WEBVTT - Bathing With Al Capone At Hot Springs National Park 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:02.920 If al Capone was alive today, I have a feeling 0:00:02.920 --> 0:00:05.320 he'd be a park landy a listener. Yeah, he was 0:00:05.360 --> 0:00:08.559 apparently a national park lover just like us. Yeah, or 0:00:08.640 --> 0:00:11.039 at least he used to frequent the thermal baths at 0:00:11.080 --> 0:00:13.760 Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, along with a boatload 0:00:13.800 --> 0:00:18.520 of other politicians, professional athletes, and foreign dignitaries, all drawn 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:22.320 to this place like moths to a luxurious flame. In 0:00:22.360 --> 0:00:25.480 case it wasn't already clear, Hot Springs is not your 0:00:25.560 --> 0:00:28.880 typical national park. In fact, it couldn't be more different 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:32.960 from places like Yellowstone Olympic or even the Everglades. That's 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:35.720 right here in the heart of this bussing little Arkansas 0:00:35.760 --> 0:00:38.839 mountain city. Hot Springs National Parks serves up history and 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:41.600 heritage with the side of craft beer and bath salts, 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:46.800 and it's well worth a visit. Hi, I'm Matt and 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:49.920 I'm Brad. This is park Landia. We packed up our 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:52.800 life in Chicago, moved into an RV, and now we're 0:00:52.840 --> 0:00:55.960 traveling in the country full time, visiting America's national parks. 0:00:56.040 --> 0:00:59.520 And today we're talking about Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:09.839 Thanks for listening. History, Hot Springs National Park is really 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:12.320 a little odd bowl of a park. I mean, for starters, 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:15.319 it's tiny, one of the smallest national parks in the country. 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:19.000 It's only about yeah, So to put that in perspective 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:22.280 a little bit. By comparison, the largest national park in 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:25.880 the US, Wrangle st Olias and Alaska, is thirteen point 0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:28.600 two million acres. You can fit a lot of Hot 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:32.000 Springs there. Yeah, and actually it's primarily an urban park. 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:34.440 I mean, there's some nature, but most of the park 0:01:34.560 --> 0:01:38.120 is actually situated around the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, right, 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:41.280 which is a historic, vintage looking town amidst these rolling 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:45.880 green mountains in the Wachita Mountain range near the Ozarks. Yeah, 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:48.200 it's an old park too. Even though it wasn't made 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:52.600 an official national park until nineteen it was initially protected 0:01:52.600 --> 0:01:58.120 as Hot Springs Reservation by Congress in April of eighteen 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:01.200 thirty two. So, in other words, this was the first 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:03.640 time the US government had ever set aside land for 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:06.680 protection any forum. This was almost a full century before 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:08.959 the National Park Service became a thing, in a full 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:12.799 forty years before Yellowstone became America's first national park. It's 0:02:12.800 --> 0:02:15.880 pretty crazy and amazing stuff. Yeah, I think that made 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:17.800 this place so special to begin with, and why they 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:22.000 designated it and where their protection is its namesake thermal waters, 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:25.200 which have a long and said to contain medicinal properties 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:29.040 and be revered both by neighbor Americans and apparently also 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:34.160 by gangsters and baseball players. Because sure, yeah, the hot 0:02:34.160 --> 0:02:37.000 springs flow off the western side of the Hot Spring 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:40.040 Mountain and they're the primary reason the place has been 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:43.720 preserved as a National park, right. I think one important 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:46.239 thing to clear up about hot springs first and foremost 0:02:46.639 --> 0:02:48.679 is that this isn't the type of place where you 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:50.760 can take a dip in natural hot springs in the woods. 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:53.919 There's actually none of that here whatsoever, which might be 0:02:53.960 --> 0:02:56.120 a bummer to some people. I know, like when I 0:02:56.160 --> 0:02:59.240 was first thinking, like when I was younger, I like 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:01.200 think of hot springs Artawark, I would assume that there 0:03:01.200 --> 0:03:05.200 were these natural springs like in the woods or something. Instead, 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:08.680 the National Park conserves this amazing water for public use 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:12.040 in other ways by managing the water flow and pumping 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:15.720 into the town for use in these ornate spas and bathhouses, 0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:20.520 and even in drinkable form and sparkling water and beer. Yeah, 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:23.000 people have long been flocking here for those springs and 0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:27.040 especially those bath houses. In fact um Hot Springs, Arkansas 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:29.760 earned the nickname the American Spa due to the largest 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:33.120 number of thermal treatments and spas along what is now 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:36.400 called Bathhouse Row. Yeah. I love that. So this main 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:38.880 street forms the heart of the park, this Bathhouse Row. 