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Hot Springs AR – Harrison AR
Mon Oct 7, 2024
(~173 miles)

Today is going to involve short mileage traveling north to the city of Harrison, where our AirBnB for the next few nights awaits us. So this morning it feels like we have all the time in the world – a great way to kick off this third leg of the road trip, where it is “just us” again. Perfect opportunity for slowing down for a half-day and go poking around some of the sights in Hot Springs.

Ever since “discovery” of the mineral-rich hot water springs in this area, people have been coming from all over the country and world to bathe in the mineral-rich waters, for their health effects and recreation. As the area’s infrastructure built up to accommodate the growing population and constant stream of visitors to the springs, commercial bathing facilities were established. These businesses, which began as very basic partitioned access to the springs, gradually got fancier and fancier, offering medically-prescribed hydro-therapy treatments and spa services to visitors of varying wealth and means.

As is usually the case, the wealthier set demanded a more lavish experience and had more money to spend, so most of the properties focused on pleasing that demographic, drawing millionaires, politicians, and celebrities alike to partake in the waters. The bathhouses were rebuilt and renovated over several generations, resulting in the current series of beautifully architected buildings that line Central Avenue (SR 7) to this day. Much of the property is now owned by the National Park Service, although two of the bathhouses still operate commercially for public use.

Hot Springs National Park, unique in many ways from other locations in our park system, includes forested property in the mountain ridges north of the city, as well as a sizeable chunk of acreage right in town itself. The land was originally set aside by the government in 1832 as Hot Springs Federal Reservation, predating Yellowstone (and the NPS itself) by some 40 years. Central Avenue runs north from the midtown and downtown areas, squeezing tightly between two prominent hills called West Mountain and North Mountain. This half-mile or so is where the hot springs themselves are most prevalent, seeping and bubbling up out of the folded terrain from various cracks and crevices. It is known as Bathhouse Row.

With just a half day ahead of us to see the local sights, exploring Bathhouse Row was certainly the main thing on the agenda. But I’d seen the squiggly lines of paved access roads on the map leading up to the top of the two hills, West Mountain and North Mountain that frame the Row itself. Taking a brief scoot around town and up for a view seemed like a good way to start off before we parked the bike again to explore on foot.

We slept in as long as we needed, not in any rush. Then we moseyed over to the hotel breakfast bar for coffee and some vittles. It was a decent spread of choices but just not that great in quality – the biscuits were dry, the gravy and waffles were tasteless. The yogurt and bananas helped fill the corners of our stomachs and the coffee was actually not bad. Hey, I wouldn’t have even expected breakfast at a Rodeway Inn, so at least we saved some time by not having to find a restaurant. 🤷‍♂️

Checking out around 09:30, we buzzed through Bathhouse Row again to the north part of town to check out Whitington Spring.

One of the many interesting tidbits I’d picked up reading about Hot Springs is that there are several accessible spring outlets located throughout the city that are freely available to the public as a water supply. Locals and tourists alike can fill up as many jugs, canteens, and bottles (for personal use) as they wish with the ancient mineral-rich liquid that seeps out of the earth around here.

Whittington Street affords one such location, which turned out to be a non-descript wall alcove by the side of the road in what was once a huge park, but is now a fairly quiet residential area. The spring itself produces cooled down water at about air temperature. It and the narrow remnant of Whittington Park across the street are actually National Park Service property, further demonstrating how this particular park is so uniquely intertwined with personal property lines and city infrastructure.

After filling up one of our water bottles with the lukewarm spring water, we zipped up the short, but fun and pretty, West Mountain Road, to the top of one of the hills overlooking the city. There are a couple nice overlooks, although the trees and undergrowth are really taking things over.

Coming back down onto the city streets, we found our way to the free public parking garage on Exchange Street. There’s even a public restroom there that was relatively clean, despite the evidence we saw of people camping out in their parked vehicles. We doffed our riding gear in favor of shorts and t-shirts to stroll around town in relative comfort, then headed out to walk the main drag.

