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Known as the “Valley of the Vapors” to Hernando de Soto when he arrived in 1541, Hot Springs National Park lies in a small valley of the Ouachita Mountains in west central Arkansas. With 43 natural springs erupting from the rock, the region is highly sought after for its healing waters, and visitors today can stroll through historic bathhouses that harken to times past.

Enjoy a soak and steam. Residents have for over 100 years or have a brewsky at another of the converted bathhouses. Venture along the 26 miles of trails over Hot Springs Mountain and participate in several informative park ranger tours. Located within a city, this is an unusual national park, but one that celebrates our natural resources while protecting them.

History of Hot Springs National Park

Indigenous peoples have indulged in the hot springs here for thousands of years, but it wasn’t until President Jefferson sent an exploration party to study the flora and fauna of this region that Hot Springs got on the government’s radar.

They found Native American tribes like the Choctaw, Cherokee, and Caddo saw the benefit not only with the waters’ healing properties but with the temporary peace between tribes that was agreed upon when all were luxuriating in the hot springs.

Soon others arrived, improving upon the rustic tent structures that sprouted over the most prevalent springs. Cabins and huts soon became large buildings with troughs that brought water from Hot Springs Creek on the hillside to these “bathhouses.”

Eventually, a town grew around the hot springs, and as Arkansas became a territory, locals realized the need to protect this precious commodity. By 1832, Congress named Hot Springs Reservation as the first area designated for federal protection. Several springs were locked to protect them from pollution, and by 1880 it was opened for public use because a national park system had yet to be created.

A “free bathhouse” was built for the indigent in 1878, where testing was done and tickets issued to those who had ailments that might be helped by the thermal waters. The Army and Navy opened a dispensary for a couple of years, as well.

Once under federal government supervision, updates began to occur. Hot Springs Creek was covered with stone arches and a 100-foot-wide street was built above it, creating a promenade and alleviating problems with navigation through mud and water. Central plumbing was even put in.

The bathhouses were getting popular, with wooden tubs and steam cabinets installed. So, many people had heard of others recovering from illness in the waters that doctors even moved to town, creating bathing rituals and prescribed treatments for newly arriving patients.

By 1921, Hot Springs Reservation finally became Hot Springs National Park, and the people continued to come. Even professional baseball players utilized the area as they called Hot Springs their spring training location in the early years.

Today the teams have moved on to Arizona and Florida for their off-season workouts, but visitors to the national park can still enjoy a bathing regimen in this historic district.

Why Visit Hot Springs National Park?

Very amenable to RVers and campers, Hot Springs has several nice campgrounds that cater to motorhomes and travel trailers. Tent campers can also find plenty of places to stay.

Imagine driving through the beautiful Ouachita Mountains to arrive at Hot Springs National Park, where you can enjoy the history of the area, and then participating in the bathhouse ritual of a tub bath, a sit in the vapor cabinet, application of hot packs, and relaxing in a cooling area, just as they did 100 years ago.

After this afternoon of pampering, you will definitely be ready for a nap in your RV, then a nice meal, either prepared at the campsite or taken at a restaurant in town.

The park and the town of Hot Springs lend themselves to a relaxing getaway. Having your home on wheels with you will give you more time to embrace the slower pace of Victorian times that are still prevalent here. Even your RV will feel pampered by the time you leave this mountain hideaway!

Places to Go at Hot Springs National Park

There are plenty of places to visit at Hot Springs National Park. Here are some of the best places to stop.

Bathhouse Row

Started in the early 1800s as mere tents covering individual hot springs, these bathhouses later became ornately designed buildings, each with its own personality. Today these eight structures line one street with its own designation as a National Historic Landmark District within the park.

• Lamar
• Buckstaff – It’s still used as a bathhouse today
• Ozark – Today it houses the Cultural Center
• Quapaw – It’s still used as a bathhouse today
• Fordyce – Today it is the Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center
• Maurice
• Hale
• Superior – Today it is Superior Bathhouse Brewery

 

Cultural Center

Located within the Ozark Bathhouse, this art gallery houses works from the Artist In Residence program and other exhibitions.