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:43.880 But this lineup of gorgeously designed, huge, luxury, luxury bathhouses, 0:03:44.320 --> 0:03:47.200 each one with this gilded aid to architecture that looks 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:50.600 like something off the Titanic or something. It's incredible. And 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:53.520 this road features these beautiful fountains billowing with steam that 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:57.440 kind of interspersed along the sidewalks like between these buildings. 0:03:57.520 --> 0:04:00.440 It's really beautiful. Yeah. At one point all these buildings 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:03.600 were used as actual bathhouses and spas, but nowadays only 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:06.240 two of them are still used for this purpose, as 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:11.080 most others have been repurposed into visitor centers, museums, and 0:04:11.120 --> 0:04:13.840 a brewery. But more on that later. Yeah, I'm shomping 0:04:13.840 --> 0:04:16.440 at the bit to talk about that brewery. I love it. Yes, 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:19.960 so cool. Yeah, bath House Row is actually so cool 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:24.080 um that it was actually designated a National Historic Landmark 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:27.560 all on its own in n Yeah, that's the year 0:04:27.600 --> 0:04:29.840 of my birth. So I now feel and you found 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:32.840 kinship with bath house row we're both the same. Well 0:04:32.880 --> 0:04:34.560 now it's been around long time, so we're not in 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:38.039 the same so that's ridiculous. But anyway, today the only 0:04:38.080 --> 0:04:41.040 two bathhouses still in use for their original purpose are 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.960 the buck Staff and Quapa buildings, both of which offer 0:04:45.080 --> 0:04:48.360 these elaborate spas, services and treatments. Yeah, and back in 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:50.680 the day that people soaked here because the thermal waters 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:54.799 are said to help cure things like um rheumatism. And 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:58.240 since there's been so many health advances in the past century, 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:02.159 that's why the bathhouse culture has taken such a decline. Yeah, 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:05.039 kind of kind of aboutmer I guess, but it's really cool, 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:07.120 I mean, not about our it's good that health advance 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:11.080 has happened. What am I saying? Um, it's really cool 0:05:11.080 --> 0:05:13.480 to come here though, because it's like kind of traveling 0:05:13.480 --> 0:05:17.720 back in time to this like byron Ornate era, and 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:19.600 you get to luxury it a little bit in that 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:23.520 and the only thing missing really is like champagne. While 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:25.880 we so okay, I wish we could have had that. 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:27.559 I think like when we took our bath, we asked 0:05:27.560 --> 0:05:30.480 if alcohol us aloud and they're like no, and we're like, well, 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:36.680 what a shame, you know, that shame right, geology. But 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:39.560 let's talk about the basic water facts first, like the 0:05:39.600 --> 0:05:43.440 fact that the park contains forty seven natural hot springs 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:45.960 pumping out more than a half a million gallons of 0:05:46.000 --> 0:05:49.040 water per day. It comes out of the ground at 0:05:49.839 --> 0:05:53.720 three degrees fahrenheit. Yeah, it's definitely hot or in that designation, 0:05:54.800 --> 0:05:58.400 and much of that water being pumped out that's much 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:01.560 too hot for bathing. So thankfully they cooled down to 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:05.360 a comfortable jacuzzi like temperature for use in the bathhouses. 0:06:05.800 --> 0:06:07.800 Very comfortable. Yeah. But even though there was like some 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:10.679 hot springs here for centuries, the town wasn't always filled 0:06:10.680 --> 0:06:14.560 with bathhouses and fancy tubs. No, no, these aren't naturally 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:19.040 occurring bathhouses. For thousands of years, indigenous tribes lived in 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:22.880 the area, and they're the ones who discovered these hot 0:06:22.960 --> 0:06:25.960 springs and how they could be used, and so they 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:28.880 started to use the hot thermal waters for their healing properties. 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:32.839 They called this place the Valley of Vapors, which I 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:36.560 love that name. I think it's so cool. Yeah, they 0:06:36.560 --> 0:06:39.520 had these crude hot like structures that they build along 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:42.919 Hot Springs Creek. So this is like a far precursor 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:47.200 to these opulent like mansion looking buildings on bath House 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:51.599 Row for sure. Yeah, I know it's unfortunate because you know, 0:06:51.680 --> 0:06:54.680 as the case with too many settlers and developments. The 0:06:54.760 --> 0:06:57.800 Native Quapa Indians gave up their land to the U. 