Hot Springs had famously hosted many notorious crime figures (including Al Capone) back in it’s heyday as a resort location for the wealthy and infamous. We hoped to squeeze in a visit to the Gangster Museum of America after lunch. So for now we walked right by it and several other of the shops, galleries, cafes and boutiques along the Central Ave historic district geared to the throngs of tourists that visit each year.

Fountains everywhere! From the moment we’d stepped outside the parking garage, it was clear that the city of Hot Springs was all about putting their chief natural resource on display throughout the downtown area. Hot mineral spring water was available for bottle filling at kiosks and decorative fountains burbled and spouted steaming hot water into the air or over cascading shelves on every corner or in every grove of trees, it seems.

Starting at the south end of Bathhouse Row, we decided to work our way north along the row, to take in the architecture and read the interpretive signs and so forth. We’d found a streaming audio tour on the NPS website that we could play on our phones to provide a bit more information, though it was rather tough to hear it with the outside sounds and traffic going by on the busy street. We’ll bring ear buds next time!

Each bathhouse is of unique design and architectural style, making this short stroll simply a feast for the eyes and mind. All of them seem like works of art, and it was fascinating to get to compare and contrast the varying use of curves, angles, windows, and decorative sculptures that adorn the various buildings. (Note: Photos of every bathhouse can be found in the gallery linked at the end of this post.)

Only two of the eight bathhouses still offer bathing opportunities to the public. I’d really wanted to take a soak myself, but as we don’t really have a ton of time, we decided to save that experience for our next visit here. I did confirm with desk staff that walk-ins are welcome at the Buckstaff, as well as asking about the general process for next time. Then we took a few minutes to relax in the shade on their front veranda in Adirondack chairs, just watching the traffic and people go by for a few minutes and soaking it all in while continuously hydrating as the morning heated up.

The elegant Fordyce Bathhouse now serves as the park’s visitor center. We were surprised and delighted to discover they offer free ranger-led group tours throughout the day. One was just about to start when we strolled into the lobby, so we joined in! They start things off with a real stunner – the huge stained glass ceiling in the men’s bath hall, an intricate ocean-themed mosaic featuring mermaids.

The tour was very interesting and reminded me again of what an amazing resource our National Parks are, for learning more about our history and the natural world around us. Neither of us was very familiar with Victorian era spa culture aside from glimpses in old movies, so it was a new and fascinating look into an unfamiliar past. The bathhouse decor, facilities, and equipment are kept in good order by park staff and mostly displayed in their original surroundings. The colorful stained glass mosaic windows lend a soft, colorful, meditative glow to many of the rooms, inviting relaxation during or after a good hot soak. From the complex and intricate webs of exposed metal piping everywhere, to the dark wooden dressing room cubicles, there was just so much to look at and try to take in!

Back in the muddy, dusty 1920s, it really must have seemed like coming to another planet once you stepped inside one of these resorts. All the latest physio science gadgets and “hydro-therapy” innovations of the times were available as part of guest treatment routines.

On the top floor, we finally reached the pièce de résistance, the Assembly Room – a long salon stretching almost the width of the building. The gracefully curved ceiling arches, gilded moldings, arched doorways, and intricate tile floor were all accentuated by soft light penetrating the gorgeous stained glass ceiling panels that run the length of the room. This was a social gathering place, for guests to mingle and listen to music after completing their scheduled spa treatments for the day. I could imagine just kicking back here on a hot summer afternoon with a tasty beverage, listening to music and the hum of conversation. It’s one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve ever seen.

After our tour was complete, we continued our stroll up the Row. We explored a few of the small alcoves, grottoes, and fountains where the spring water comes pouring, trickling, or dripping forth into the open air.

After passing the former Superior Bathhouse, which now houses the only functioning brewery owned by the National Park Service (!), we ended up in a small park with, of course, more fountains and pools, overflowing with spring water that simply seeps its way across the lawns and eventually into the street gutters, refusing to be contained and ignored. The water is the star of the show here and won’t let you forget it.

The gorgeous & massive Arlington Resort Hotel across the street dominates this end of the Row, and looks like it would be a cool (if pricey) place to stay, to get the full “retro oil magnate” experience.

