A two-day tour of Hot Springs, Arkansas
Having arrived late Friday night, we left our hotel Saturday morning and parked downtown for breakfast at The Pancake Shop, a modest diner with large front windows and a neon sign bearing its name. There were at least a couple dozen people standing outside, signaling that what awaited us inside was either fantastically over-hyped or everything you could hope for in a breakfast.
I had a sausage and cheese omelet with toast and a side of bacon, along with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. It was every bit as good as I'd hoped it would be — and I don't think it was because the long wait made it seem better.
From there, we explored the long line of shops and stores on Central Avenue and walked the Grand Promenade. At a downtown park, we stopped to feel a pool of near-scalding water, steam rising from the surface with outdoor temperatures in the mid-40s and icicles still in view from a freeze earlier that week.
That night, we went to Deluca's Pizza, which has received praise from the likes of Southern Living Magazine and Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy in his famous "One Bite" pizza reviews. We ordered the Sidetown, which is topped with a simple whole milk mozzarella over tomato sauce and cooked in a brick oven. It was seriously a fantastic pie — as good as you could hope for at a New York pizzeria.
The next morning, we drove up to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower and climbed the steps to the observation deck, which offers a great view at 1,256 feet above sea level. We spent some time walking around Hot Springs Mountain before making our way back down to explore the parts of Bathhouse Row we hadn't yet seen.
A highlight of the day was touring the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center and Museum, operated by the National Park Service, which includes antique equipment and furnishings used in the bathhouse. We were awed by in the ornate grandeur of the town's largest bathhouse, including a stained-glass skylight, while learning the history of the industry that made the city famous.
Sticking with the historic side of things, we had lunch at The Ohio Club, Arkansas's oldest bar that has counted notorious gangsters and baseball legends among its visitors since opening in 1905.
We wrapped up our trip with cupcakes at Fat Bottomed Girl's Cupcake Shoppe, which has been featured on Food Network's "Cupcake Wars" — a delicious ending for a birthday trip to Hot Springs.
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