TRIP: Hot Springs, Arkansas

Drop what you are doing and go now! Holy cow this place was so many things...beautiful, historic, kid friendly, what more could you want?! 

Hot Springs is just a two-hour drive from Queen Wilhelmina so we drove over after breakfast and arrived close to lunch. We stayed in the Hot Springs National Park - Gulpha Gorge Campground. It was literally surrounded by mountains with tall pine trees and the Gulpha creek running through it. 

Let me also tell you my friends, this park has FULL HOOK-UPs woohoo! After staying on top of the Rich Mountain in 20-degree icy weather using tank water that froze several times, this was a major luxury. The only draw back we could possibly find was that you cannot make reservations in advance, it's first come first serve which is pretty scary when you're driving to another state. There were plenty of spots this time of year, but we're thinking it's probably a popular place in the summertime. Just look at this gorgeous river!:

The downtown area of Hot Springs is only 5 minutes down the road from the campground which was really awesome when we had to stop for naps in the middle of the day. Did I also mention both my older daughter and my husband came down with the flu on this trip?! Anyway, there are 43 thermal hot springs with a couple of them "on display" on the main street. The water comes out of the earth at 147 degrees Fahrenheit so you can't get in the water or drink it until it cools or it can be fatal. But you can reach in and touch it! 

Bathhouse row is a historic line of bathhouses with a few still in operation (we got a mineral bath/massage package!), one that has been restored into a museum and another transitioned into a gift shop/visitors center. 

Probably my most favorite part of Hot Springs were the numerous fountains located downtown that you can fill up jugs full of this amazing bountiful water. We took home three gallons and let me tell you, this was NOT enough, wah! 

Other activities we did while in Hot Springs included:

• Superior Brewery - They make beer using the hot spring water! Nate got a flight and thoroughly enjoyed! 
• Bathhouse Row Winery - I did a wine tasting and bought a bottle of the Merlot. These were mostly sweet wines, but they had a few dry varieties. I also want to note that this winery is kid friendly and they make juices as well that the kiddos can sample!
• Mountain Valley Water - Their national headquarters is located here! Its a beautiful building with sparkling and flat water to buy!
• Angel's Italian restaurant - Delicious homemade Italian food. The staff brought out two small pizza pans and dough for the girls to play with. Then they baked their creations in the pizza oven and stuffed them with chocolate so they could eat them for dessert! Highly recommend. 
• The Arlington Hotel - This is a historic hotel built in 1875 with a bar inside the lobby. Its worth just going inside to take a look around if nothing else. 
• Fat Bottom Girls Cupcakes - As seen on Cupcake Wars! Delicious! 
• Hot Springs Mountain Tower - This is a large lookout tower on top of the city that you can see incredible views of the town and mountains for miles. 

If you are keeping track of our camping journal, I will share that we rated the campground and overall trip experience at a 4.9 out of 5. That's even with two of us down with the flu, one with an ear infection, two days of rain, and one day of ice. We REALLY like to camp, huh? Can't WAIT for the next adventure, I just have to finish Lysol-ing basically everything in the camper first!