like at Happy Hollow, you're welcome to fill your water bottles for free.

From the West Mountain Lower Overlook, you can see downtown Hot Springs, the Army Navy Hospital, and the Hot Springs Mountain Tower.

This is where you can stop onto the West Mountain Trail. If you take the trail across the street, it leads uphills, north of the Loop Overlook. Or, you can take the trail southwest, where it also goes uphill, and end south of the Loop Overlook. You can turn this trail into a loop by connecting both ends via the Mountain Top Trail. Total roundtrip if taking the loop is about 2 miles.

At the Loop Overlook, you can see over the southwestern part of Hot Springs, out toward the Ouachita River Valley. And just behind the Loop Overlook, there’s a large outcropping of Arkansas Novaculite where you can see just how fractured and angled the rock is that makes up the mountain. These fractures, and the steep angle of the rock layers, are due to all the tectonic activity that created these mountains. And they’re also what allow water to seep down into the mountain, so that it can come out later as spring water. The Loop Overlook is also where you’ll find the Trailhead for the longest trail in the park. The Sunset Trail is 10 miles long, one-way. But just half a mile up the trail, you can reach the forested peak of West Mountain.