Hot Springs

Do you remember when I said that Cuyahoga Valley was probably the only national park within a few blocks of a Wal-Mart? Turns out I was wrong! Hot Springs National Park is basically a small chunk of the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The visitor center is a converted bath house from the early 1900s, with much of the bath house left intact as a museum. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought I was in the Hot Springs Ministry of al Qaeda Detention based on the unusual and potentially cruel devices on display:




And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse:

They do have one hot spring that is out in the open. It looks like any old waterfall dripping into a concrete pool, but as you get close, you can swear you're getting warmer. Then you can stick your hand in the water and burn it.