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Greetings!
So I've been pitiful about writing in here. I've been trying at the very least to keep up with weekly photo albums and the occassional KP & KP videos (be sure to check them out!). I do plan on going back and recapping some of the highlights of the last 2 months. But I need to take a minute and put a spotlight on our last big stop: Hot Springs, AR (childhood home of President Clinton!)
This town is incredible. It was a major tourist destination (and, we found out, a favorite destination for gangsters) up until the 1940s/50s. Today it's an adorable town completely surrounded by Hot Spings National Park. It's named after the hundreds of natural hot springs that crop up all over town. Most have been covered for protection, but some are still exposed...and they are HOT: they run 143 degrees all year round. You can still go to bath houses with HOT tubs. There's even a bath house which recreates the full-on treatments from the heyday of the town. We were there for FOUR days, with only night-time performances. It was incredible...these were just a few of my highlights:
** The Fordyce Bath House with our incredible tour guide, Shirley...make sure to ask for her! She is delightful and incredibly knowledgable (Plus she came to our show, couldn't believe we were on her tour, and told everyone she could how great our show was. I told her I'd pass on the love and adoration) The museum is a complete recreation of the original bath house and it's fascinating. Back in the day, people would come to Hot Springs for upwards of 3 weeks for all sorts of special bath treatments. And to think I enjoyed my one hour of pampering...!!
www.nps.gov/hosp/planyourvisit/fordyce.htm
** The Gangster Museum of America: It's a 1-hour guided tour through the gangster history of Hot Springs and it is FASCINATING. If you're a history buff like me, it's so well worth the hour and the just $10 admission.
www.tgmoa.com/
** Quapaw Bath House: Experience the healing powers of the hot springs baths. Their heat ranged from 94-104 degrees F...in case you can't tell, that is HOT!!! They make sure you stay extrememly hydrated so as not to pass out. (*Special thanks to my friend Jason Jett for making sure I did this while in Hot Springs) You just cannot go to Hot Springs and NOT go in the water.
www.quapawbaths.com/
** Mountian Tower: The hiking is beautiful and at the top of one hike is Mountain Tower. The views from the top are stunning. Plus the top of the tower contains all sorts of fascinating history about the town. Well worth the climb. www.hotspringsar.com/info/tower/tower.htm
** There were all sorts of fun shops and restaurants, but these two stuck out to me:
Rolando's Nuevo Latino Restaurant "Latin American quisine with Southern charm" ... and they succeed! The service was slow but the food was worth every bite. And the outdoor patio is not to be missed. www.rolandosrestaurante.com/
Bathhouse Soapery & Caldarium: Charlene has been making her handmade soaps for 11 years, and just this past year opened this not-to-be missed shop. Her products are made from the best ingredients, are sold at the local bath houses...and, well, are made by her on the premises. Her workshop is in the middle of the shop...you can actually see where your soap is coming from. She's a one-woman show. Thank you Charlene!! www.bathhousesoap.com
In case you can't tell, i LOVED Hot Springs. It's beautiful, relaxing, fun...I've only touched on the things it has to offer. And it was our last real vacation of tour. The next 3 weeks are going to be crazy. But we have just weeks left!! So check out the photos. Check out the KP & KP videos. Thanks for sticking with me through all my travels!
Enjoy!
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