We’d worked up an appetite by now and were ready for the next phase of today’s short tour of hot Springs…lunch at the Ohio Club. Billed as the oldest bar in Arkansas (est. 1905), this tavern and former speakeasy occupies a narrow block building in the historic district, right across the street from the bathhouses. Now it’s an attraction all its own, for its gorgeous architecture, authentic and unique interior decor, and great food.

The custom bar back dominates the main room on the first floor, carved and assembled up in Cincinnati, Ohio from humongous slabs of mahogany and framed by wooden figureheads of nude women. It was shipped by river barge, and the front of the club had to be deconstructed in order to fit it into the building.

Being around 12:30, the place was humming for the lunch rush, even on a Monday. After a short wait, we were shown to a small table right at the top of the stairway that leads to the rear loft or mezzanine that overlooks the main bar. A small performance stage there amongst the tables clues us in that the Ohio still offers live entertainment, likely during dinner hours.

They’ve capitalized on the gangster history of Hot Springs, keeping the look and feel of a dark, welcoming spot for a drink and some entertainment suitable for visiting underworld royalty. Apparently, there’s even a secret room somewhere in the back behind a false wall, used to store the illegal liquor during Prohibition. Pretty neat place to stop in for a meal!

I opted for a club sandwich and fries, allowing the waiter to sell me on a tasty ‘ginger snap lemonade’ mocktail to wash it down. Char got a mushroom/swiss Impossible burger with sweet potato fries. All of it was quite good!

Over lunch, we decided that we didn’t have enough time/brainpower for enjoying the Gangster Museum today. We should probably hit the road after eating so we can enjoy the full scenic ride up to Harrison during daylight hours. Leaving the Ohio Club, we completed our little loop of the Row back at the public garage, where I used the restroom to change into my LD Comforts.

Before leaving Hot Springs in our rearview, we had one more mountain to climb. North Mountain Road ascends the hill immediately behind the bathhouses, leading up a couple short hairpin switchbacks to the tall modern observation tower. There were a few overlooks along the access road, but were completely overgrown. We were satisfied enough with the views we’d gotten this morning from West Mountain and felt no need to pay an admission fee to ascend the tower itself. Maybe on the next visit when we have a bit more time to kill.

Seems like 2-3 days would be just about perfect for experiencing Hot Springs’ offerings more thoroughly, but this brief taste had certainly been fun and whet our appetites for a future visit.

Leaving the city north on Arkansas Scenic Route 7, it took about 20 miles or so before we really felt like we were out of the suburban sprawl and “busier” traffic. After Jessieville, we were shortly back within Ouachita National Forest countryside, enjoying the muted splashes of fall color along the roadway. There were also some nice curves and sweepers to get us back in the swing of riding after walking around town all morning.

At the northern boundary of the forest, we pulled in to check out the dam at Nimrod Lake and use the restrooms there. After winding through a very nice campground and checking out the fishing area below the dam, we found our way up to the top. This was a pretty cool stop, and we had the entire dam to ourselves after a single rider on a Triumph Bonneville took off shortly after we arrived. The coolest part was definitely the Imperial AT-AT Walker standing guard in the middle of the damn dam! 😂

It seemed odd to us that we were simply allowed to be here on this dam without any type of guard or admission or anything! Most places like this seemed to be fenced off these days to protect the populace from ourselves. Pretty cool looking down the concrete face of the structure to the quiet outflow forming the much smaller version of the Fourche La Fave River below us.

We left the recreation area, continuing north on route 7, enjoying more woods and curves up and over a final ridgeline before coming down to the flats of the Arkansas River valley. Moving quickly through the spread-out town of Ola, we soon reached our river crossing at Dardanelle. Russellville turned out to be the busiest portion of today’s journey, with many stoplights and strip malls to suffer through. Plus, we had to sit and wait for a train crossing. Next time traversing AR 7, I’ll be sure to check out the bypass loop on AR 247 that skirts round this crowded little city.

Once we got past the I-40 crossing, things opened up a bit, with some fast four-laning through farmlands and a couple small villages. Finally, we entered the hill-rumpled Ozark National Forest region and like a light switch, the riding immediately just got better and the traffic all but dried up! This section of route 7 really gibed with its reputation as one of the great motorcycling roads of this region. The ST ticked over mile after mile with nary another vehicle in sight.

