Well the auditory hell ended at the Hot Springs KOA in Arkansas, or as Terri jokingly says “R Kansas”. I feel, this was our first logistical mistake. We only reserved one night at the KOA, but did not arrive until 4:45 PM and the NP Visitor Center closed at 5 PM. It did not open until 9 AM the next morning, which meant, getting the camper ready to pull out before we left for the Visitors Center. Hot Springs NP is confusing because the town is also called Hot Springs. The National Park explains the town is trying to claim they are the NP. The Visitor Center is located in the middle of town (which doesn’t help their argument) on Bathhouse Row and is actually the old Fordyce Bathhouse.
We did a self tour of the Fordyce Bathhouse, it looked like something out of the Roman Empire. A lot of marble and ornate statues. This was a place for the elite to relax in a tub of mineral water from the hot springs. I’m thinking this sweat box wouldn’t have done it for me-
Veni, Vidi, Vici- I came, I saw, I ran like hell!
Check out more pics:
I think that bath tub needs some soft scrub!
They also noted electrocutions by mineral baths were preformed at Fordyce Bathhouse. Yet another reason to Vici.
We walked the promenade, the path on which the elite would walk to the bathhouses. Al Capone was a frequent visitor.
We stuck our hands in the thermal spring. 145degrees! it was awesome to see fountains with steam rising.
The main street was called Bathhouse Row where 8 functioning Bathhouses/spas compete for business. Here is one:
The prices are pretty hefty for a mineral bath and spa treatment. Oh lest we forget, the temperature of the water is 145 degrees! If Terri and I wouldn’t pay $25.00 for a photo of the two of us on the iconic center stage of the Grand Ole Opry, we are not paying over $200.00 for a bath! Besides, when you’re gay, the term bathhouse has it’s own connotation.
We only spent about an hour and a half, in downtown Hot Springs. We noticed a beautiful shrub. The Park Ranger informed us it was a type of Japanese Golden shrub:
I also saw my first Georgia Magnolia tree in bloom, and I was in Arkansas.
“Go ahead M’Lynn, slap her!…We’ll sell t-shirts sayin’ ‘I SLAPPED OUISER BOUDREAUX’ Hit her!….You just missed the chance of a lifetime! Half o’ Chiquapin Parish’d give their eye teeth to take a whack at Ouiser!” See a theme regarding Shirley McClaine?