What’s Hot in Hot Springs, Arkansas

What’s so hot about Hot Springs, Arkansas? A few weeks ago I couldn’t have told you, but now I can.

We stayed at at the historic Arlington Hotel which is right next to the park. One thing I noticed about Hot Springs is that it is very dog friendly. The Arlington Hotel allows pets and I saw several. I also noticed a lot of people walking their dogs so if you are looking for Fido friendly cities, this is one of them!

The old Arlington Hotel was the site of the infamous arrest of New York Giant’s manager, John “Mugsy” McGraw. He was taken into custody by a U. S. Marshal for unlawful gambling. He was caught pitching silver dollars into a saloon basket. The newer Arlington was built in 1924 and was visited by Babe Ruth, Lefty Grove and Joe DiMaggio.

The hotel was surely something to see when it was in it’s prime. While it is still beautiful it is in desperate need of some tender loving care. Our room had peeling paint and a musty, moldy smell.

We were right down the hall from the Al Capone Suite. I wish I could have peeked inside to see what it looked like!

Hot Springs changed from a rough frontier town to an elegant spa city centered on a row of attractive Victorian-style bathhouses in the blink of an eye. The last bath houses were completed in 1888. Those bath houses are still there today you can still soak in the thermal waters on historic Bathhouse Row.  The hot springs are also pumped into several downtown hotels and spas. The water is even available at public fountains.  

It was a short walk to Hot Springs National Park and we walked over in a matter of minutes.

It’s called Hot Springs for a very good reason. I stuck my hand in the water and “ouch!”

We walked down the street and went inside a hat store. I’m from Kentucky and ladies always wear hats like these to the Derby so I decided to check them out.

They were beautiful but “Oh My Goodness Gracious!” they were so expensive! We kept walking and next we ended up at Rolando’s Restaurant. 

There was a guitar player out on the back patio and we ordered some salsa and chips. We loved listening to him and the salsa was fantastic! I bought a few jars to take to some friends.

We had some chicken quesadillas and they were delicious.

The next night we ate at the Ohio Club and the food was great there too! My husband loves Reuben sandwiches and he said theirs was great!

To learn more about Hot Springs and it’s history click here. It was a very fun place to visit. Have you been there?

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