15 Best Restaurants in Hot Springs, AR

Home to over 36,000 people, Hot Springs, Arkansas is located in the Ouachita Mountains nestled among several hot springs.

While the majority of the restaurants are located on Central Avenue, visitors to Hot Springs will be able to check out the Southern charm and historic buildings in the area.

Whether in town for a vacation or special event, be sure to have fun at the Magic Springs Theme and Water Park or a movie at the Farmer’s Market. Check out your luck at the casino and racetrack before heading home.

What are the 15 Best Restaurants in Hot Springs, AR?

The 15 Best Restaurants in Hot Springs, AR according to local experts are:

• Angels Italian Restaurant
• Arlington Fountain & Venetian
• Back Porch Grill
• Bone’s Chophouse
• Crazy Samurai
• J & S Italian Villa Restaurante & Bar
• Luna Bella
• Osaka Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
• Rolando’s Restaurante
• Steinhaus Keller
• The Avenue
• The Porterhouse
• Vault
• Via Roma Italian Restaurant

Attraction Spotlight: Fordyce Bathhouse in Hot Springs, AR

Located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Fordyce Bathhouse is a historic European-style hot springs bathhouse facility that functions as a visitor center and living history museum for Hot Springs National Park. The area that now encompasses the city of Hot Springs and the land of Hot Springs National Park is centered around a number of natural geothermal hot springs, produced by the rising of heated groundwater located inside the Earth’s crust.

Traditionally, the waters of these hot springs have been believed to contain healing and medicinal properties because of their high dissolved mineral content, leading to folklore among a number of world cultures that bathing in the heated waters will cure or relieve ailments such as rheumatism. The hot springs of the Arkansas area were historically used by indigenous American tribes as healing sites, a tradition that was continued by early European colonists of the area. By the early 1800s, crude bathhouse structures had begun to appear in the area, most in the shape of canvas and lumber tents pitched over individual springs. Fires and erosion plagued early bathhouse construction in the area, however, and runoff from Hot Springs Creek led to flooding and stagnant water pooling, prompting the 1884 channeling and paving of the creek to flow underneath a city road.

The road today is part of Hot Springs’ Central Avenue and Bathhouse Row, which comprise its main business district. Founded in 1807, Hot Springs developed into a thriving European-style spa town throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, anchored around eight bathhouse facilities constructed between 1892 and 1923. The bathhouses are part of federally-owned land, originally designated in 1832 as part of Hot Springs Reservation, which was converted into a 5,500-acre National Park in 1921.

Though the bathhouse movement fell out of popularity by the mid-20th century due to advancements in modern medicine, the eight Hot Springs bathhouses still stand today as examples of popular turn-of-the-century architecture movements, including Neoclassical, Spanish, and Italianate designs. In 1987, the Row was designated as a National Historic Landmark, ensuring the future preservation of the buildings. Of the original eight buildings, only four--the Buckstaff, Quapaw, Lamar, and Fordyce--are open to the public today. Traditional European bath services are provided at the Buckstaff and Quapaw, and the Lamar space has been converted into the Bathhouse Row Emporium, which serves as the National Park’s official gift shop.

Opened in March of 1915, the Fordyce Bathhouse is the largest and most expensive bathhouse on the Row. It was designed by Little Rock architectural firm Mann and Stern at a cost of over $212,000, utilizing Spanish and Italian design elements to create an overall Renaissance Revival aesthetic. The facility’s construction was spearheaded by Colonel Samuel W. Fordyce, a Civil War soldier and Hot Springs community planner who was an avid proponent of the medicinal properties of thermal springs.

Throughout the early 20th century, the three-story Fordyce facility became emblematic of the pinnacle of the bathhouse movement in America. During its height of operation, mens and womens bathing facilities were provided, including steam rooms, hydrotherapy rooms, and full bath halls, with practices centering on a holistic healing approach. The facility also included a gymnasium, bowling lanes, a billiard room, and a museum of Native American relics, along with an assortment of state rooms for meetings, conversation, and quiet study. A fountain on the bathhouse’s grounds also utilized heated water from the area’s 47 springs.

Though the Fordyce ceased its bathhouse service in June of 1962, the first facility on the Row to suspend its operations, it was fully restored by the National Park Service in 1989 for use as a visitor center for Hot Springs National Park. Today, it operates as a complete living history museum, open to all visitors of the National Park. Park maps and informational materials are provided at the center, along with a short orientation film highlighting the history of the park, town, and bathhouses.

Visitors may also embark on self-guided tours of the bathhouse’s three floors and basement, which contain a number of historical exhibits about the bathhouse’s operations and amenities and the history of spa practices in Europe and the United States. A floor plan pamphlet is provided, detailing the location and historical use of the facility’s rooms. In addition to fully restored architectural and decorative elements, many of the bathhouse’s original amenities are still stocked and on view, including vintage manicuring and grooming goods. Guided tours are also offered twice daily throughout the park’s regular operating year, with park docents elaborating on the building’s exhibits and history. Reservations for tours are not required for individuals, but large groups may book private tours through the park in advance.

