hotel, a casino, a spa, 18 dining options, and an 18,000-square-foot event center. Courtesy Arkansas Tourism
Southwest Arkansas
HotSprings.org; @VisitHotSprings
Hot Springs is one of the only places in America where you can host a large conference and then walk across the street right into a national park, says Tammy Clampet, director of sales for Visit Hot Springs. “Within a five-minute stroll from the convention center, attendees can be soaking in mineral waters on Bathhouse Row, dining at world-class eateries, and exploring the same streets that Al Capone and Babe Ruth once walked. In minutes, they can transition from meetings in the morning to mountain biking in Northwoods or betting on Thoroughbred racing at Oaklawn.”
Hot Springs Convention Center has 103,000 square feet of clear-span exhibit space, 15 breakout rooms, a 1,000-person-capacity ballroom, and a 6,000-seat arena with a newly updated sound system. It connects to the 246-room Embassy Suites by Hilton at Hot Springs Convention Center, which completed a full renovation last year. The hotel features 6,286 square feet of event space, including a 150-person-capacity ballroom. Adjacent to the convention center, the 196-room Hotel Hot Springs has multiple meeting rooms and a terrace, with a capacity of 420 people for receptions.
Additional hotels include the historic 484-room Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa, with 40,000 square feet of function space, and 142-room Doubletree Hot Springs, with more than 8,000 square feet of event space, including a 400-person-capacity ballroom offering lake views.
Oaklawn Hot Springs, a historic Thoroughbred racetrack, also features a 200-room hotel, a casino, a spa, 18 dining options, and an 18,000-square-foot event center, which can accommodate 1,500 guests.
Hot Springs National Park shares the city’s main downtown street and includes historic Bathhouse Row, dating from the late 1800s. Some of the buildings still house traditional mineral baths and offer modern spa services, while some now serve as other businesses. Superior Bathhouse Brewery is the world’s only brewery to use thermal spring water and the only brewery within a national park. Downtown features numerous galleries, art studios, and attractions, including the Gangster Museum of America, which chronicles the city’s notorious history during the Prohibition Era.