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:00.479 S Government in eighteen eighteen, and they were basically forced 0:07:00.560 --> 0:07:04.960 onto nearby reservations. Yeah. Arkansas then became an official state 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:07.680 the following year in eighteen nineteen, and the area is 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:10.920 quickly set aside for protection. Then fast forward a couple 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:13.120 more centuries and Brad and I are taking a dip 0:07:13.120 --> 0:07:17.080 in some of the famous and legendary water. Yeah. The 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:19.720 bath was really nice and relaxing when we went, I mean, 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:22.400 we did a couple soak and had our own little 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:24.960 private room. So nice. I'm so glad we did that. 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:28.920 That was really relaxing and perfect. The bathhouse also has 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:33.240 this huge communal tub which looked beautiful like this ancient, 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:36.240 reminding me of like an ancient gigantic Roman bath or something, 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:40.000 with these little waterfalls splashing into this gigantic mega tub 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:43.320 and these these like chic lounge chairs all around the room. 0:07:43.320 --> 0:07:45.880 It was really lovely, but I think we both needed, 0:07:46.400 --> 0:07:48.360 like we just wanted kind of more privacy. We didn't 0:07:48.360 --> 0:07:51.600 want to be like floating around with a bunch of strangers. Yeah, 0:07:51.880 --> 0:07:54.760 and we also got to select our own bath salts 0:07:54.960 --> 0:07:57.800 um that we want to use for the soak because 0:07:57.800 --> 0:07:59.800 we had the private room and it's nice because the 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:02.680 water pumps in from a jet. Just imagine when we 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:05.880 were here, we took in the same types of old 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:08.720 fashioned tubs that al Capone used to soak in. Yeah, 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:11.040 and just think too, he used to live in Chicago 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:13.960 just like us and visit some of our favorite restaurants 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:17.280 like Italian Village. He even has like his own booth 0:08:17.280 --> 0:08:19.680 at Italian Village, or at at least they pointed out 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:22.680 and tell you so. So between our Chicago connection and 0:08:22.720 --> 0:08:25.760 the fact that we essentially took a bath with al 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:27.960 Capone in spirit, yeah, I mean he was a bumbed 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:31.680 right down the street from we have like a weird 0:08:32.480 --> 0:08:35.319 connection to al Capone. This really just cemented it. And 0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:38.400 I've I've never felt closer to al Capon. Yeah, I mean, 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:40.360 aside from the fact that he's an awful person who 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:44.000 committed like really horrible and hainas crimes um and I 0:08:44.040 --> 0:08:47.000 feel like he had a great taste in restaurants, national parks, 0:08:47.000 --> 0:08:49.720 and bathtubs. Yeah, he really did too bad. He made 0:08:49.760 --> 0:08:53.079 awful life decisions. After this short break, will continue to 0:08:53.120 --> 0:09:21.360 talk about Hot Springs National Park. Hi, I'm Matt and 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:23.960 I'm Brad. This is park Landia. Today we're talking about 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:34.200 Hot Springs National Park trails. When we visited Hot Springs, 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:36.920 we were driving across the country from Las Vegas to Durham, 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:40.440 North Carolina to visit my sister for Christmas, and Hot 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.360 Springs was the perfect little detour. Yes it was. I 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:46.120 can't think of a better pit stop than a regal bathtub. 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:49.000 And the town is just so cute too, that town 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:52.600 of Hot Springs, Arkansas. But a really impressive amount of 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:56.240 independent restaurants and bakeries in these but like over the 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:59.959 top opulent old school hotels too. Yeah. I mean when 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:02.600 you get there, you definitely take the time to stroll 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:05.520 down bathhouse roll and the surrounding streets, and then you 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:10.800 stop into that mountain valley spring water visitor center and museum. Yeah, 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:14.160 that was what like a total surprise. And I think 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:17.000 Hot Springs is really the one and only place where 0:10:17.040 --> 0:10:20.760 a museum dedicated to water is actually awesome. Yeah, and 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:22.600 they were so nice there too, and they were very 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:25.840 passionate about the town's water. The building was huge and lofty, 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:29.120 with these historical displays information all over the second floor. 