101 Reserve Street, Hot Springs , AR 71901, Phone: 501-620-6715

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More Ideas in AR: Cliff Cottage Inn

Perched on a scenic hillside overlooking downtown Eureka Springs, Cliff Cottage Inn offers a tranquil and relaxing Ozark getaway. The charming adults-only Inn features spacious, well-appointed private suites and individual cottages within walking distance of the bustling main street’s restaurants, cafés, nightclubs, museums, and galleries, with a variety of entertainment right on the doorstep.

The Inn’s beautifully decorated and comfortably furnished guest suites have private bathrooms, Jacuzzi hot tubs, and stunning views, while three individual cottages feature fully-equipped kitchens and private outdoor hot tubs. A full-gourmet award-winning breakfast is served in-room every morning, and an array of exotic teas, coffee or hot chocolate can be enjoyed from the in-room complimentary beverage bar. Cliff Cottage Inn is ideally based for exploring the area, which is packed with things to see and do, including the Crystal Bridges Museum or watching the Arkansas Razorbacks play a game.

Guest Accommodations

Cliff Cottage Inn is comprised of four beautifully restored historic buildings, and one purpose-built Victorian replica, all of which house the retreat’s luxurious accommodations. Deluxe suites are located in the Cliff Cottage main house, The Place Next Door, and the Artist’s Cottage, as well as the stand-alone Oscar Wilde’s Cottage and Zelda’s Studio. All suites and cottages feature country-style décor and furnishings, plush Victorian king or queen-size beds with designer linens and hypoallergenic pillows, and private or en-suite bathrooms with six-foot two-person Jacuzzi tubs and walk-in showers, plush towels, and organic bath products. Spacious living rooms have sizeable triple bay windows that flood room with natural light and beautiful views of the historic downtown, and some suites and cottages have faux fireplaces. Modern amenities include individually-controlled central heat and air, overhead ceiling fans, flat-screen televisions with cable channels, DVD players, and VCRs, CD players, mini-fridges stocked with beverages, including Champagne and white wine, coffee makers with imported coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, and complimentary wireless Internet.

Decorated in an elegant, whimsical safari theme, Oscar Wilde’s Cottage is a 1920s cabin surrounded by pristine woodlands and is ideal for a romantic getaway for two. The Art Deco style cottage has a fully-equipped kitchen stocked with imported teas, coffee, hot chocolate, chai, and appliances necessary for light catering and cooking, a mini-fridge stocked with beverages, including Champagne and white wine, coffee makers with imported coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, and coffee maker. A spacious living area and den have a picture window overlooking the forest, a faux fireplace in a separate enclave, and a private bedroom has a queen-size bed with luxury linens and an en-suite bathroom with a shower/bath combination. The cottage has a deck with a private hot tub surrounded by woods and fantastic views of the village below.

Tucked into a rock bluff surrounded by the woods just a few steps down to the village below, Zelda’s Studio offers the perfect alternative to a cabin with a covered deck and a private hot tub. The studio boasts rustic beamed wooden ceilings and age-old native stone walls, a large open plan living room and a fully-equipped kitchen, a king-size bed in luxury linens, and an en-suite bathroom with a two-person walk-in shower. Modern amenities include individually-controlled central heat and air, overhead ceiling fans, flat-screen televisions with cable channels, DVD players, and VCRs, CD players, mini-fridges stocked with beverages, including Champagne and white wine, coffee makers with imported coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, and complimentary wireless Internet.

Dining

Guests are treated to a gourmet breakfast delivered to the suites and cottages every morning and include fresh fruit juice and fruit, hot and cold cereals, yogurt, freshly baked bread and pastries, and coffee, and tea. In-room coffee makers and hot beverage can be enjoyed in-room before breakfast, and guests who are staying in the cottages can use the fully equipped kitchens for light cooking and catering.

Amenities and Recreation

Cliff Cottage Inn boasts an array of facilities and guest services ranging from in-room conveniences such as flat-screen televisions with cable channels, mini-fridges stocked with beverages, coffee makers with imported coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, and complimentary wireless Internet to private hot tubs overlooking the forest. A gourmet breakfast is delivered to the suites and cottages every morning, and guests can self-cater in the kitchens of the cabins.

Local Attractions

Eureka Springs is a tranquil village which is packed with activities, attractions and things to see and do in and around the region. Exciting local sites include cruising around Beaver Lake, whose waters are deemed to be the cleanest in the country and also offer excellent fishing and swimming. Spend a day at Starkey Park and rent a pontoon for a fun day out on the lake or enjoy snorkeling or scuba diving. Blue Spring Heritage is a historical site where the Cherokee wintered over during their ancient Trail of Tears exodus and has a fascinating visitor center and trout-filled lagoon. The Cosmic Cavern features two deep lakes which can be seen on a 90-minute tour, and the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railroad offers excursion trips and a lunch or dinner dining car.

The Intrigue Theater and Opera in the Ozarks offers culture buffs a chance to enjoy performances and opera, and outdoor lovers can soak up the beautiful wildlife and natural scenery of the surrounding area at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. The Arkansas Pig Trail is a famous trail that lies between Little Rock and Fort Smith and boasts spectacular natural landscapes and breathtaking scenery. Other attractions and interesting sites include the Crystal Bridges Museum and the Thorncrown Chapel.

40-42 Armstrong Street, Eureka Springs, AR 72632, Phone: 479-253-7409

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