May 25-28, 2026
I had been monitoring the weather across Oklahoma and Arkansas for a week or so. The area had been under a lot of severe weather alerts – tornadoes and golf ball size hail – the week before. The forecast improved so I took a small detour to get one more National Park checked off the list.
Hot Springs National Park
There are two parts of the National Park although ti is all connected “land wise”. In downtown Hot Springs there is a Visitor Center which is on of the historic bath houses, the Fordyce Bathhouse. It is one of about eight bathhouses on Central Avenue. The bathhouse is mostly open so you can tour the basement and the three upper floors.
The actual Hot Springs that feed the houses are under the house and the water is pumped up to the tubes. The water also comes out of the ground at 143 degrees so it is cooled a bit before going to the tubs.
On the grounds of the parks there are a few open springs where you can feel the water and see some steam rising – but not enough steam that I take a photograph to show.
There are also several public taps where people were filling jugs with the spring water.
The in the area surrounding Hot Springs there is a National Park Campground, miles of biking and hiking trails, and the Hot Springs Mountain Tower.
The Bathhouses
This one is the Visitor Center.
Here is one of the open springs.
Hot Springs Mountain Tower
The Clinton Library and Museum
This was my third Presidential Library / Museum and I was definitely underwhelmed. The other two, Eisenhower and Bush senior, had what seemed at least half of the display spaces dedicated to the president’s life prior to or after the presidency. I don’t think the Clinton Library had even 5% to his life prior to presidency. There was more in the National Park.
I though the building / architecture was cool but the museum not so much.