Arkansas: Little Rock and Hot Springs

24-26 May 2022

We took a few days to recover from Covid and “serve our time” in isolation. We are still masking in any public indoor spaces and will continue to do so for at least three more days. Tomorrow is a travel day. I’m pretty much 100% recovered; Dan says he’s about 85%—still coughing some and is just “off”. But each day seems to be better.

Yesterday we drove up to Little Rock to see the Clinton Presidential Library. Impressive modern building on the bank of the Arkansas River. The photos I took are of items that seem kind of weird—basically anything that caught my eye. This museum was arranged around a detailed display for each year of Clinton’s Presidency. And I DO mean detailed. Were I to take a photo of the display, it would show people standing there reading things. SO MUCH was crammed into each year that there wasn’t really anything that stood out. The architecture of the building was modern and open with glass and steel in abundance, along with light stone. The many windows reflected on the display cases and already some had faded photos in them; taking pictures of the displays was almost impossible due to the reflections in the glass. So, far fewer photos than I’d typically have in a Presidential Library even though this library seemed to have twice the accomplishments across the board compared to, say the Reagan Library, although the Reagan was very entertaining to visit.

Today we went to Hot Springs National Park. It is very different from any other NP I’ve ever visited. It is scattered around in several different areas: one is along Central Avenue and includes a series of bathhouses. We visited the Museum in the Forsyth Building, a former hot springs spa. I found it very interesting. We even had lunch in a converted bath house, the Superior Bathhouse Brewery, which made it’s beer and root beer out of the hot springs water. We both enjoyed our root beers!

After hanging around Central Avenue, we headed out for two more stops: the Hot Springs Mountain Tower (another part of the National Park) and the Garvan Woodland Gardens, associated with the University of Arkansas. So…stay tuned; lots of photos to follow!

William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Little Rock

It was during President Clinton’s time in office that the nation really entered the Information Age and time of computers. Remember dial-up? That was Clinton. Remember his VP Al Gore? Remember the joke about him inventing the internet?  Besides tech, there was an expansion of jobs, with high growth and low interest rates with the longest economic expansion in history. The ranks of the middle class swelled as people were lifted out of poverty. Investment in education and training doubled. As the gift shop tee-shirt proclaimed: I miss Bill.

This is the outside of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library taken from the area of the grounds leading to the Clinton School of Public Policy.

Flags outside were at half staff in remembrance of those who died in the school shooting in Uvaldo, TX. A few days before, flags were lowered for the over 1 million dead from COVID. Too much death.

There were globes all over the grounds of the library and the Clinton School of Public Service. Of course I had to take a photo of the one that was an eyeball!

A view of the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge from the second floor of the Library

Bill loved playing the sax; here are some of his saxophones 

This Dale Chihuly glass sculpture was pretty as is; but in a photo, it was one of a pair of them made for the Clintons when they were decorating for Christmas in the White House. Lit from within, it is really stunning. I wish they had it lit!

The library design was modeled after The Long Room at Trinity College Dublin. The blue cases contain correspondence from the Office of Agency Liason during the Clinton Administration.

A gift to Hilary—stylish!

The Clinton version of the Popemobile. This super-secure vehicle was the one Clinton used while President.

The Clinton Presidential Park Bridge is one of four pedestrian bridges over the Arkansas River; it is a converted railroad bridge.

The Clinton Presidential Library as seen from the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge

The Arkansas River from the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge

After dinner, we took a little hike to a waterfall

The waterfall in Lake Catherine State Park, where we’re staying.

Lake Catharine. Directly across from where we’re camped is a power plant. I waited to take this until we couldn’t see the power plant…haha.

Sun beginning to go down on Lake Catherine. After we took this shot, it began to sprinkle, then rain, then rain big drops. We were both pretty darn wet by the time we got back to our Arkansas vacation home; I had to get out the hair dryer for my hair and we both changed into dry clothes. 

Hot Springs National Park

Meet an outcropping of novaculite—it’s a sedimentary type of quartz that fractures in a regular pattern. The Indians used it to make arrowheads and scraping tools. I bought a couple of sharpening stones for the boys as souvenirs from Arkansas. This was seen at the overlook at the top Hot Springs Mountain Drive.

The Lamar Bathhouse is now the gift shop of this National Park

We noticed a number of places for people to come with their empty containers to fill with spring water. They were busy all day.

