Hot Springs is located in
Garland County southwest of
Little Rock between
Benton and
Mount Ida. It lies along Hwy 70 along the banks of Lake Catherine, near the
Lake Ouachita State Park.
In 1807, trapper Manuel Prudhomme founded the first permanent settlement at Hot Springs. President Andrew Jackson signed a congressional act that named the town in 1832. After the Diamond Joe Railroad was completed in 1874, connecting Hot Springs with St. Louis, the city grew rapidly
Today, Hot Springs, population 35,750, is a world-famous tourist destination built around natural thermal waters. In the National Park area, visitors experience the architectural features of the bathhouses, Victorian buildings, art and sculpture galleries. There is a variety of public-access bathing facilities on Bathhouse Row and in downtown hotels and health spas. The Arts District of Hot Springs is contained within a National Register Historic District. Here, artists from around the world have created an arts community.