Hot Springs National Park - Hot Springs, Arkansas

If the cold weather that swept across the South this week has you dreaming about warmer places, there is a place in Arkansas where the steam rises from the mountain sides 365 days a year.

Hot Springs National Park, located in the heart of downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas, preserves the famed "hot springs of the Ouachita." The stunning historic site is considered by many to be America's first national park, and with just reason. The U.S. Government set aside thousands of acres surrounding the springs in 1830 to prevent their exploitation by private developers and preserve them as a national resource.

Long before the action was taken, however, the hot springs had gained fame. They are mentioned in documents relating to the Hernando de Soto expedition of the 1540s and by the 1700s were frequented by early French explorers and fur trappers. President Thomas Jefferson sent an expedition to find the springs in 1804 and by the 1820s visitors from across the United States were already making the trek into the Arkansas mountains to soak in the mysterious waters that many still believe hold healing powers.

By the time of the Civil War, Hot Springs had become a major resort area. Soldiers marching past during the Red River Campaign described a community evacuated due to war. In the years following the War Between the States, the resort rebounded quickly and even attracted the likes of Frank and Jesse James, who vacationed - and committed at least a couple of robberies - in the area.

They were not the only unsavory types who made their way to Hot Springs. The community became known for its gambling and nightlife during the 1920s and 1930s and attracted the likes of Al Capone before Governor Winthrop Rockefeller finally shut down the gambling and cleaned up Hot Springs in 1967. Since then it has developed as a marvelous family resort and treasured historic site.

Steaming water flows down the mountain year round and visitors can even enjoy a soak in slightly cooled water from the springs in a restored historic bathhouse and at several other spas in Hot Springs. As a result, the city is popular year-round. Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs also boasts one of the finest Christmas lighting displays in the South.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/hotspringsindex.

Queen Wilhelmina State Park - Arkansas

The Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma include the tallest peaks between the Appalachians and the Rockies. Crowning one of the most picturesque of the Ouachitas can be found Queen Wilhelmina State Park, home of the site of the famed Arkansas "castle in the sky."

Located at an elevation of 3,000 feet less than 30 minutes from Mena, Arkansas, the park is home to both scenic beauty and a rich history.

The site was first developed for recreation in 1897 by the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad. Financed largely by Dutch investors, railroad officials developed a magnificent lodge on the mountain top here. Named after Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, the lodge was described as a "castle in the sky."

The project never met with commercial success, however, and the lodge closed just three years after it had opened. It was later destroyed by fire.

In 1957, the State of Arkansas acquired the beautiful site and developed Queen Wilhelmina State Park. The park features spectacular views of the ridges and valleys of the Ouachitas and is located on the Talimena Drive, a scenic highway that winds for miles along the tops of the ridges.

The park features historic sites, a hotel, restaurant, camping areas, picnicking, hiking trails and even a miniature railroad that circles the modern hotel.

To learn more, please visit http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ARWilhelmina1.html.

Spring Travel Part Fifteen: The Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma

One of the most beautiful regions in the South can be found in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.

While many people are familiar with the Ozarks, located a bit to the north, fewer know about the spectacular Ouachitas (pronounced Wah-she-Tahs).

Rich in history and natural beauty, the Ouachitas are the tallest mountains between the Great Smokies and the Rockies. They stretch from the area of Hot Springs, Arkansas west for more than 100 miles across the border into eastern Oklahoma. Filled with history, legends and mysteries, they are among the most intriguing of America's mountain ranges.

To learn more about the Ouachita Mountains, Hot Springs, the Talimena Drive, Queen Wilhelmina State Park, the Ghost Story of Rich Mountain and even an 1897 "UFO Report," please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ouachita1.