What to See in Hot Springs - Top Sights and Attractions

Bathhouse Row is a collection of bathhouses, associated buildings, and gardens located at Hot Springs National Park in the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas. The bathhouses were included in 1832 when the Federal Government took over four parcels of land to preserve 47 natural hot springs, their mineral waters which lack the sulphur odor of most hot springs, and their area of origin on the lower slopes of Hot Springs Mountain.

The existing bathhouses are the third and fourth generations of bathhouses along Hot Springs Creek, and some were built directly over the hot springs. Because of this resource, the area was set aside in 1832 as the first federal reserve. The bathhouses are a collection of turn-of-the-century eclectic buildings in neoclassical, renaissance-revival, Spanish and Italianate styles aligned in a linear pattern with formal entrances, outdoor fountains, promenades, and other landscape-architectural features. The buildings are illustrative of the popularity of the spa movement in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. The bathhouse industry went into a steep decline during the mid-20th century as advancements in medicine made bathing in natural hot springs appear less believable as a remedy for illness.

Bathhouse Row was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 28, 1987.^[2]

Botanical garden in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Garvan Woodland Gardens is a 210-acre botanical garden and woodland garden located at 550 Arkridge Road, approximately 6 miles from Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States. Owned by the University of Arkansas, it has the stated mission of education, research and public service. For an admission fee, it is open daily, except on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and the month of January.

Garvan Woodland Gardens is situated on a woodland peninsula with 4.5 miles (7 km) of shoreline on Lake Hamilton. It features rocky inclines reminiscent of the surrounding Ouachita Mountains, floral landscapes, streams, and waterfalls in a natural woodland setting, plus the fifth-ranked Garden of the Pine Wind Japanese Garden with Japanese maples and tree peonies, a conifer border, and various flower and rock gardens. Its collections display hundreds of rare shrubs and trees, including camellias, magnolias, roses and more than 160 different types of azaleas.^[4]

Museum in Piney, Arkansas. The Mid-America Science Museum is a science museum located in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It has more than 100 hands-on exhibits — both traveling and permanent exhibits. Many permanent exhibits were built in the early 1980s, such as a "ball machine" that hits billiard balls all around an elaborate track.

Several of Rowland Emett's "things" (kinetic sculptures) have been at the museum since it opened, including The Featherstone-Kite Openwork Basketweave Mark Two Gentleman’s Flying Machine, as well as several that appear in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as inventions of that film's character Caractacus Potts.

One of the museum's permanent exhibits is the most powerful conical Tesla coil, which can produce 1.5 million volts of electricity.^[6]

Church building in Hot Springs. The First Lutheran Church is a historic church building at 1700 Central Avenue in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a single story structure with a stuccoed exterior and a long gabled roof. Its main facade, facing east, has a centered entrance set in a stepped back rounded arch, with flanking windows that have ornamental ironwork on the outside. An open belltower rises at the peak of the gable above the entrance. Built in 1937 to a design by St. Louis architect Carl F. Schloemann, it is a distinctive late example of Mission Revival architecture in the city. The Lutheran congregation for which it was built was established in 1915; the building was sold into private ownership in 1985.

The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.^[9]

Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. St. Luke's Episcopal Church is a parish of the Episcopal Church located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in the Diocese of Arkansas. The congregation was established in 1866; its present interim Priest is Fr. Darrell Stayton.

It is noted for its historic parish church located at Spring and Cottage Streets, completed in 1926 to replace the previous structure, which had been destroyed by a tornado. The church is a stone Gothic Revival building designed by Thompson and Harding. Its gable-roofed nave is dominated by a massive buttressed stone tower at the front, topped by a tall parapet. A stained glass window is set in the tower, just above the projecting gable-roofed entrance vestibule. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.^[13]

Theatre in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Malco Theatre, located at 817 Central Avenue in Hot Springs, Arkansas, was built on a site that has housed vaudeville shows, silent movies, modern films, and specialty productions. The Malco, which was frequented by Bill Clinton as a boy, has played host to the prestigious Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute. The Art Deco building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 2010. The Malco is currently home to the Maxwell Blade Theatre of Magic & Comedy.

The economy of Hot Springs depended on lodging, dining, and entertainment to support its burgeoning tourism industry. In the late 1800s, Hot Springs attracted visitors from around the country to “take the waters.” After their therapeutic bathing, visitors sought amusements and recreation. At first, this was limited to hunting, fishing, and horseback riding, activities they usually did closer to home as well, but the demand increased for diversions such as gambling and entertainment. In 1882, the Opera House on Hot Springs’ Central Avenue was opened to present theatrical productions, including hosting traveling companies from New York.