Midway through the forest, we pulled in for a much-needed stretch and water break at the Rotary Ann overlook, taking in the vista of majestic, yet understated landscape of the Ozark hills and valleys.

The sun continued to sink as we continued north, making everything prettier in the longer shadows. The foliage colors got more frequent and more varied, with the golden hour light reflecting some brighter yellow shades and even some reds mixed in.

The Cliff House Inn is on my waypoints list for this trip as a possible lunch stop and definitely for the scenic vista from their parking area. Since our riding plans for the rest of the week weren’t fully formulated yet, we pulled in to get our photos of “Arkansas’ Grand Canyon” now, while the light was good, in case we didn’t find another opportunity.

The whole “grand canyon” moniker was simply a marketing gimmick applied to Vendor Valley by the original owners of Cliff House Inn, to draw in tourists from route 7. While certainly no comparison to the real thing in Arizona, the views of this wide lush valley landscape are quite worth a gander.

The town of Jasper was of particular interest, having seen it mentioned so many times in my prior research of the riding in this area. The Ozark Café is one restaurant on my list of places to sample, if it fits into our plans (they apparently have good pie). Char snapped off a few photos on our way through as we hadn’t seen a town in some time now.

The several miles of route 7 after Jasper were loaded with some of the best curves of the day before dumping us out onto the flatter expanse of the Crooked Creek valley for the final 10 miles into Harrison, our destination for the next few days.

Harrison must have a savvy marketing and tourism team with a decent budget, because references to the city appear in just about every search and source about motorcycling in the Ozarks that you might find. I’d also picked the brain of a couple friends who had ridden this area recently, so it seems like as good a place as any to use as a base camp for our initial foray to the region. Centrally located to many great motorcycling roads and other outdoors attractions in both Arkansas and Missouri, Harrison seems built up enough to have more than enough infrastructure like hotels, restaurants, AirBnB’s, etc. for a comfy well-connected vacation without being a huge city with frustrating traffic. it seems like 10-15 minutes in any direction will pretty much get you back into the woods.

We arrived in town just before sundown, navigating our way through the unfamiliar streets and neighborhoods to our cute little AirBnB house on a quiet residential street in a neighborhood that seems to be draped across a couple of hills within city limits. Well, the neighborhood would prove to be quiet later, but upon our arrival the neighborhood dogs took it upon themselves to warn everyone within a mile radius that STRANGERS ARE HERE!

There was a short paved driveway (actually more of a parking pad) for us to roll the bike onto, slightly downhill. The property host had messaged me that we could park the bike on the front walkway by the steps if we wanted, but we had an OK vibe from our surroundings and weren’t leaving anything valuable on the bike anyway.

The AirBnB was absolutely perfect for what we needed – clean, uncluttered, and with modern amenities. The prominent kitchen peninsula had high stools to serve as a dining area directly off the main living room. The kitchen was well-stocked with plenty of condiments, utensils, and other supplies.

Since we planned to eat some of our meals here, securing some vittles was first on the agenda. Stretching our legs and scoping the area sounded good, as we didn’t want to get back on the bike, so we decided to walk the estimated mile or so to the nearest grocery store. I gotta say it was about the hilliest mile of walking we could imagine and we laughed at how steep the dark and unfamiliar neighborhood streets seemed after coming across the flat valley floor for the last half-hour on the bike. This must be like the only hill around!

Hudson’s Super Market had everything we needed and more, and we made quick work of our little shopping excursion: lunch meats, bagels, butter, milk, snacks, veggie patties, pasta, sauce, and some local spinach/feta bread from a bakery here in town.

We took our time walking back with our bags of food, and took a slightly different route in hopes of avoiding the big slopes we’d just traversed (marginally successful – there was just no getting around that we had to go back UP!). Then we settled in comfortably, glad to be staying in one place for a few days, meaning we would not have to pack everything back up tomorrow. We are excited to see what the Ozarks have in store for us.

More photos from today’s adventure.