Wondering what to do in Hot Springs with kids? Taking your family to Hot Springs National Park is a great adventure. Despite not being allowed to relax the hot bathhouses (reserved for ages 14+) you will find plenty to occupy your time and attention at Hot Spring National Park and in the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
We have loved every National Park we’ve visited! Find all the best tips for visiting National Parks with kids.
Hot Springs, AR, however, is a {bit} different from other National Parks. First off, Hot Springs National Park mostly consists of bathhouse buildings in the middle of the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas. Behind bathhouse row, you will find the mountain trails and outdoor adventures, but the main National Park Sites start on the street.
Hot Springs National Park is in the middle of a city. There is no entrance booth like other National Parks, so it is free to enter and explore.
Our Hot Springs family vacation was amazing, despite the bad luck events that occurred to us. Read about our stressful day trip in Hot Springs adventure here. Some of the tips here will help you avoid bad luck in Hot Springs, AR.
Despite researching and reading other blog posts about Hot Springs National Park, I still wasn’t sure exactly what to do in Hot Springs for kids. There is plenty to do in Hot Springs Arkansas with kids in tow. This article will help your family navigate your trip to Hot Springs National Park with ease and confidence.
Scroll to the bottom for the Ideal Itinerary of what to do in Hot Springs with kids at the end of this article. Also, I share a few other places to go in Hot Springs.
Getting to Hot Springs, AR from Little Rock
Little Rock is a destination with multiple flights a day from DFW. Flying into the LIttle Rock Airport (LIT)
From the airport, its easy to get a rental car and drive to Hot Springs. It is less than 55 minutes on the freeway. Plus, the drive to Hot Springs issimple and beautiful, {even with our rainy conditions.}
Don’t Miss the Free Parking in Hot Springs
When you visit Hot Springs National Park, the first thing to know is there is a large FREE parking structure right next to Hot Springs bathhouse row areas. It’s just a short walk to the Visitors Center and the rest of the row of historical buildings in Hot Springs.
Getting to the parking garage can be a bit confusing as it is behind the main road, but look for free parking signs and follow them.
Parking on the street is hard to come by and is all metered at 25 cents per half hour. Hot Springs, Arkansas is a small town so you better believe they police those meters (I might know from personal experience.)
Walking to bathhouse row from the parking structure, stop and let the kids play in the fun water feature. My kids loved throwing in pennies and trying to retrieve them. A perfect activity for kids in Hot Springs on a hot day. Don’t forget my favorite Travel Stroller (pictured above) or a baby travel stroller)
From the parking garage, Use the crosswalk to cross the main street to the middle of the bathhouse row. You’ll be right near the National Park visitors center and museum.
What to do in Hot Spring with Kids
There are plenty of tours, paid activities and tourist events to do in Hot Springs. Here you’ll find free things to do in Hot Springs that are also kid-friendly. No need to spend a lot of money when the kids will love these activities just as much!
Walk Along Bathhouse Row
When you visit bathhouse row you walk up and down the street on wide sidewalks, perfect for kids. On one side of the street are the bathhouses in historic, restored buildings. On the other side of the street, you will find shops, tours, gifts, and food.
Bathhouse row from the North looking South 
There are eight bathhouses in a row. Ozarks, Buckstaff, Quapaw bathhouses have been restored and are in use for bathing and spa packages. However, children under 14 aren’t allowed. Since 80% of my party was too young, we glanced in and looked at some prices ($33 for an hour bath) and moved on. There is plenty more to see and do!
The other buildings in the row looked like they were undergoing restoration and might be ready for visitors in the near future.
Throughout
Tour Hot Springs National Park Visitors Center
In the Center of Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs National Park is the Visitors Center. Fordyce Bathhouse has been restructured for tours and information to the visitors. It is completely free to enter the National Park Visitors Center and tour the entire museum.
The National Park Services offer free guided tours frequently. Gather in the entry at the appointed time and you can walk through the building getting stories and history of Hot Springs, AR.
Since we were in company with loud toddler, the echoing bathroom walls, made it difficult to hear to tour. Still the self-guided tour had plenty of interesting things to see, experience and learn.
All 4 levels (including the basement) are on display with information about each area.
The movies about Hot Spring, though out-dated, were entertaining and full of interesting historical tidbits.
Be sure to grab a Junior Ranger Program for the kids to fill out as you move around Hot Springs National Park.
Don’t miss the steaming water fountains in front of the Visitors Center. Talk with the kids about why it is steaming.
Stop and Touch at Display Springs
Right behind the Visitors Center, you will find an open display of Hot Springs bubbling from the earth. There is a water fountain (which was much too hot to drink from!) Apparently
It is really hot, so be careful touching. You might consider some heat resistant gloves.
The hot water allows bright green moss to grow. It isn’t found in any other water since it can only grow in hot temperatures.
Play at Bill Clinton Park
At the south end of Bathhouse row is a small city park called “Bill Clinton Park” There are several beautiful fountains.