In the early 1900s, motion pictures became a leading form of entertainment across the country. Frank Head, manager of the Opera House, commissioned the construction of the Princess Theatre in 1910 for viewing silent movies as well as attending vaudeville shows. It was built where Bridge Street connects Broadway to Central Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare. Hot Springs resident Sidney Nutt Sr. bought the Princess Theatre in 1927, converting it to sound in 1929 as talking pictures began to replace silent films.

Hot Springs’ downtown business district along Central Avenue suffered a number of catastrophic fires in the early 1900s. The Princess Theatre survived until Christmas Eve in 1935, when a blaze destroyed all but its foundation and its masonry entrance on Broadway Street. Those elements would become the cornerstone of the Malco Theatre.

Working with architectural firm Brueggeman and Swaim to utilize the shell of the Princess Theatre, Nutt rebuilt it after the fire. When complete, the irregularly shaped theater had a large auditorium, balcony, lobby, and area for offices facing Central Avenue. The front of the theater included striking Art Deco elements that were popular at the time.

In 1936, Nutt sold his interest in the Princess to M. A. Lightman of Memphis, Tennessee, a successful theater owner throughout the South and founder of the Malco Theatre group. The Princess was renamed the Malco Theatre, with the name incorporating the initials of Lightman. The building was fronted by an elegant, brightly lit marquee to attract the public. The theater was renovated in 1946. With its orchestra and balcony sections holding more than 1,000 seats, it was considered a showplace of the South, boasting the finest projection and sound equipment.

Between 1929 and 1964, entrances were segregated—the “Colored” entrance was on the Broadway side of the building, while the “White” entrance was on Central Avenue. The Broadway entrance allowed African Americans to enter the building and go directly to their segregated seating area in the balcony. With advances in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, segregation of entrances and seating arrangements ended. The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program has stated that the Broadway entrance to the theater may be one of only two such formerly segregated entrances still in existence in the United States. Contemporary news reports stated that the management of the building mandated its preservation as a reminder of America's civil rights victories. During the Cold War era, the building's heavy steel beams and fourteen-inch concrete walls led to the Malco being declared a bomb shelter.

The Malco was remodeled in 1962 and continued to be the leading Hot Springs cinema through the 1980s, although the rise of multi-screen theaters around the country led to the Malco's single auditorium being divided into twin theaters. The Malco continued showing movies through 1995, when it was renovated and came under new management. Magician Maxwell Blade and his Theater of Magic were housed there, joined in 1996 by the HSDFI, which hosts the oldest all-documentary film festival in North America.

The HSDFI became the sole proprietor of the Malco in 2008 after Blade moved to another Hot Springs venue. In 2013, the Malco was purchased by a private owner, Rick Williams, who maintained the Malco's relationship with the HSDFI.

In 2016, Hot Springs’ Sentinel-Record reported that Blade was “going home” to the Malco Theatre. Blade invested in restoring and renovating the aging theater, ahosting its grand re-opening on December 8, 2017. After its renovation, existing vintage tile in the building was restored. The theater boasts design elements such as ceiling tiles, decorative features, and lighting accents that suggest the Art Deco style of the 1920s when Sidney Nutt bought the Princess Theatre and converted it to showing “talking pictures.” However, Maxwell Blade's magic show has also incorporated twenty-first century components such as digital audio and video projection, including three-dimensional backgrounds. Blade has stated that the interior was restored to the way it looked in the 1940s. It has been returned to having one large auditorium rather than being split into two twin theaters. The Malco can currently hold 320 people in its plush seats, as well as another seventy-five in the balcony.^[14]

Cemetery in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Hollywood Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The cemetery was established sometime prior to the American Civil War, with its oldest marked grave dating to 1856. It is located southeast of downtown Hot Springs, and is bounded by Hollywood Avenue, Mote Street, and Shady Grove Road. Its Confederate Section, located in the northeastern part of the cemetery, commemorates the city's Civil War Confederate Army soldiers, and contains 34 marked burials. At the center of that area is an 8-foot granite monument in which is a marble marker inscribed "OUR CONFEDERATE DEAD". The Confederate section of the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.^[15]

Building in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The First Presbyterian Church is a historic church at 213 Whittington Avenue in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a large stone building, designed by Charles L. Thompson in Late Gothic Revival style and built in 1907. It has a square tower with pronounced buttressing at the corners set on the right side of its front facade, and a lower tower at the left side, with a gabled entry section at the center. The entrance is set in a broad lancet-arched opening, and is topped in the gable by a three-part stained glass window. The main sanctuary space is set perpendicular to the main facade, with a large stained glass window set in a recessed round-arch panel at the end. An entrance into the tunnels underneath hot springs is also located here.

The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.^[16]

Building in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Medical Arts Building is a historic skyscraper at 236 Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a 16-story structure with Art Deco styling, rising to a height of 180 feet. It was built in 1929 to a design by Almand & Stuck, and was the tallest building in the state until 1960.