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:31.560 On the first floor there was a bunch of water 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:34.880 themes swag, of course, and all the water you could drink. Yeah, 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:38.040 water themes swag. I love it. I actually bought a 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:40.560 spring water like T shirt that I'm obsessed with, and 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:41.959 I wear it a lot and I get a lot 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:45.560 of compliments on the people pointed out the love that 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:49.400 I really love that shirt, although sometimes the backfires and 0:10:49.760 --> 0:10:52.360 someone recently thought it was they mistook the water and 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:54.880 they thought I was wearing a smearnof vodka shirt and 0:10:54.880 --> 0:10:59.280 I'm like, no, no, no, debsoinitely not. But I so 0:10:59.520 --> 0:11:02.120 love it. And while we're at this place, we also 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:04.679 stocked up on a variety pack of flavored spring water, 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:07.960 which might have been a mistake in our part, because 0:11:08.559 --> 0:11:10.560 I feel like the sparkling water here set such an 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:13.600 impossibly high bar for all other sparkling waters and now 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:17.680 I'm obsessed and forever ruined on sparkling water. Yeah, but 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:21.720 you tend to get obsessed with things pretty quickly, That's true. 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:24.800 I tend to go all in right away. And there's 0:11:24.840 --> 0:11:26.559 not a lot of middle ground there. I mean, they're 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:30.960 obsessed to like an unhealthy degree immediately or completely disinterested, 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:34.760 and this water was clearly the former. I'm all in 0:11:34.960 --> 0:11:37.720 with the Hot Springs water. Are we done fangirling over 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:40.640 this water here? I mean? Another place we have to 0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:45.000 stroll is to the brick walkway behind the bathhouse. It's yeah, 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:47.760 it's this very nice flat trail, if you can call 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:50.720 it trail. It's mostly just like a glorified large sidewalk, 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:53.040 and it slopes up along the base of Hot Springs 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:57.040 Mountain behind on the rear side of bathhouse row. So 0:11:57.400 --> 0:11:59.520 once you're up there, you have this nice raised vista 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:01.880 of down on Hot Springs, and you can also see 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:04.360 more of these steaming fountains along the way. It's all 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:07.880 really really pretty. Yeah. Another nice thing about the Hot 0:12:07.920 --> 0:12:10.760 Springs here is that they don't actually have um that 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:13.959 bad sulfur smell like the ones that yellow don't. Yeah right, 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:16.480 these are just so like pure and clean, no bad 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:21.520 smells at all, just pure goodness, like lovely experience altogether. 0:12:22.080 --> 0:12:24.199 And there's plenty of things to explore here too. I mean, 0:12:24.240 --> 0:12:26.320 you visit another time on your own and did some 0:12:26.440 --> 0:12:30.480 hiking to the surprise of no one. Yeah, of course, 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:33.400 classic me. I spent today here by myself as well, 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:36.400 on another like solo trip, and that's when I got 0:12:36.400 --> 0:12:39.160 to hike to the top of Hot Springs Mountain, which 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:41.079 is really more like a giant hill than a mountain, 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:44.040 to be honest. It's not huge, not very strenuous. They 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:46.400 gets steep at some parts, but it's really not a 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:49.120 long hike, and once you're up there, the valley views 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:54.199 are really nice and so green, just like rolling lush 0:12:54.280 --> 0:12:59.640 green forests, but like a little bit of steaming, smoky 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:01.960 vibes happening. I'm not sure. I think a lot of 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:04.400 us from the Hot Springs and also just like foggy 0:13:04.520 --> 0:13:09.439 and misty, it's all very um it's beautiful, and it's 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:13.280 really quite a site and very achievable. You can johned 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:16.960 up there and just like an hour. Yeah, you know. 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:19.760 And when the Hot Springs actually got upgraded to a 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:23.760 National park status, protected land was increased, you know, to 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:27.720 include places like the Hot Springs Mountain, Sugar Loaf Mountain, 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:32.680 North Mountain and West Mountain. Yes, that's true. And you 0:13:32.760 --> 0:13:39.440 know what goes well with hiking beer food, Now that 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:42.559 we're finally ready to talk about the beer at Hot Springs, 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:46.640 something that I feel really sets this place part more 0:13:46.720 --> 0:13:49.880 than any other National park. Yeah. Absolutely. I just think 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.000 it's like the coolest thing ever that one of the 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:55.400 bathhouses on Bathouse Road is now a brewery, which is 0:13:55.400 --> 0:14:00.280 called fittingly Superior Bathhouse. Nice little homage. It's the only 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:02.559 brewery within a National Park and the only brewery on 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:06.200 Earth making beer with thermal spring water like this, and 0:14:06.240 --> 0:14:08.640 since the water is so healthy, it's basically good for you. 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:11.719 Yeah right, or at least better than your typical I 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:15.240 pas or PBRs. Anyway, this beer you can feel good about, 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:19.000 and it even tastes delicious. It tastes very very good. 