A cold winter day is a good excuse to soak in Hot Springs, an old spa town in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, and the national park sits right in the middle of downtown. Bathhouse Row is the main attraction, and you can try the thermal water at Buckstaff or Quapaw, then walk up the mountain for the tower view. The town also has Oaklawn racetrack and casino, Garvan Woodland Gardens, a gangster museum, and two big lakes, Ouachita and Hamilton, for boating.
About 38,000 people live in the city, and it is cheap, with home prices and rents well below the national average and a slow but steady pace. Visitors and retirees make up a large part of the economy. The drawbacks are property crime and some panhandling near the edge of downtown, hot humid summers with ticks and chiggers, spring tornadoes, and winter ice. Little Rock is about an hour away. Only drink from the fountains posted as safe.
Cities with a similar character, anywhere on the site.
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- Known as
- Spa City; America's First Resort; Valley of the Vapors; The Natural State's spa town
- Founded
- 1807 first settled; 1851 incorporated
- Languages
- English; Spanish (about 11% Hispanic or Latino population)
- Airports
- Memorial Field Airport (HOT) local, general aviation with limited or no scheduled service; Little Rock National (LIT) about 55 miles; Northwest Arkansas National (XNA) about 190 miles; Memphis (MEM) about 200 miles
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20%; bars $1-2 per drink; bathhouse spa massages and treatments 15-20%; taxis and rideshare 15%; hotel housekeeping $2-5 per night; tour guides $5-10
About this data
City population is Census July 2025 estimate 37,979 (2020: 37,930); metro figure is Garland County (Hot Springs MSA) July 2025 estimate 99,695; area 97.31 km2 and elevation 173 m from Wikipedia; latitude/longitude approximate; home value and rent from Census QuickFacts; hotel rates, cost of living index, crime rate and neighborhood details are estimates or unverified; event months for Jeep Jamboree, Jazz Fest and Music Festival should be re-checked