Its main entrance is framed by fluted pilasters, topped by floral panels and a stone frieze identifying the building.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Today, all but the first floor is in disrepair and closed to the public. In May 2021 the first 15 floors of the building were purchased and are currently under renovation.

Arkansas First Skyscraper

Building. The First Methodist Church Christian Education Building is a historic religious educational facility at 1100 Central Avenue in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is located just south of the First United Methodist Church. It is a two-story Modern L-shaped building, with the interior of the L defined by a curving two-story colonnade, which frames a small park between the southernmost part of the building and the adjacent church. The street-facing facade of the building is adorned by a mosaic depicting Jesus Christ. Built 1963–65 to a design to Arkansas architect I. Granger McDaniel, it is an excellent local example of Mid-Century Modern design.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.^[19]

The Bank OZK Arena, formerly known as Summit Arena and Bank of the Ozarks Arena, is a 6,300-seat multi-purpose arena in Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA. It hosts local sporting events, concerts, and assorted other engagements such as the Miss Arkansas Pageant. It was opened in 2003 with a concert by Tony Bennett. The arena can seat 6,050 for sporting events and circuses. It has hosted the Arkansas Activities Association's High School Basketball Championships since 2012 and the Great American Conference's Women's Volleyball Championship since 2013. It has been the site of the Forrest L. Wood national bass fishing championship three times and will host the event again in 2015.

The arena, with a 47-foot (14 m) ceiling height and 30,750 square feet (2,857 m2) of exhibit space, is the newest facility in the Hot Springs Convention Center complex, which also includes a 72,000-square-foot (6,700 m2) exhibit hall which is used for trade shows, conventions, and other events (maximum capacity: 8,000), has a 30-foot (9 m) ceiling height, and can be divisible into four smaller halls; and fifteen meeting rooms, including the 15,950-square-foot (1,482 m2) Horner Hall ballroom with capacity of up to 1,850 and capable of hosting banquets, meetings and other special events, along with 13,735 square feet (1,276 m2) of meeting space in the other 14 meeting rooms.

The complex is also home to a permanent art collection.

Prior to the 2014 acquisition of Summit Bank of Arkadelphia, Arkansas by Bank of the Ozarks, Summit Bank was the arena's naming sponsor.^[20]

The Woodmen of Union Building is a historic commercial building at 501 Malvern Avenue in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a four-story structure, built mainly out of brick and ceramic blocks, although its southeastern section has upper levels with wood framing and finishing. Its main facade has an elaborate projecting entrance portico, with the entrance set in an elliptical-arch opening supported by fluted pilasters. The interior retains significant original features, including a bank vault, marble wainscoting, and a 2,500-seat auditorium. It was built in 1923-24 for the Supreme Lodge of the Woodmen of Union, an African-American social organization, which operated it as a multifunction bathhouse, hotel, hospital, bank, and performance venue. It was purchased in 1950 by the National Baptist Association.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.^[21]

Church building in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Visitors Chapel AME is a historic church building at 319 Church Street in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a Three story brick building, designed in a distinctive combination of Classical and Gothic Revival styles by J.H. Northington and built in 1913. The church has a Greek cruciform plan with a dome at the center, with a Classical gable-front flanked by towers with Gothic windows. An African Methodist Episcopal congregation is believed to have existed in Hot Springs since the 1870s; this building is the fourth it is known to have built. It is named in honor of the many outsiders who come to worship with the regular congregants.

The building was listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.^[24]

Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Orange Street Presbyterian Church, today the First Church of Christ Scientist, is a historic church building at 428 Orange Street in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a single-story brick structure, with a gable roof and concrete foundation. The front facade has a four-column Greek temple portico, with Ionic columns and a fully pedimented gable with an oculus vent at its center. The church was built in 1913 by a Presbyterian congregation founded in 1903. It was the congregation's third church, the first two succumbing to fire, and indebting the organization. It occupied the building until 1961, when it moved to new quarters, selling this building to the local Christian Science congregation. The building is one of Hot Springs' best examples of Classical Revival architecture.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.^[25]

The Aristocrat Motor Inn is a historic hotel building at 240 Central Avenue in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a large seven-story structure, with a six-story U-shaped tower set on a basically rectangular ground floor. It is finished in glass, brick, and metal, in the Mid-Century Modern style. The tower is organized around a central courtyard, with the interior facades in a sawtooth pattern to maximize light coming into the hotel rooms facing inward. The hotel was built in 1963 by Samuel Kirsch, a local businessman engaged in a variety of pursuits. It was one of the first hotels built along the city's Central Avenue to feature a Modernist exterior. It was operated as a hotel until 1978, and was after converted into low-income housing.

The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.^[26]