Stonebridge Area

Part of the historic Fordyce-Ricks estate on Hot Springs Mountain, the creek and pond on the property were crossed several times by stone bridges.  Today the public area is known as Ricks Pond.

Superior Bathhouse Brewery

The first brewery located within a national park. Located in the Superior Bathhouse on Central Avenue, it has a colorful history as the “people’s bathhouse.” Now the hot thermal waters are used to brew beer.

Things to Do at Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs National Park is full of things to do. You won’t get bored while you’re there. Here are some of the things you can do on park grounds.

Strolling

As one of the smallest national parks, Hot Springs is easily accessible.  Visit each of the bathhouses on Bathhouse Row, and stroll down the Grand Promenade

Hiking

With 26 miles of trails and paths, you can enjoy hiking the natural surroundings of Hot Springs Mountain. Here are a few of the trails available:

• Carriage Road – 0.1 mile
• Dead Chief Trail – 1.4 miles
• Floral Trail – 0.7 miles
• Goat Rock Trail – 1.1 miles
• Honeysuckle Trail – 0.5 miles
• Hot Springs Mountain Trail – 1.7 miles

Camping

There are plenty of places to camp in and around the park. I’ve outlined all of the options below. It’s a wonderful place for RVers, but tent campers can find excellent campsites as well.

When to Visit Hot Springs National Park

The park is open year-round, but peak visiting season is in summer. Keep in mind, however, that Hot Springs National Park is located within the Ouachita Mountains, so winter might be a little chilly. What better activity to warm you up than to bask in the historic hot springs?

Autumn brings a whole new dimension for hikers in the park, with beautiful Fall colors on the trees. That means there really isn’t a bad time to visit Hot Springs!

Where You Can Stay

Even though Hot Springs is small as national parks go, there is one campground within park boundaries. It’s called Gulpha Gorge Campground and has 44 campsites, all with full hookups.

There are also campgrounds nearby, including the Hot Springs National Park KOA, J&J RV Park and Storage, and Catherine’s Landing. These campgrounds also have tent camping sites. Many have cottage rentals as well.

Getting to and Around Hot Springs National Park

If traveling from Little Rock, take Interstate 30 to Exit 111, which is US 70. Continue west on US 70 to Spring Street in Hot Springs. Take a right turn on Spring, then right on Central Avenue. The National Park Visitor Center is located at 369 Central in the Fordyce Bathhouse.

Hot Springs National Park has made it easy on RVers when they arrive in town, as well, with RV and bus parking available one block south of the national park’s visitor center. There is also city transit if desired.

Bubbling to the Surface

The thermal waters of Hot Springs National Park are being enjoyed, while at the same time preserved in separate bathhouses and protected from pollution.

These natural resources astound us at their course of travel far underground, then re-emergence superheated here in the middle of Arkansas. They bring with them healing properties and bountiful hope, both in the past, present, and the future, because of Hot Springs National Park’s existence.

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Have you ever been to Hot Springs National Park? Leave a comment below.

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Taking your family on the road in an RV is one of the best ways to have a safe and fun vacation, or it can be one of the most rewarding ways of living your life. However, being out on the road for extended periods of time can come with certain challenges. One of the most important is how to get your kids the schooling they need.

Homeschooling, also known as roadschooling, is a great way to teach your kids all that they need to know. Before you take that homeschooling on the road, you might wonder how to make it work. In this post, we’re going to take a closer look at homeschooling your kids on the road and discuss some lessons learned from folks out there doing it. Let’s dive in.

Choose Curriculum Model That Works For Your Family

Another thing every parent who is interested in homeschooling should think about is the curriculum. A lot of people wonder what they would teach their kids and how they will teach it to them. There are many curriculums out there for you to choose from.

It’s tough to say one curriculum is better than others, but the types of learning your kids can do will likely fall into one of three types: online programs, all-in-one workbooks, or unschooling.

As you might imagine, online curriculums are varied. They allow your children to learn at their own pace and are often guided. There’s a proven plan behind the good ones, and you can often be sure your kids are learning what they need to. Two that seem popular are Time4Learning and Khan Academy, though there are many others. You’ll need an internet connection for your kids to complete these assignments, which can be a challenge on the road sometimes.

