Arkansas – Oct 2023

My first night in Arkansas was spent at the Arkansas Welcome Center.  This was one of the biggest I’ve seen and there are shelves and shelves of brochures and travel mags for each part of the state.  I knew I would mostly be seeing Hot Springs, AR so didn’t take too many.  I have a brochure and travel mag fetish and want to take one of everything.  However, they will eventually go in the garbage unless I find someone to pass them to (just say no to wasting resources, I told myself).

I was staying at an Army Corp of Engineer campground that was at least 30 minutes from Hot Springs, and it was situated on an arm of Lake Ouachita. It was a pretty little place and only partially full.  I have the lifetime Senior America the Beautiful Pass and found that I could get 50% off at Army Corp of Eng campgrounds.  I was thrilled!

My first day was going to be overcast, so I opted to take a trip to Garvan Woodland Gardens.  I thought that fall colors would be on the trees, but apparently it happens much later in Arkansas.  I also knew it was rather off season for a large garden like these, but I was surprised by several things.

First, was the treasure I found in Anthony Chapel!  Built in 2006, this chapel is made of local wood and glass. It is surrounded by green trees on all sides. Every side of the chapel is glass that allows you to feel like you are in the trees while staying cozy and warm inside (or cool with AC on a hot day). There is no way I can possibly explain the feeling of walking inside this chapel. It’s simple but elegant, outdoorsy yet formal, and you feel like God is right there!  Never have I seen a place like this. And I have seen many chapels, cathedrals, and basilicas in my European travels. Even the fanciest and biggest of them can’t compete with the utter ethereal nature of Anthony Chapel.  Now mind you, this chapel was pretty much built to hold weddings, not church services, and I was lucky to see it, as they would be closing it for a wedding not long after I got there.  Now that I have ‘waxed poetic’, I will continue with the rest of my walk in the gardens.

As the name implies, these are woodland gardens for the most part with paved pathways winding throughout different sections of the park. There were ponds, streams, and waterfalls. Surprisingly, there were some flowers still blooming, and they added chrysanthemums of all different colors in large swaths.  There were harvest decorations and some Halloween decorations throughout, but the best part was seeing the large Christmas display of lights they were putting up.  The lights were lit up even though it was daytime which gave me an idea of how magical it would be at night. An incredible job that covered a very large part of the gardens.  One of my favorite decorations was the giant cornucopia with pumpkins and squash tumbling out of it (see my pics)! 

This area was another one where I had to cut short my stay due to the extra time spent in OK for RV repairs.  My next visit was to the town and National Park of Hot Springs, AR.  Congress established Hot Springs Reservation in 1832, as an act to preserve the 47 thermal springs and the many bath houses lining the main street. Only one or two bath houses even work as spas anymore. Most are in the process of being preserved, and one has been turned into an excellent museum. The buildings are beautiful and add a regal air to town.  Shops line the street opposite the bath houses for added fun. It was a sunny and warm day that wasn’t too hot. Great for walking all over town enjoying all to see.  There are a number of thermal springs in the parks surrounding the area, and many miles of hiking trails in the woods above town. Unfortunately, I only had the one day and didn’t get to enjoy the trails.  Although Hot Springs NP isn’t typically my favorite type of park, it was interesting to read about all the odd things they did and believed regarding illnesses back in the 1800 and 1900s.