Hot Springs, Arkansas: A ‘Soothing’ SMERF Destination
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Oaklawn Jockey Club. |
Editor’s Note: This is a first-hand account of Michelle Martin’s visit to Arkansas. In the 175 years since, Hot Springs has established itself as the top tourist attraction in the state—drawing more than 3 million tourists annually and accounting for a $92 million economic impact on the state, according to Jose Fernandez, superintendent for Hot Springs National Park.
Among those 3 million visitors to Hot Springs are meeting groups, such as the SMERF (social, military, educational, religious and fraternal) market. According to Steve Arrison, executive director of the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city of 38,000 residents provides “something for everyone,” including a variety of gathering and lodging accommodations, entertainment, attractions, restaurants and shopping all within walking distance of the downtown area. In fact, there are 2,000 sleeping rooms downtown, including the 196 rooms and four suites at the Austin Hotel and Convention Center and the 246-all-suite Embassy Suites—last year ranked number one of all Embassy Suites hotels—both of which are connected to the Hot Springs Convention Center.
Visitors to Hot Springs have more to enjoy than just the historic bathhouses, which are undergoing an $18 million renovation, according to Fernandez, who conducts tours from the visitor’s center housed in the recently refurbished Fordyce Bathhouse. Arrison said other top attractions of the area include Antique Row downtown, the “unbelievable attraction of the 210-acre Garvan Woodland Gardens surrounded by 4.5 miles of Lake Hamilton shoreline” and Magic Springs and Crystal Falls amusement and water park, which recently completed a $5 million expansion. The area is also the childhood home of President William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton, who plans to establish the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Policy Center Retreat on Lake Hamilton.
In addition to Lake Hamilton, there are four other lakes in the Diamond Lakes region of Hot Springs that offer fishing, boating and water sports opportunities. Golfing and horse racing are among the recreational activities around Hot Springs; golfers can choose from no fewer than seven 18-hole courses, and Oaklawn Jockey Club offers 52 days of Thoroughbred horse racing.