Love the Art Deco-inspired architecture.

The National Park Visitor Center is located in the Forsyth House, a former bathhouse/spa. Here we were able to see what the baths were like in the mid-1900s.

In the hydrotherapy area, one might first soak in the waters, then take a steam, then shower off using multiple jets of water, shown below.

(I know this is a really old facility but wouldn’t you think that with all the visitors they would clean the tiles and make this place shine??)

Personal steam boxes

Soaking tub; the temperature of the water was regulated so guests would not burn themselves. These tubs were enclosed in little private rooms so everyone had their own bath. Some of the spas did have communal baths available as well.

The stained glass ceiling in the men’s bathing area.  Hooray for naked women, apparently.

Note the tile detailing of the floor and the stained glass ceiling—beautiful. This is on the third floor where the women could congregate. This floor also had the gymnasium and a hair stylist.

The baby grand piano in the women’s spa on the third floor

The beauty parlor at the Forsyth. Note this border tiling pattern; it was seen in many of the hallways of the bathhouse.

The gymnasium. Note the sets of Indian Clubs “for good health” hanging on the side wall to the right.

There were at least a dozen murals in town; here are two of them we saw on Central Avenue.

Across the street from Bathhouse Row is the Ohio Club, ostensibly a gentleman’s club of some sort. We did not investigate. The building to the right was gorgeous; the paint job was immaculate and very detailed.

Bathhouse Row on Central Avenue

Each of these rectangular caps covers a hot spring. They’re locked so people won’t get burned doing stupid things. These covers were scattered all over the hillside where we were walking the Grand Promenade.

An honest-to-goodness hot spring. The water comes out at about 140F. See the steam near the left side coming off the pooling of the water?

The Grand Promenade ran above and behind the row of bathhouses on Central Avenue. It was a nice perspective on the city street below.

This guy was bored as his parents shopped for souvenirs 

The Garvan Woodlands Gardens

The sensory garden. Loved the rich color of the poppies.

Loved the coloration of this hydrangea

I couldn’t quite tell whether the water features were man-made/designed or  natural to the site with landscaping added. This was a huge site so it’s possible that some were designed by man, some by God. In either case, the way the paths wound around, it was beautiful. If I lived in Hot Springs, I’d want to be a member here!

Lemon beebalm 

I just liked this shot, the hydrangea blooms stretching their necks out and up all around this Virginia pine.

Stokes’ aster

Roundheaded leek

View west to Lake Hamilton

I think this is a kind of azalea

Millsap Canopy Bridge

Incredibly inventive and creative tree house suspended high above the ground, it never felt like you were in fear for your safety. This “room” has a sculpture of an oversized pine cone at the end for seating.

A bridge in the kid section of Garvan Woodlands Garden

Another interior shot of the tree house. Here you can see steps going up and down. There is a sitting spot carved out of the log on the left. Kids can enter the “caged area” upper right, to climb up to the top floor.
Above, a sculpture of a squirrel on a feeder, also in the tree house. Art and nature and fun intersected in this house!

Redring Milkweed

Sculpture in the children’s section

The Carillon

The Anthony Chapel is available for weddings and they do have a lot of them here! 4-5 just this weekend, plus rehearsals. There is a bride’s hall, groom’s quarters and carillon nearby too for the reception after. The chapel was designed by Maurice Jennings and David McKee of Fayetteville. The remarkable thing is, hiking up to it, I was unaware that it was there until Dan pointed it out. The walls are 50 feet high and it’s all glass-walled. The beams are like the trees around it so photos I saw of the inside are like you’re in the middle of the forest while you are inside the chapel. The simple lines are stark and really blend into the woods. THIS was the only structure that I wanted to see and we were not allowed to go closer than this photo because it was set up for a wedding rehearsal.
(Interested in having your wedding there? $3000-$4500 will get you the chapel, bride/groom quarters for 3 hours plus one hour for rehearsal, depending on the day.)

Tomorrow we leave for Missouri, then on to Indiana and home. It’s been a good trip and a busy one.  Arkansas is a beautiful state and the people seem kind—the southern accent is as thick as it gets here. I’ve heard it diminish in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida over the decades, maybe because so many northerners have invaded? In any case, the accent here is a bit of a shock to the hearing. The land and lakes and trees are so pretty. I will be happy to come back.