I've always wanted to visit a hot springs area and the one in Arkansas is well endowed with funding from the last Pres - since it was his hometown. There are wonderful vintage spa buildings renovated to reflect its pre WWII heyday and the Hot Springs State Park to trek.




View of the town from above the valley

The hills were covered in dozens of different varieties of trees, but spaced enough to allow light in, as opposed to the dark East Texas piney woods. The leaves were not yet turning, but I was reminded of MK's lovely woodsy scenes in her W. Virginia hills.

Maggie, did you try the springs? I went one year and found the HOT springs way tooooo hot for me. I lasted about 10 minutes in a pool and had to go to the cooler side -- and it was in the ch-ch-chilly winter months. Anyway, I also wasn't much for the sulphur smell.

Didn't do the nature thing Gail, but did use the day spa in our hotel. It, like most of the spa houses were built in the Victorian era. One of the old spas has been renovated to its origins indoors and is open as a museum. The tubs in our hotel spa were filled with hot water from the springs as the old ones once were. The museum was worth the entire trip.

I just couldn't get enough of it. Here is a ceiling in it.