Northern Arkansas, USA
01 Hot Springs
02 Harrison
03 Hiking North Arkansas
04 Bars and food
Arkansas is such a beautiful state with so much nature its insane. You can drive for hours without seeing anyone else on the roads. The only caveat is that you need to have a car to see all the beauty.
01 Hot springs
Hot Springs is a city located next to the Hot Springs National park in Arkansas. It is known for its natural bathhouses fed with the springs from the park. On Bathhouse Row you can find eight bathhouses from the 19th and 20th centuries. In the center of the city, you can find a water fountain to fill your bottles with as much fresh hot water as you’d like. Surrounding cities have to pay a lot for the same water at stores.
Things to see in Hot Springs:
Garvan Woodland Gardens Holiday Lights - Christmas lights that spread over 18 acres of the 210-acre Garden. The lights are magical and people come from all over the country to see them. Sometimes it can take 1-2 hours to find parking.
Hot Springs National Park - (bathhouses - hiking - beer )
You should take a bath in the natural springs. There are several Bathhouses to choose from but I recommend checking out Buckstaff Baths. The only house that has been open since 1912. Water temperature comes out at 143º F or 62º C and has to be cooled down for public use.
There is hiking all over the park but some of the most beautiful locations aren’t marked. To find them you to buy a local hiking book that describes 1) how to get to the trailhead by car and 2) how to identify the ‘trail’.
Drink the craft beer made from the hot springs' water (see bars and food for more info).
Oaklawn Racing - watch thoroughbred on the racetracks in Hot Springs. Racing since 1904 it is a thrilling way to spend your day.
02 Harrison
The town of the KKK. Its where the group was established as well as where they have meetings even today. Apart from that, the town is very cute with little shops that are the county seat of Boone County. Downtown there is a typical southern diner that is a very interesting experience but not where I would recommend to eat if you want good food.
03 Hiking
Mount Nebo Russellville - to watch the sunrise and look over the green state.
Kings fall Arkansas - drive to out in the middle of nowhere and on the side of the road you will see this beautiful falls. In the center of the river, there are trees you can climb into.
Bear Creek waterfall hike - Sidewinder falls, Swamp falls, and V slot Falls - To find the dirt road to get to the start of the trailhead some something along the line of turn right at the big rook. If you want to hike this area, you should invest in a guide book. The instructions were to head to the back of a grassy field and then follow the pink flags (because it is not really a trail). We instead ended up hiking down the river bed that was much more difficult but I would say a lot more interesting than moving through the brush.
You should go to the top of the falls and then work your way down for the biggest effect. The water is incredibly bluey green and would be perfect for swimming.
In the area surrounding the waterfalls, there were elk in the field. It is pretty easy to find them because there will be about five other cars pulled over to watch.
04 Bars and Eats
Hot Springs
Superior Bathhouse Brewery - The first brewery in a national park in the USA and the worlds first to used spring water. A very friendly brewery. They gave us tasters for just about every beer before ordering a flight that they picked based on what we said was good (we asked them to choose for us).
Arlington Hotel - bring your dancing boots because the live bands are fantastic. It is such a lovely place to visit or to have a drink and watch everyone dance.
Little Rock
Lost Forty Brewing - “The micro-brewery takes its name from a forty-acre forest in Calhoun County known by locals as the ‘Lost Forty’”. A lovely community drinking style brewery. You can watch them manufacturing the beer through the window of the tasting area.
eats
(what you have to try)
Waffle House - the best place to go after a long night out
Salt Grass (Texas inspired) - massive portions of food
Chicken fried stake - normal served with grave on top it is a stake fried with bater they use for chicken