Workbooks are another great option. There are dozens of all-in-one workbook programs out there. If you don’t have internet access all the time but you want your children to follow a proven plan, then this is another great option. Some all-in-one workbook options include Brain Quest, Sylvan, and Flash Kids. Another good thing to do is look to see if your state recommends any learning workbooks or tools.

Last but certainly not least, is unschooling. This is where you use life experiences to help your children learn. It’s more child-led learning and doesn’t use a set curriculum. There are tons of resources and books out there for this type of education, and you’ll find it’s popular among roadschooling RVers. Some good books on the subject include The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World as Your Child’s Classroom by Mary Griffith and The Unschooling Unmanual edited by Jan and Jason Hunt. These can serve as a good introduction to the topic.

No matter what program or curriculum you choose, you still need to be involved in your child’s schooling. Ana Willis of They Call Me Blessed, said in Episode 74 of our podcast that you don’t actually even need to know the types of things your kids are learning. “You’re learning alongside them,” she said. “And when you make that change in your mind that you don’t need to know it all to do it, it changes everything.”

As you can imagine, a good curriculum removes some of the burden of you, the parent, to be the teacher. While having a good curriculum or plan can be important, it’s not everything. When homeschooling on the road, you have the flexibility to let your child’s education branch out and blossom with their interests.

As Jessica of Exploring the Local Life, said in Episode 45 of our podcast, “We aren’t necessarily the teachers. We do introduce concepts but a lot of what we do is child-led learning, so we follow their interest because we’ve found that when we’ve done that, it means a lot more to them.”

That seems to be something that most RVers homeschooling their kids on the road like about the process. It allows for flexibility that a regular school curriculum will not.

Embrace That We’re Born Natual-Learners

First and foremost, it’s important to note that homeschooling can be dramatically different than a typical school program. This is a good thing! It allows for so many opportunities that a typical schooling experience simply can’t match. However, it’s something that you need to embrace.

Ana said parents need to de-school themselves. “We were programmed into this mentality that school needs to happen eight hours a day, and it only happens through textbooks. That’s not true. We were born natural-learners, and we learn a lot more from experiences than from just reading about it.”

Homeschooling on the road, or rather learning on the road, allows your kids to embrace this natural tendency to want to learn from experience, and that means you need to seek out opportunities that let them do that. How cool would it be to learn about America’s early beginnings while actually visiting the places where Europeans first landed on the continent? What about instead of reading about specific animals, you actually went on a hike to spot them in the wild? With homeschooling on the road, this is possible.

The beauty of homeschooling on the road is that you can visit the amazing places and do the wonderful things that other students will only read about. In essence, every trip becomes a learning experience. Life becomes your children’s education.

Connect With Other Families

Despite what some people think, there are plenty of families out there homeschooling their kids on the road. While these families might not all use the same curriculum or be in the same place at the same time, they do often connect.

Ana said that her own blog has a Facebook community of over 3,000 very supportive moms. Ana also has a membership you can join, but you certainly don’t have to. She’s just one of the people out there offering an online community for homeschoolers.

Jessica of Exploring the Local Life, says you can also find more people to connect with at RV rallies, local homeschooling meetups, RV homeschooling meetups, local community centers, and other gatherings. If you start looking for a homeschooling or roadschooling community near you or near where you’ll be traveling, you’re bound to find something. Having other people in the RV community who are also homeschooling their kids can help make the experience even more enjoyable.

Make Sure You Abide By the Homeschooling Laws of Your State

Homeschooling is regulated on a state level. The laws and regulations vary greatly between states, so it’s tough to make recommendations here other than saying to check what the laws are in your state. For full-time RVers, you’ll need to establish a home state or domicile if you don’t have one. This will allow you to ensure you’re meeting the homeschooling rules and regulations.

The good news is that if you’re a full-time RVer and don’t like the laws in your home state, then you can change that. It takes some doing, but it’s not too difficult to change your domicile. According to Chelsea Gonzales of Wonder Wherever We Wander, Texas is a common state people to choose. She does say that everyone is different, and you need to think about your specific situation and what’s right for you.

