We left Little Rock and drove a quick 45 minutes to Hot Springs (our easiest driving day of the trip) and it was lovely.
Hot Springs
Hot Springs was a lot bigger than I was expecting. Our trip worked out that we were there on a Saturday and so it was pretty busy. We parked and started exploring. Hot Springs National Park is really unique because it doesn’t feel at all like a national park! It feels more like a historical site, but it was lots of fun and probably my favorite part of our trip.
In 1804, explorers found several steaming springs and they learned that many would come to the area to soak in the hot water and recover their health. The promise of improved health drew veterans from the Civil War as well as others to the springs. Over time, the springs grew in popularity, and it became known as the place “where crutches are thrown away.”
Hot Water Cascade
Everything is in the middle of this town! We first walked over to Arlington Lawn to view the largest visible spring in Hot Springs – the Hot Water Cascade. The water felt so nice and the whole scene was very picturesque.
Bathhouse Row
Bathhouse Row is definitely the star of the show. There are eight different bathhouses, and they are each so unique. I loved walking by them. It was also really fun to see the American version of a “spa town”. After our trip to Bath earlier this year, it was fun to see similarities and differences.
Fordyce Bathhouse
We went inside the elegant Fordyce house, built in 1915, which now serves as a visitor center. It has been restored to its former glory and is stunning. We had so much fun wandering around. Sarah and I were obsessed with all the stained glass. It was such a neat opportunity to step back in time.
Afterwards, we went around back and were able to take a drink from the Hot Springs. I’ve had “hot spring” water before, and it is always unpleasant and very mineral-y. It was such a pleasant surprise. There was no yucky taste at all – it was just very warm water!
The Grand Promenade
After we finished exploring the bathhouses, Mark and the bigs walked the Grand Promenade (it wasn’t accessible for Lydie from the direction we were at the time). It’s a beautiful trail up in the trees behind the bathhouses.
This trip required a lot of patience from everyone in our family, and I am so grateful for this sweet family that we have. I really don’t think I ever heard anyone complain. Everything we did on our trip took longer than we planned. And it seemed like we were always stopping. Lydie’s care is just taking more and more of our time – whether it is feeding her, changing her, or giving her medications.
BUT one thing I loved about this day is being able to see how unique each of our kids are. While Mark and I were helping Lydie in the car, Jacob grabbed his notebook and found a bench on the Grand Promenade and wrote poetry and sketched. Sarah took out her camera and took pictures. And Benjamin just ran up and down the hill of the Grand Promenade. They are quite simply the best.
Garvan Woodland Gardens
After lunch, we went to Garvan Woodland Gardens. When I researched our trip, this was a must-see on every list. And it was beautiful. There are so many various types of gardens in this park and it was just perfect to walk around.
Mr. Whiskers
After the gardens, we checked in at our condo that we had rented for a couple of days. The views were amazing. We were right on Lake Hamilton and the whole back of the house were windows overlooking the lake. Beautiful.
And you can’t go to the south without getting some catfish! We ate dinner at Mr. Whiskers and Ben was especially happy to get his catfish. The food was good, but what really made this dinner stick out was this is when we told the kids that we were going to accept the offer to move to Ohio. They were all really excited and oddly very happy that we told them at Mr. Whiskers. Kids are so great.
Possom Pie
I’m going to be honest. The food we had in Arkansas was pretty underwhelming for the most part. BUT when we were looking for food that Arkansas is known for, we came across the Possom Pie. The kids were all in for getting some. We had to drive pretty out of the way to actually find a place that sold it, but we got our possum pie! The pie has a shortbread crust, cream cheese layer, chocolate pudding layer, and then a whole lot of whipped cream on top!
