While we were there, we explored downtown and tried to experience as much as we could in our three short days. I’ll highlight the places we ate, a few tourist attractions and also the incredible loft where we stayed.

Our stay.

We knew we wanted to be in the middle of downtown this trip, so we chose a beautiful loft, and it ended up being the ideal location! The Ohio Club Loft is located directly above the Ohio Club Bar on Central Avenue. It was built in 1905 and is the oldest bar in all of Arkansas. The loft was used as a secret casino during prohibition and still has much of its original charm. It was beautifully decorated, clean, and private. We could hear the music from the bar downstairs each night, which didn’t bother us at all, but is worth considering if you’re booking a stay.

Overall, I highly recommend the Ohio Club Loft for its location and convenience, cleanliness and overall charm. We will definitely stay there again!

Meals.

Downtown Hot Springs is full of restaurants of any kind. We tried a few that we absolutely loved and recommend!

Rolando’s Ecuadorian Restaurant is one of the most delicious places I’ve eaten, ever! The fajitas are everything! I recommend you sit outside (live music on weekend nights) and get the full experience. Its vibrant and romantic, cozy, but open and airy. Obviously get the fajitas. It’s enough to share, but you won’t want to! The spicy margarita was just ok, (Adam’s are better) but the atmosphere is hard to beat.

The Kollective Coffee + Tea House is a must for your morning beverage. The atmosphere is adorable, and the coffee is great! Adam and I didn’t see many, if any, other coffee houses on Central Ave. so it’s definitely the most convenient option.

Diablo’s Tacos & Mezcal is a great spot for nachos! There is indoor and outdoor seating. Their “trashcan” nachos are served steaming hot in a big bean can and poured over your plate by the waitstaff. It was a fun experience, and the chicken nachos were incredible and enough to share!

Fat Bottomed Girls Cupcake Shoppe is a really popular bakery in downtown Hot Springs. A lot of people recommended we check it out, so we tried! Unfortunately the line was to the door, which is a good sign, but we didn’t stay. They’ve been featured by “Cupcake Wars” on Food Network and have a very loyal following, so we’re keeping it on our list for next time!

Rocky’s Corner was the number one recommended restaurant by our Instagram friends, so it made the top of the list to try! It’s outside of the “downtown scene” and wasn’t walking distance from the loft, so we saved it for the last day. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! It is family owned and operated and located across the street from the famous Oaklawn Racetrack. We tried the white pizza and lasagna. Both were excellent!

Vault is a beautiful high-end restaurant on a corner of Central Ave. near Al Capone’s loft. The cocktails are beautifully delicious, the service was top-notch, and the food was next level, truly. We will be sure to eat there every time we’re in town. It was a lovely experience all around.

The Pancake Shop is the top breakfast spot in downtown Hot Springs. You should get there early, before they open, because it’s not a big place. Go hungry and be prepared to skip lunch that day! So delicious!

What we did.

Besides eating and shopping around a bit, we did enjoy a few specifics that I’ll share with you. There’s so much to do, this list doesn’t even scratch the surface, but it may give you some ideas for your own trip.

Quapaw Baths & Spa was our first experience at a full-service bath house. We loved how so much of the traditional baths were preserved, but the amenities were modern. We enjoyed a couples Swedish Massage and then spent a while in the baths. It was very clean and well-run and will be a place we visit again.

Hot Springs Haunted Tours was a very interesting experience! It’s a one-hour walking tour in the heart of downtown Hot Springs. The history of this great city is remarkable! It runs every night at 8 pm, with no reservations needed. You literally just show up, pay your $15 and go! We learned a ton and stepped out of our comfort zone for sure!

Lavish Boutique is a great women’s shop I wanted to mention! We happened upon it walking one day and went back the next for some permanent jewelry. I met the owner (she’s fabulous!) and looked around a bit. They had some beautiful clothing as well as gifts and accessories. I can’t wait to go back when I have more time to shop!

Experiences we want to try.

When Adam and I vacation together, just the two of us, we like to have plenty of down time. There are so many attractions we’re saving for the next time we’re there. I’ll list them below to help you plan and as a reminder to myself what’s on the list to do!

Hot Springs Mountain Tower

Garvin Woodland Gardens & Anthony Chapel

Big Axe Battleground (axe throwing)

Machine Gun Grotto (indoor gun range)

Oaklawn Racing Casino & Resort

I really hope this post gives you a look into all that downtown Hot Springs, AR has to offer. It is a beautiful and romantic place to visit for a long weekend, as well as super fun for families too! I’ll make another post after we spend a little more time there with the kids, so stay tuned for that! Also, be on the lookout for the availability of our new cabin being built there Spring 2023! Can’t wait! xo, Jamie

We don’t like to go too far, since it’s only two nights and we don’t want to use all our time on the road. Typically, under three hours away is the norm, so I was ecstatic to find our most recent spot was only about an hour drive. We stayed just outside of Beaumont, TX in Lumberton. Dining and shopping were just a short drive, and the property offered the most relaxing atmosphere and amenities. It was just rustic enough and created the most perfect backdrop for our first getaway of 2022.

Our stay.

I booked the Naturalist Boudoir at Rock n’ Roll Ranch after seeing an ad for it on the “locations near me” portion of AirBNB. I usually surprise Adam at Christmas with a trip so it worked out perfectly. Like I said, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would recommend it to anyone wanting a rustic, minimalist getaway in nature.

However, once we were on the ranch, we discovered the other properties available as well. These two appear larger and feature more amenities than the one we stayed in. We are considering booking one of them in the future, so I wanted to share some photos of them here too.

Dining.

Finding a good place to eat is never hard for us… we love good food, service and atmosphere. I’m sharing our favorite spots to dine-in or take to-go. We try new things when we travel, and these restaurants do not disappoint!

Travel Essentials.

Feel free to contact me if you’re planning a small getaway and find yourself with questions. Happy travels! As always, thanks for stopping by. xo Jamie