Weekending in Hot Springs, Arkansas
This national park on the solar eclipse’s path of totality also offers natural wonders down below.
Hot Springs, Arkansas / Photograph by Jeremy Janus/Getty Images
Got solar-eclipse fever? After a quick connecting flight from PHL to Little Rock, spend a few days in this gorgeous area of the South, which is in the so-cool-sounding “path of totality” on April 8th, when day will turn into night for a few fleeting moments. When you’re not taking in the eclipse, enjoy the Hot Springs down-home cooking and have yourself a soak in thermally heated waters.
Where to Stay
If you want to be in downtown Hot Springs, which sits in the Ouachita Mountains in Hot Springs National Park, your best bet is the more-than-century-old but modernly appointed 62-room Waters Hotel (rooms from $208). For maximum kitsch, check into Dame Fortune’s Cottage Court (rooms from $81). But to get away from it all and maybe do some kayaking, try Lookout Point Lakeside Inn (rooms from $199). You’ll have to book a car if you stay there — it’s several miles outside town — but you’ll likely need one anyway, since the airport is an hour away from Hot Springs.
Kayaking on Lake Ouachita / Photograph courtesy of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
Where to Eat
Here, it’s all about mom-and-pop eatin’. Folks (including Bill Clinton) have been seeking out the ribs and chopped pork at McClard’s Bar-B-Q Fine Foods since before the Great Depression. Also serving the good people of Hot Springs for longer than most can remember is the Pancake Shop, which offers breakfast and only breakfast. Beer fans should visit Superior Bathhouse Brewery, home to the world’s only beer brewed using thermal spring water.
Downtown Hot Springs / Photograph courtesy of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
What to Do
Explore the great outdoors. Take in the mountain views from the 26 miles of hiking trails in the national park. For a one-of-a-kind experience, head to Avant Mining so you can dig for quartz crystals. And what’s a trip to Hot Springs without soaking in, well, thermal hot springs? There used to be many spots where you could do so; hence the name of the place. Now, there are only two, including Buckstaff Bathhouse, where you’ll want to follow your dip with a quick massage.
The chapel at Garvan Woodland Gardens / Photograph courtesy of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
The Can’t Miss List
1. The 10th annual Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival at Cedar Glades Park, from April 5th through 8th, combines all that eclipse energy with music from DJs, Philly’s own Sun Ra Arkestra, and other “out-there” acts.
2. Garvan Woodland Gardens, a sprawling botanical enclave in town, opens its gates all day for festivities and eclipse-viewing. While there, seek out the waterfall and the one-of-a-kind chapel, which is one of the region’s most popular wedding sites.
3. Want to watch the eclipse from a rooftop? The Waters Hotel has what you’re looking for. Totality starts at 1:49 p.m. Central Time and ends at 1:53 p.m., so that’s three minutes and 39 seconds of total darkness. And the show is over at 3:10 p.m., so you can catch a Monday-night flight home.
Published as “Jaunt: Weekending in … Hot Springs, Arkansas” in the April 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
