Spend a weekend in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Once a playground for mobsters and Major Leaguers, the city named for its natural thermal spring waters still bubbles with excitement nearly two centuries after President Andrew Jackson designated it as a federal reservation. All eight of the early 20th-century bathhouses that drew visitors here from around the world still stand in a proud row today, but they aren’t all that’s worth seeing in this mountainous destination that’s less than seven hours from Baton Rouge by car.
Friday, 4 p.m.
Check in at Lookout Point Lakeside Inn
This lauded property on Lake Hamilton is the perfect base camp for exploring Hot Springs. Each room overlooks the lake and is dressed with luxury linens. The inn welcomes guests to try out its canoes, kayaks and pedal boats, and there’s also a firepit area where you can sit and enjoy cocktails and s’mores by sunset.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Drinks and dinner at Superior Bathhouse Brewery
Raise a glass to this historic city at the only brewery in a U.S. National Park and the creator of the world’s only beer brewed with thermal spring water. The 1916 building on Bathhouse Row originally offered guests hydrotherapy and massages; today, the menu offers varieties like Spa Town Honey Brown and Chaude Fontaine Gold, or a “Beer Bath” with tasters of all 18 beers on tap, plus a perfectly paired food lineup.
Saturday, 9 a.m.
Breakfast at The Best Café
Open and beloved since 1933, The Best Café on Ouachita Avenue is reliably busy on weekend mornings, with good reason—the menu includes a wide range of breakfast picks that go beyond the basic. Choose the crème brulée French toast or the pork belly skillet hash for a solid start to your day.
Saturday, 11 a.m.
Bathhouse Row tour
Head to the heart of this town to learn about what has made the water here so special for centuries. Start at the 1915-built Fordyce Bathhouse, now a visitor center and museum, where you can see three floors arranged the way they would have been when early visitors came here for medicinal baths; don’t miss the third-floor gymnasium complete with vaulting horse and wooden parallel bars. Then meet a park ranger out front for a short tour that delves into the springs’ natural history, and climb the steps to the Grand Promenade for an easy walk with picturesque views. Finally, back down at street level, stroll down the row of century-old bathhouses, popping in to peek at any that catch your eye.
Saturday, 1 p.m.
Lunch and spa treatment at Quapaw Baths & Spa
Step inside this 1922 Spanish Colonial Revival building on Bathhouse Row for a light lunch in the onsite café—think pimento cheese sandwich or hummus and veggies—followed by your choice of an assortment of treatments using the same healing waters that first drew visitors more than a century ago. The spa offers aromatherapy mineral baths, massages, facials and more, and booking in advance is recommended during peak travel months. On your way out, look up and take a moment to appreciate the mosaic tiled dome atop the building’s roof.
Saturday, 7 p.m.
Dinner at Vault
A turn-of-the-20th-century bank building is now home to this sophisticated eatery known for its steaks and lamb chops with a la carte toppers ranging from chimichurri to foie gras cognac butter. The list of creative sides changes with the seasons and incorporates locally grown vegetables. For the most memorable evening, book the private dining experience inside the building’s actual former vault, now leveled up with a colorfully painted ceiling, plush banquette seating and a curvaceous wood table.
Saturday, 9 p.m.
Drinks and music at The Ohio Club
Arkansas’ oldest operating bar began with an onsite casino in 1905 and was a destination for celebrities including Al Capone and Babe Ruth. Al Jolson and Mae West are among the most notable entertainers who performed here, and live music is still on tap four days a week.
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Breakfast and caffeine at Kollective Coffee & Tea
No need to have anything heavy after a night out like last night, so this vegan- and vegetarian-friendly coffee shop is the perfect place to fuel up before an active day. The food menu is built on organic and locally sourced ingredients, with pastry highlights include quinoa banana bread and blueberry soy muffin. In the mood for more protein? Regulars rave over the eggs Florentine served over grilled naan bread. Wash it down with pour-over coffee or mint matcha.
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Stroll through Garvan Woodland Gardens
Mid-morning is the perfect time to start your visit to this hidden gem of a botanical garden set on a peninsula at Lake Hamilton. Follow the path to a Japanese garden where you can feed the koi in the waterfall-fed pond, then over the Floating Cloud Bridge—a great spot for a photo!—to the Southern Inspiration Garden and Camellia Trail. The path also winds past a wildflower meadow, fern glade and daffodil hill. Kids and kids at heart will love the fairy village, the model train garden and especially the three-story treehouse. Have lunch al fresco at the onsite Chipmunk Café, where the chicken salad croissant and Greek salad wrap are stellar choices. Before leaving, stop inside the Anthony Chapel, a glass-and-wood structure that embraces its natural setting and is a popular wedding venue.
Sunday, 2 p.m.
Get out on the water at Lake Catherine
On your way back to the interstate, stop at Lake Catherine State Park and discover one more reason they call Arkansas the “Natural State.” At the marina, rent a pontoon boat, water bike or paddleboard to explore this 1,900-acre lake created by a hydroelectric dam project in the 1920s. After soaking up the serenity of the lake, hike the 2-mile Falls Branch Trail along streams and through the forest to see the impressive waterfall that makes this one of the area’s most scenic walks. Grab some snacks from the visitor center store before you get back in the car for the drive home.
This article was originally published in the May 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.
