Arkansas Entertainment: Hot Springs, Cave Tours and Blues’ Birthplace

The aptly named Hot Springs has long attracted health-conscious travelers to its soothing hot springs. A visit to Hot Springs National Park, the first federal preserve in the USA, can easily fill an entire day. Visit the eight bathhouses along Bathhouse Row listed as a National Historic Landmark District, lace up your hiking boots to explore more than 40 kilometers of hiking trails or put on your city clothes for more fast-paced entertainment at Oaklawn Racing & Gaming and shopping in downtown Hot Springs; it’s all included in the city. If you’re in the mood for music, head two hours south to El Dorado where the Murphy Arts District (MAD) has many concerts and theater performances as well as a free Playscape playground for the kids.

Located north of Hot Springs (and home to more hot springs), the artsy, quirky town of Eureka Springs is renowned for its Victorian architecture and unusual attractions. Marvel at the stone-studded façade of Quigley’s Castle, dubbed “the Ozarks’ strangest dwelling.” Visit fascinating religious sites such as Thorncrown Chapel, historic St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church (where you enter through the bell tower) and the seven-story-tall Christ of the Ozarks statue. Go for an underground tour of Onyx Cave and give your legs a workout in downtown Eureka Springs, known for its steep, winding streets. Take a haunted ghost tour, or let an illusionist mesmerize you at Intrigue Theater. Choose from memorable overnight accommodations such as the reportedly haunted Crescent Hotel or a themed treehouse (including a Harry Potter one) at Eureka Springs Treehouses, Caves, Castles & Hobbits.

The eastern portion of the state makes up part of the Mississippi River Delta, the birthplace of Blues music. To discover this rich heritage, begin at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, dedicated to the history and music of the region. Midday, you can catch the radio broadcast of King Biscuit Time, on the air daily since 1941. In early October, thousands of music lovers flock to town for the King Biscuit Blues Festival. The center is on the Arkansas Delta Music Trail, dotted with other historic music landmarks such as Johnny Cash’s boyhood home and the town of Twist, where B.B. King named his guitar Lucille. In nearby West Memphis, try your luck at Southland Park Gaming & Racing, and refuel at Sammy Hagar’s Red Rocker Bar & Grill for a rock ‘n’ roll themed bar menu.

Fly into Little Rock’s Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) or Bentonville’s Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA), and rent a car to explore the state.