The wild history behind Hot Springs' streets, neighborhoods, and the properties you're sleeping in. Gangsters, baseball legends, thermal springs, and the only city inside a national park.
Before Vegas, before Atlantic City, there was Hot Springs. In the 1920s-40s, Bathhouse Row was where America's most powerful gangsters came to "take the waters." Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel — they all soaked in the 143°F thermal springs, made deals in the steam rooms, and treated Hot Springs as neutral territory. No hits allowed in the Spa City. It was the original no-fly zone.
Today, Bathhouse Row is a National Historic Landmark and the heart of Hot Springs National Park. Buckstaff Bathhouse has operated continuously since 1912. Quapaw Bathhouse was renovated into a modern spa. The Fordyce is now the park visitor center. The steam still rises. The history still echoes.
Central Avenue in the 1930s-50s was America's open secret. Illegal gambling, speakeasies, and mob-connected nightclubs operated in plain sight. The Southern Club and The Vapors were two of the most famous — lavish casinos that rivaled anything in Vegas, complete with big-name entertainment and high-stakes tables.
Governor Winthrop Rockefeller shut it all down in 1967. The buildings still stand. Some basements still have hidden rooms, trap doors, and vaults from the gambling era. Today Central Avenue is restaurants, galleries, and breweries — but the ghosts of the old days are everywhere if you know where to look.
Hot Springs was the spring training capital of baseball from the 1880s through the 1940s. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, and dozens of other teams trained here every spring. Majestic Park, built in 1909, hosted the biggest names in the game.
In 1918, Babe Ruth reportedly hit a 573-foot home run at Majestic Park — still considered one of the longest ever hit. Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Honus Wagner, and Cy Young all walked these streets. Wallace Stone built the "Out of the Park" Airbnb Clubhouse directly across the street from this history — and it sleeps 42 guests with an indoor batting cage.
The Arlington Hotel has been rebuilt three times since 1875. Al Capone had a permanent suite (#443) where he conducted business between bathhouse visits. Lucky Luciano played cards in the lobby. The hotel was a gathering place for the powerful, the famous, and the dangerous.
Today the Arlington is a landmark hotel — and one of the most haunted buildings in Arkansas. Guests report ghostly encounters on the 4th floor, mysterious sounds in the ballroom, and cold spots in the hallways. The hotel leans into it. Ghost tours are a real thing.
Oaklawn has been running thoroughbred races since 1905. The racing season (January through May) transforms Hot Springs from a quiet spa town into a destination. The $100 million Arkansas Derby is one of the most prestigious races in American horse racing — a key prep race for the Kentucky Derby.
The casino resort expansion has made Oaklawn a year-round attraction, but racing season is still the main event. Airbnb rates near Oaklawn spike 30-50% during major race days. Properties within walking distance are gold during the season.
Lake Hamilton didn't exist before 1932. It was created as a hydroelectric dam project by Arkansas Power & Light. The dam flooded a valley in the Ouachita Mountains and created a 7,460-acre lake with over 200 miles of shoreline.
What started as a utility project became the foundation of Hot Springs' modern tourism economy. The lake transformed Hot Springs from a bathhouse town into a full recreation destination. Today, Lake Hamilton waterfront is the highest-value real estate — and the highest-revenue STR market — in the entire Hot Springs area.
Hot Springs was set aside as protected federal land in 1832 — forty years before Yellowstone became the first "national park" in 1872. The thermal springs (47 in total) produce nearly a million gallons of 143°F water every day. The water is ancient — an estimated 4,400 years old, heated deep underground and rising naturally to the surface.
It's the only national park in a city. You can hike to the top of Hot Springs Mountain, walk through Bathhouse Row, soak in thermal water, and eat dinner on Central Avenue — all in the same afternoon. No other park in the system offers this combination.
The Vapors nightclub and the Southern Club were the crown jewels of Hot Springs' illegal gambling era. Open from the 1940s through the 1960s, these clubs featured Las Vegas-caliber entertainment — Liberace, Tony Bennett, Phyllis Diller — alongside high-stakes gambling tables that attracted mobsters, politicians, and celebrities from across the country.
Governor Winthrop Rockefeller raided and closed them all in 1967, ending Hot Springs' 30-year run as America's open-secret gambling capital. The buildings still stand. The Vapors has been restored as an event venue. The history lives on in books, documentaries, and the stories told by locals over dinner on Central Avenue.