No matter what state you have as your domicile, just make sure you’re sticking to its laws surrounding homeschooling, and you’ll be fine. In most cases, this won’t be an issue.

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Do you homeschool your kids on the road? What have your experiences been like? We want to know. Leave a comment below! 

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It can be a bit intimidating to make friends at a campground when you don’t know anyone, but there are some things in life that are often more fun with other people, camping included. You already have things in common—an interest in RVing and travel, for instance.

Where else can you discuss the best way to cook over the fire and commiserate about black tank woes in the same conversation?

Campers are a pretty friendly group of people to begin with, and it’s usually worth the effort to make friends with the other people around you. Here are a few of our tips for making friends at the campground.

1. Be Outside of Your RV at the Campground

It may seem obvious, but you won’t make any friends sitting inside your RV! If you want to meet new people, you have to put yourself where they are—usually enjoying the outdoors.

So open those chairs by the campfire, grab a beverage of your choice, smile as people walk by, and invite them to join you for a cup of coffee around the fire in the morning or for a beer for happy hour in the evening. Having some extra s’more ingredients never hurts to attract people either. Chocolate and marshmallows can go a long way towards making people feel comfortable.

If the campground has a pool or activities center, head over there to meet up with others. Hosted activities are a great way to make friends, and people tend to be more willing to chat when everyone is congregated around a pool or hot tub. It’s a great place for hearing or telling those crazy camping stories!

2. Ask Your Neighbors About Their Rigs, Tools, or Gear

RVers love talking about their rigs! We’ve had some great conversations with people about their RVs, and several have turned into long term friendships.

Do you have the same make or model as the person parked next to you? Talk about what you love about it or the little things that drive you crazy. If they have a dramatically different RV or motorhome, then discuss that with them.

If you see someone who has the type of rig you want or have been thinking about, ask them how they like it. Do they have any favorite aspects about it? Would they recommend it? People love to tell these kinds of details, and you’ll likely never get a more honest answer about an RV either. An opinion from someone who owns that model is pretty valuable if you’re thinking about a new rig.

The same goes for camping and RV gear. Maybe the family next to you has an interesting grill set up, or the guy across the way has camp chairs that look next-level comfortable. Ask them about it! We’ve gotten some great recommendations on gear by asking people at campgrounds, and it usually ends up in a fun conversation with nice people.

3. Ask Where People Have Been

Aside from some great ideas for places to go, you may pick up some good tips on must-hit towns or activities, and any roads to avoid with your RV.

You’ll very likely hear some fun stories as well. Again, we RVers love to tell people where we’ve been, so if you find someone who’s been to a place you’re planning on visiting, pick their brains and listen to any tales they have.

They may save you from driving down that road with the low overpass, and you might make a new friend in the process.

4. Children and Pets are Great Ways to Meet People

Kids have a fantastic ability to talk to pretty much anyone, be it other kids or adults.

If you have children and they’ve found some friends their age at the campground, it’s a perfect opportunity to meet their parents and bond over the good time your kids are all having.

Any organized kids’ activities at the campground are another great place to meet other parents.

If your kids are more of the four-legged, furry kind as opposed to humans, it’s very easy to strike up a conversation with other pet parents. If the campground has a dog park or run, ask another camper if they want to join you in taking your dogs to stretch their legs.

Even just walking your pet around the campground for exercise or a potty break is a great way to meet fellow campers and pet lovers.

5. Use Social Media to Find Other Campers and RVers

This happens before you even get to the campground, but many times online friendships can lead to real-life meetups. Join groups like Escapees, RVillage, or Facebook groups for RVers.

Follow other RVers on Instagram. Go to meetups. Join RV social memberships sites and you’ll know if other people will be in the area you’re planning on visiting. Then by the time you get there you’ll have a built-in community.

Overall, just be friendly! Campers are fun people, and you already have a few similar interests. Be open, friendly, and interested in other people, and you’ll be making friends at the campground wherever you are.

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Do you have any tips you think would work well for campers? Leave a comment below.

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