My besties and I just returned from our annual girls trip, this time to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Our goal each year is to find a quiet little place that we can relax, enjoy each other’s company, eat our weight in cheese, and find tiny adventures along the way. This cute little town delivered! And, while I wouldn’t DARE share everything that happened or even attempt to provide a general timeline, I did want to share a few of the things we enjoyed.
We stayed right in the heart of downtown Hot Springs at Elliot’s Ness’T, this cool rental on Central Ave. My heart is still dreaming about the exposed brick! This rental had a large kitchen, fun pool table, comfy lounge seating, and the perfect number of sleeping spots for four adults…though the person in the murphy bed in the living area should be a heavy sleeper as passing traffic is loud and the sun comes in bright in the morning. All that to say, the location was clutch! Once we unpacked our car, we didn’t need it until we left as everything was in walking distance.
Where we ate/drank:
Steinhaus Keller: This is a fun little German restaurant on Central Ave. If given the opportunity, I would bathe in their Haus-made bier cheese. It’s not the easiest place to eat as a vegetarian…but I made it work! We stuck to mainly small plates for dinner and the table enjoyed giant Bavarian pretzels, poutine, cabbage rolls, sausage and cheese board, and dumplings. I ordered the Parmesan Brussels Sprout Salad and it’s just ok. I like sprouts as much as the next girl, but it was just too much for me. While the pomegranate seeds offered a refreshing pop, I opted for a second pretzel after a few bites of salad.
Superior Bathhouse Brewery: This is the only brewery in a US National Park and the only brewery to use thermal spring water. This alone drew my nerdy heart right on in! There was a wait when we arrived so we grabbed a drink at the bar while we waited. I am really indecisive when it comes to ordering drinks…and having 18 craft beers on tap never helps…but the bartenders were more than helpful! I ended up LOVING their #6 Maddens No.1 (Blonde Ale).
Grateful Head Pizza Oven & Beer Garden: I think it’s absolutely hilarious that this establishment has two locations: Hot Springs and Hochatown, OK (where our first girls’ trip was!), so of course we had to check it out! We tried one night for dinner but it was way too late and there was an hour wait. However, the next night we went a little earlier and sat right down! We opted for their first floor area as it was roughly 30 degrees cooler…and it was a hot evening! We each ordered a side salad and small pizza but very easily could have teamed up to split a couple smalls instead. I enjoyed a fun local beer and the treehuggers pizza!
The Avenue: We stopped in here for a lovely brunch after exploring a bit. I had a yummy granola and fruit bowl…with a mimosa of course! It was much earned after a two hour hike!
The Rooftop Bar: While we never ate here, we did visit twice during our stay for drinks! The view was outstanding, the breeze was MUCH appreciated, the live music was so fun, and the drinks were refreshing! I stuck to their Elderflower Bee’s Knees…so yummy!
Copper Penny Pub: If you like fried food and live music, look no further! We had so much fun here and the fried pickles are *chef’s kiss*. If you check it out, tell Kyle we said hello!
Our Adventures:
Hot Springs National Park: I am not even ashamed at how much I nerded out at this park! Even in the heat of July, the walk and hikes were downright delightful thanks to all the shaded trails. In full transparency, we did get a little turned around on our hike as all the trails cross over each other! We started on the Fountain Trail but at some point found ourselves on Peak Trail to the Mountain Tower and then enjoyed the Hot Springs Mountain Trail but somehow made our way to the Gulpha Gorge Trail, a little bit of Sunset Trail before turning around and finding the Oertel Trail and finally Reserve Trail! Basically, were were allllll over the North Mountain trail map! The trails ranged from easy to strenuous so I’m glad we had legitimate hiking shoes and trekking poles. It was a workout but the views made it totally worth it! Before we left, we drove back up Mountain Drive to visit the tower once more for a photo shoot…because it’s gorgeous! The Grand Promenade is a beautiful paved walkway behind Bathhouse Row and we made sure to stop by the Bathhouse Emporium for some souvenirs before filling my jug up with thermal water!
Central Avenue Historic District: From an impromptu tour of an old high school to perusing a ton of cute little shops, Central Avenue is such an interesting street to walk. There are a lot of cool murals painted on the outside of buildings and pop up live music throughout the day in little courtyards. Plus, there is clearly a ton of cool history here with all of the historic buildings. While all the shops were fun to check out, I think my very favorite was the Bathhouse Soapery & Caldarium. A couple winters back I fell in love with their Cardamom & White Chocolate scent and while I was heartbroken to learn that I couldn’t purchase any of that scent during a summer month, I found another scent that brought me just as much joy! Their classic scent Milk is such a rich and smooth smell and I walked away with bath bombs, solid perfume, whipped soap, body scrub, a soap slice, massage oil, and body butter! What can I say, when I like it, I love it! I about died when I learned you can order online and have it shipped to you. NOTED. 😉
While there are other things I could share, this is where I leave you! I love Hot Springs and I was so glad I got to enjoy it with my friends. There is definitely plenty to do here but we wanted to keep it chill. And, it was a beautifully relaxing trip that allowed us all to breathe, laugh, and snack together!
The big question remains…where should we go next year! 😉
❤️