Hot Springs, Arkansas is an interesting place with an interesting history. Its highlight is Hot Springs National Park, but it can also claim two lakes and a wealth of beauty.
President Andrew Jackson declared Hot Springs the first National Reservation when he traveled here in 1832. It is now one of the country’s oldest and most visited national parks (it was declared a national park in 1921). Today, Hot Springs it the only American city located inside a national park. Hot Spring was “discovered” by the Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto in 1541, but for thousands of years before Native Americans had enjoyed the rejuvenating natural warm waters. 
There are 47 hot springs that flow at about a million gallons a day and at temperatures that average 140 degrees. The waters flow through many layers of rock and arrive at Hot Springs with almost 100 percent purity. This pure, warm water bathes visitors in comfort and warmth and so for hundreds of years now, people have traveled to Hot Springs to relax, rejuvenate, and heal. For many, it’s a spiritual experience, while others come to Hot Springs to enjoy the springs but also the recreation here which includes camping, hiking, and scenic drives. Monumental bathhouses built along Bathhouse Row about that time catered to crowds of health seekers. These new establishments, full of the latest equipment, pampered the bather in artful surroundings. Marble and tile decorated floors, walls and partitions. Some rooms sported polished brass, murals, fountains, statues and even stained glass. Gymnasiums, and beauty shops helped cure seekers in their efforts to look and feel better. Shortly after World War II, changes in medial technology and in the use of leisure time resulted in a decline in water therapies. People also began to prefer taking the open road in their own cars rather than traveling by train. One by one, the bathhouses began to close down as business began to decline.
Today Hot Springs is a popular tourist destination and is working at diversification of its economic base.
There are 47 hot springs that flow at about a million gallons a day and at temperatures that average 140 degrees. The waters flow through many layers of rock and arrive at Hot Springs with almost 100 percent purity. This pure, warm water bathes visitors in comfort and warmth and so for hundreds of years now, people have traveled to Hot Springs to relax, rejuvenate, and heal. For many, it’s a spiritual experience, while others come to Hot Springs to enjoy the springs but also the recreation here which includes camping, hiking, and scenic drives. Monumental bathhouses built along Bathhouse Row about that time catered to crowds of health seekers. These new establishments, full of the latest equipment, pampered the bather in artful surroundings. Marble and tile decorated floors, walls and partitions. Some rooms sported polished brass, murals, fountains, statues and even stained glass. Gymnasiums, and beauty shops helped cure seekers in their efforts to look and feel better. Shortly after World War II, changes in medial technology and in the use of leisure time resulted in a decline in water therapies. People also began to prefer taking the open road in their own cars rather than traveling by train. One by one, the bathhouses began to close down as business began to decline.
Today Hot Springs is a popular tourist destination and is working at diversification of its economic base.
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