Just south of Bill Clinton Park you’ll find s a water fountain to fill water bottles with the hot water from the Hot Springs inside the earth. A
Walk the Grand Promenade
The Grand Promenade is a beautiful paved strolling trail overlooking the backs of the bathhouse and the city of Hot Springs on one side and the green and thriving mountain (from which the hot water ‘springs’) on the other.
You can access it via stairs from behind the Bathhouses or near the Cascades.
Tuffa Terra Trail follows along the Grand Promenade but is on a dirt trail through the trees. If you’d rather hike than walk on a paved trail, but don’t want to go up steeper hills, this is the trail for you!
The Grand Promenade is stroller friendly, but getting up there seemed to be all stairs. If you find a stroller/wheelchair ramp, please comment and I’ll update this.
Hiking in Hot Springs, AR
There are multiple hikes in the hills right behind the bathhouses. The Peak Trail takes you to the Mountain Tower and had the most elevation gain. The Tuffa Terra Trail follows the Grand promenade and is relatively flat. The Fountain and Honeysuckle Trail weave around the mountain.
My 4 children and I hiked the Peak Trail in flip-flops and the rain while I carried my toddler. It was strenuous, but not very doable. The trails are rocky and not flat. I do wish we wore proper hiking shoes!
Besides the Grand Promenade, the hiking trails are not stroller friendly. Getting to the grand promenade from bathhouse row was mostly stairs. There may be a stroller wheelchair entrance, but not from the cascades. It was a couple flights of stairs.
See the Views at Mountain Tower
From bathhouse row, you can climb the mountain to Mountain Tower. It is about 1/2 mile to the top. However, you can also drive up to Mountain Tower and park for free right next to the tower.
To go up to the tower overlook windows it cost $7 for adults or $4.25 for kids to go to the top of the mountain tower. If you have a national parks pass, you can get in for $5/person. If your child has the free 4th-grade national parks pass from Every Kid in a Park, they can go to the top for free.
Because I had a squirmy toddler, I sent my 4th grader up for his free tour. He took pictures of the display and the views, but on our rainy and foggy day, there wasnt too much to see.
The gift shop at Moutnain Tower has many fun souvenirs and trinkets. My younger kids loved collecting rocks outside and trying to catch a glimpse of big brother up the tower.
Marvel at the Cascades
At the far north of bathhouse row, you will find the gorgeous Cascades of Hot Springs. These hot springs pour from up the mountain and fall down into thermal pools. This is beautiful! The heat produces bright green moss as well as steam.
The kids loved seeing if they could touch the hot water. While the top may be cool enough for a quick touch, as you get deeper the water is unbearably hot. These heat resistant gloves might make this activity more fun.
Don’t miss this Hot Spring’s activity!
Ideal Itinerary for What to do at Hot Springs with Kids
If I could the ideal day trip to Hot Springs National Park, here’s how I would organize it.
- Park for free in the large covered parking structure
- Start at the furthest south Hot Springs information booth. Get a junior ranger program (or print it out at home and start working on it on the plane!)
- Walking north, fill up water bottles. The water is too hot to drink so wait until it cools off to sample it
- Play around and take photos at the fountains in Bill Clinton Park.
- Look in each bathhouse
- Touch the hot water fountains in front of the Visitor’s Center.
- Tour the Visitors Center. Watch the videos. Sit in the actual tubs.
- Walk-behind the visitors center to touch the Display Springs.
- Walking to the northern point of the street, see the Cascades and touch the thermal pools.
- Hike up the hill to get different vantage points of Cascades. Hike as long or as short as your abilities and wants desire.
- Option: If you want to hike to the mountain tower, hike on Peak Trail for about .7 of a mile.
- Walk back to your car south along the Grand Promenade overlooking Hot Springs
- Become a Junior Ranger at the Visitors Center by turning in your completed booklet and get your badge.
- If you didn’t already hike to Mountain Tower, drive up to Mountain Tower. Use your National Parks pass to get a discount to the top of the tower. Enjoy the view and the exhibit from the top of the tower.
- Catch another city view at the gazebo observatory.
Where to stay in Hot Springs, AR with Kids
Find the best place for your family to stay at Hot Springs through this convenient search.
Booking.comOther Hot Springs Activities
You could spend all day at the National Park. However, there are lots of other activities in Hot Springs the kids will love. Spend time at the Mid-America Science Museum. It is open until 6 pm in the summer.
The hands-on activities and learning experiences were so fun! There are sections to entertain every age. The outdoor tree top walk was one of my favorite parts.
Kid-Approved Adventures in Hot Springs
Our kids loved the day we spent in Hot Springs. After the initial complaints about the rain and the hiking, they were thrilled to be in nature and learn about America’s medical history in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
We had some challenges that made for a ‘fun’ story later on. Because our flight canceled, we had to drive home to our home in Fort Worth. It took 5 hours and we didn’t get home until midnight. Despite our detours, the kids still said it was worth the travels to get to see the Hot Springs National Park. They recommend it as a road trip for anyone in the area.
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DFW is only 5 hours from Hot Springs. If you are nearby, check out these 75 things to do in DFW, The Arboretum, Epic Waters and the Perot Musuem.
Get another pin in your push pin map when you visit Hot Springs!
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