The last time Gavin and I decided to up and go anywhere alone (for more than one night) was when I was 7 months pregnant with Owen. In September of 2014, we drove the length of Wyoming from Salt Lake to Mount Rushmore just to see something new. I guess an ‘unconventional babymoon’ (if you will) wasn’t that bad, because we did something similar 7 months into this pregnancy! A camping trip to Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas! Anyone else use the babymoon excuse, but do something far from glamorous?! Just us? k.

My mom flew in to Dallas to watch Owen for a few days so that Gavin and I could have some much needed time to ourselves. Throughout the weekend, we kept saying how much we missed Owen. On the other hand, it was so nice to be able to do things we can’t normally do. Like: have conversations in the car, or even just drive and listen to music without interruptions, or read, or relax in the hammock mid-day. I can’t wait to take Owen on another camping trip, but a little trip as a couple was just what we needed.

If you’re going to Arkansas anytime soon, or looking for a road trip from Dallas, here are three adventures we had on our Hot Springs, Arkansas getaway that we highly recommend:

#1: Visit Hot Springs National Park!

This National Park is so unique! It’s not full of natural scenery and hiking, like most national parks. Hot Springs National Park is a historic city. There are (obviously) hot springs, but the springs are all filtered into bath houses and fountains. The national park was just a short drive from our campground, so we visited a few separate times. We browsed the shops, ate at the restaurants, and walked the beautiful trails behind Bathhouse Row.

FYI Hot Springs, Arkansas is a city. Hot Springs National Park is the small historic district of the city, AKA Bathhouse Row. Bathhouse Row and Hot Springs National Park are basically one-in-the-same. Bathhouse row is full of shops, restaurants, hotels, walkways, and hot-spring fed spas.  There are plenty of other things to do in the city of Hot Springs that aren’t related to the national park. This information wasn’t super clear to me before we visited, so hopefully I explained it in a way that kind of makes sense!

Hot Springs National Park is one of the few National Parks that don’t charge an admission fee. You do need to pay a fee to enter the Hot Springs Mountain Tower, and plan on forking out some cash if you want a convenient parking spot! Otherwise, touring this National Park won’t cost you much! #budgetfriendly!

Top left: the view from the free parking garage

Top right: eating lunch on the patio at Rolando’s restaurant. I loved this restaurant! Highly recommended by yours truly!

Bottom left: one of the many amazing wall murals you’ll find in the park

Bottom right: About to chow down on a Fat-Bottomed-Girls Cupcake! These were delicious!

Other things to do in Hot Springs National Park:

Have an authentic Hot Springs Spa experience! Before our trip, I was fully planning on doing this! Once we got there I didn’t end up feeling the need to go through with it… I decided I’d rather relax with my husband at our campground (I know I’m probably the only person on the planet who would have made this decision!). But because I was planning on it, I did some research and these seemed to be the best options:

Buckstaff Bathouse: $35-$85/person, based on package. Individual Soaks and Massages.

Quapaw Baths and Spa: $150 ish/person based on package. Soaks and spa treatments. Couples options available.

Hike the trails to and around the Hot Springs Mountain Tower.

Stroll the Historic Baseball Trail

Visit The Arlington Hotel on a Friday or Saturday evening. Friday and Saturday evenings you’ll hear live music in this hotel lobby and anyone is welcome to swing dance along! This is a free activity and you don’t even need to be a guest at the hotel for this experience. (note this was pre March 2020. Check their website for current events and protocols).

Drink from the main public thermal fountain. Pre-pandemic, a free public tea party was hosted at this fountain every second Saturday of the month at 10 am. Let’s hope things get back to normal and this resumes sooner rather than later! Until then, regardless of the time or day, bring your own cups and bottles to fill up on authentic Hot Springs water!

#2: Mine for Crystals!

We had a blast driving up to Mt. Ida and mining our own crystals! We took a lot of pictures and have plenty of information to share about this excursion, so I dedicated a blog post just to this adventure. You can read it by clicking here.

#3: Hike at Lake Catherine State Park

Lake Catherine was beautiful and refreshing! Gavin and I stayed at a campground closer to the National Park, but I wish we would have stayed here at Lake Catherine instead. We could have spent so much time running around this park. In the park, we did the Falls Branch Trail. I’d say this is a must do! It was an easy hike, with a rewarding waterfall, so who wouldn’t want to go?! Take note that this waterfall does dry up in the late summer months, so the best time to visit is between March and June!

Bonus adventure: Southern Arkansas Little Grand Canyon

Our last adventure that I’d recommend to anyone was a little Oasis that we hit on our drive back home to Dallas. I think the detour cost us about an hour of drive time, plus the time that we played there. I only found information about this place on two blogs, so I’ll link them below. They’ll tell you how to get there and what you’re in for. I’m so glad we stopped here! This place is in the middle of nowhere, but seriously beautiful! On a not-so-positive note about this little grand canyon: watch out for snakes!

Directions:

http://livelifebehappytravel.blogspot.com/2017/02/arkansass-little-grand-canyon.html

http://onlyinark.com/arkansas-women-bloggers/adventure-little-grand-canyon/

Have you ever been to Arkansas? Is there something else we should have seen while we were there? This was a relatively inexpensive trip, so it wouldn’t be hard to make a do-over happen and bring more people along next time! You want in?!

Here’s some bonus info if you’re planning a camping trip to the area!

Where to Camp

We stayed at Gulpha Gorge Campground. This campground is first come first serve. We got there on a Friday around 4:00 pm. There were only a few spots left, but we were able to easily snag one. The camp hosts were very friendly and helpful. It was $30 a night to stay here. The campground was clean, pretty, and well-kept. However, the campsites were so small, and far from secluded, that I don’t think I’d stay here again. Gulpha Gorge was a nice choice, with me being pregnant and all, because I felt very safe and we were close to a bathroom with running water, but it’s not the kind camping I typically enjoy. Not that I’m super hardcore, but I like to feel a little more in the wild.

I did absolutely love this little river running through the campground!

If we were to do it over again, I’d probably choose to reserve a campsite at Lake Catherine State Park instead, which is nearby.