HOT SPRINGS (national park) HUH?

Never in a thousand years would I have ever imagined that Hot Springs would be where I called "home" having lived in Chicago for most of my years. I loved having to pick between a dozen amazing rock shows a night, taking my pick of coffee shops, restaurants, and parks to play in - seven days a week and most all hours of the night. Slow, sleepy, relaxed and safe never seemed to be in the cards for me.

Six years ago, Hot Springs came a knockin' with its criminally cheap real estate, its fresh sweet air, its famed and free flowing spring water (yeah, I get my spring water for free at the jug fountains), sorted history of indians, mobsters, gambling and bootlegging. Let's not forget the rocks too - bauxite, nevaculite, diamonds, crystals, crystals and more crystals... However, all that neat stuff aside, it became pretty clear pretty fast that the need to see and hear live music (no, not the bar band blues kind) was pulling at my most deep rooted innards, and was not available here.

Hot Springs is known as one the great small art towns in America, but truth be told as a painter friend of mine said, "filled with old lady art". The kind in really thick gold frames that fits great with your living room furniture. But one Gallery Walk Friday some six years ago I stumbled across a bunch of punk kids with 40's in paper bags blaring Cap'n Jazz cassettes on a broken boom box in a 3rd floor corner gallery. To me, it looked like a typical punk show in any town, USA but there was no band! These kids were having an art show. Instead of guitar amps and drums there was plywood and chicken wire - painted, sculpted and nailed to the wall. On that night, I found that urge pulling at plenty of deep rooted innards.

So anyway, it took a little while to find a small sub-culture of freaks, but like any big town, or small town its out there - you just need to search it out. So figuring that so many of you will be traveling from across the United States and the world for that matter, I put together a to-do list, or a scavenger hunt of places to seek out in Hot Springs National Park. Happy freak hunting!!


THE MERCURY RUB ROOM AT THE FORDYCE BATH HOUSE MUSEUM

The Velda Rose Hotel - across the street from Low Key Arts. Mention the VOV and get a $49 room. (psst... its where the bands are staying)Vicki's Coffee Shop - organic coffee and super hot hipster baristasRedbeards Living Canvas - tattoos, best in the South
CD's For Less - dig into the vinyl bins Quapaw Bath House - a $15 hot springs community bath
The Fordyce - take the FREE bathhouse museum tour
McClards BBQ - super amazing bbqu sandwiches - hey theres Bill Clinton over there...

Bill Clinton's Boyhood Home - go ahead, take a picture.Miracle Electronics - owned by a Reverand who fixes tube amps and has the most killer R&B, Soul, Blues and Jazz vinyl collection for sale.The Country Store - bulk foods, a mom and pop whole foodsMid America Science Museum - interactive museum with a lazer light show and the worlds largest Tesla Coil
The Gangster Museum - the only one in the world
Oaklawn Race Track - bet the horses and visit the casino
Lake Oauchita - a most refreshingly clean lake



Do you have a suggestion for cool spots to see for our VOV Visitors? Drop a comment...