06-02-2025, Florida Key West Trip 3/27 – 6/30 2025, 96 Days, 7986 Miles, 44 Stops
02 June 2025, Junction I-40 KOA Journey,
North Little Rock, Arkansas
Jeeps – 3
Today, we drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to visit the Hot Springs National Park, which is actually the city of Hot Springs. It was about an hour’s drive from the KOA. The drive was beautiful, and the weather was outstanding again today.
It took us a bit of time, but we finally found parking. The first place we wanted to see was the row of bathhouses. I wanted to experience the mineral baths, so we went to Buckstaff Bath House. It is the only bathhouse that has never closed. I paid for the traditional package. I thought Barry was going to do one of the packages, but he decided not to. I was disappointed, but he decided just to hang out until I was done.
I went up the old-fashioned elevator to the 2nd floor, the women’s area. I was led to a changing room with a locker to store my belongings. Wrapped in a sheet, I was led to the mineral bath area by Mattie. She had my bath ready for me. I stepped into the tub, and she turned on the machine that swirled the water around. I loved it. At first, the water was too warm, but I adjusted to it in a few minutes. The mineral bath lasted for about 15 minutes. From there, I was led to a room with padded tables. I was asked to sit on one, and Mattie brought over hot towels. Once I lay down, she covered me with hot towels and put a cool towel around my face. Talk about relaxing. The hot towel session lasted for about 10 minutes. I skipped the steam room because I had never liked them. Next was a sitz bath, and that lasted for about 5 minutes. A sitz bath is a small tub where you sit, allowing only your hips and lower back to be immersed in hot water. The hot water took some getting used to. I must say that my back felt a lot better after. The next step was a 20-minute massage. When I get a massage, I usually get an hour or an hour and a half, so I knew 20 minutes would be short, but I would be happy. What a great way to enjoy a National Park.
After, I found Barry sitting on the porch of the bathhouse in an Adirondack chair. He looked comfortable. We walked up the street to the Park Visitor Center to get my Passport books stamped and buy stickers. I also purchased one of the Images of America Books, “Hot Springs National Park.” A local author, Mary Bell Hill, writes this one. I try to buy the Images of America Books from the places we visit. So far on this trip, I have collected five. I also purchased an ornament. The salesperson asked if I was going to stamp the back of the ornament with the passport date stamp. What a great idea. I never thought of that. I will be doing that from now on.
From here, we walked down the street to the Superior Bathhouse Brewery. It’s the only brewery in a National Park. It has a rich history of how it came to be, so if you’re interested, click on the link above. Barry had already been to the brewery to check it out while I was in the bathhouse. We sat in the back under an umbrella. There are misters all around the fenced-in area of the outdoor patio. Lunch was great. Barry had the pulled pork sandwich, and I had a BLT. He had a few beers, and I enjoyed the house-brewed root beer. I love Root Beer, and when I can get one from a brewery, I will.
Before we left, I bought a T-shirt. There was one with a groundhog on it, and when I asked about it, the salesperson told me that there is a groundhog that lives behind the brewery. The brewery named him Hank, but one day, Hank came out of “her” den with babies. She’s like the mascot now. I loved the story, so I had to buy the shirt.
After lunch, we crossed the street to wander in a few shops. I ended up buying a bracelet, and Barry found a cool knife made by a man in Illinois. As we walked up the street, we found a few other things. It was around 4:00, and we were ready to head home. What a wonderful, relaxing day in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We could never have imagined.
Note – In the last few days, I’ve come down with a cold. Since Barry had it, it was sure to hit me. Bummer!
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| Buckstaff Bath House |
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| At the Superior Bathhouse Brewery |
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| Superior Bathhouse Brewery |
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| Hot Springs NP Brochure p. 1 |
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| Hot Springs NP Brochure p. 2 |
We stayed in Hot Springs at the fancy hotel but didn't try a bath. The mineral springs water tasted good.
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