Eastern Texas Trip - Day 11

April 17, 2025 - Hot Springs and Returning to Spring

We wanted to get the most out of our last day in the warm weather, so we headed out for a morning hike up Hot Springs Mountain. The view was pretty from the top and the hike down was easier. 

After our hike we explored Hot Springs National Park. The visitors center was interesting and we walked around 3 floors that show how the bath house would have looked in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The other old bath houses on historic bath row are still hotels and spas. Drinking and decorative fountains with steaming water flowing from the spouts are available if you want to taste the spring water. We felt it, it is hot. We walked the old promenade behind bath row a little up the mountain side. It was built so guests could see and be seen. It was very interesting, and the most unusual national park we’ve visited. 

One of the lounges in the bathhouse

The bathhouse had a fancy gym

We’re not sure what kind of electrical therapy they did here, There was also a Mercury Therapy room used to treat syphilis. Yikes!

We wanted to get one last bike ride in before sitting in the car for 14 hours so we stopped in Little Rock and re-rode the trail we rode on the way down. 

We’ve been on the road since 2:00 pm, it’s 8:30 and we’re 8 hours from home. We’ll stop at a Walmart tonight and get home tomorrow afternoon, so this is the last post from our Eastern Texas adventure. Thanks for tagging along!!