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:22.000 And they do a great job. And they have this lengthy, 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:24.520 impressive list of beers on draft in a wide array 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:28.120 of styles and seeing seasonal variations like they have sours, 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:30.600 they have brewed I p a s, won't, real stouts, 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:35.120 Irish reds, even something like a honey Basil Calsh beer. 0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:37.600 They really run the gamut. It's a lot. It's really 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:40.400 so good, and it's a cool beer to drink, and 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:43.600 such a beautiful environment like this um and it's in 0:14:43.640 --> 0:14:46.200 one of those historical buildings that we're talking about with 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:49.080 such rich architecture, I know. And the food is great 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:52.040 here too. They have this elevated gastro pub vibe going on, 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:55.400 which makes sense and totally fits. So they have things 0:14:55.440 --> 0:15:00.000 like giant pretzels and bronze ruben sandwiches and our favorite 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:04.200 thing ever, blistered shoshido peppers. Whenever I see like seshida peppers, 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:06.400 I just have to have them. Yeah, I know, they're 0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:09.760 so satisfying with like the perfect amount of heat, unless 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:11.560 you get one of those super spicy ones. Those ones 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:13.880 are a little too much. I know, I know that's always, 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:17.800 but it's like the fun part. Like one from what 0:15:17.840 --> 0:15:20.480 we're told, one in every ten shido peppers is like 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:24.120 scorchingly spicy allegedly, so it's like a little bit of 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:26.440 a little bit of risk, which I like. I like 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:29.040 risk with my app pezzers. Before I was actually like 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:32.400 drinking this beer, I already felt high from that bath 0:15:32.480 --> 0:15:35.480 that we had it and we were I mean, you 0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:37.880 just you feel like you're on cloud nine, just all 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:40.600 the like you're just released. I don't know what's with 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:43.560 that water, but once it's on the outside of you, 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:45.520 and then it goes on the inside of you and 0:15:45.640 --> 0:15:50.760 just feel relaxed. Yeah, we basically floated along Bathhouse Row 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:53.600 after that because we also have like this little cucumber 0:15:53.640 --> 0:15:57.560 water that they give us too, so we're like, that's right, yeah, 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:01.720 rolling in it u it. Now in terms of like 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.760 our v accessibility, we didn't camp here or stay here. 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:07.640 We were just passing through. But even though this whole 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:10.400 area is technically a small city, it was very doable. 0:16:10.480 --> 0:16:13.000 I had to sirk around town a couple of times, 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:14.880 but we were able to find parking st right near 0:16:14.920 --> 0:16:17.800 Bathous Row and it all worked out really easily. I 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:21.160 actually parked right in front of that the Spring Mountains water. Yeah, 0:16:21.200 --> 0:16:22.960 that's how we found it because we didn't know that existed. 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:24.920 We didn't look that up or anything, but we were 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:27.960 parked right in front of the main doors. So we're like, oh, 0:16:28.120 --> 0:16:32.120 this is here, let's go into the water museum. And 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:35.640 I'm really glad we did. Yeah, me too. Now, also 0:16:35.760 --> 0:16:37.560 Hot Springs. This clearly it's in the kind of park 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:39.960 where you're likely to see a ton of wildlife because 0:16:40.000 --> 0:16:43.280 it's much more urban than most. What you mostly see 0:16:43.400 --> 0:16:47.000 is like families and beer drinkers and maybe some want 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:50.920 to be gangsters. Yeah, it's perfect for beat people watching. Um. 0:16:50.920 --> 0:16:53.040 But it should be noted though that there are plenty 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:55.920 of camp rounds and RV parks in and around Hot Springs, 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:58.560 so for future reference, this would be a great place 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.880 to camp and spend more time. Totally. Yeah. So now 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:05.240 after this short break, we're going to talk about our 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:20.000 favorite parts of Hot Springs National Park. My favorite. Hi, 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:22.680 I'm Matt and I'm Brad. This is park Land yet 0:17:22.800 --> 0:17:25.760 and we are wrapping up our Hot Springs National Park 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:29.240 episode talking about our favorite things at the park. So 0:17:29.520 --> 0:17:30.920 do you want to go first? You want to talk 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:33.760 about what your favorite part of Hot Springs was? Do 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:37.000 you want to talk about what your favorite part is? Sure? 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:40.399 I think I'm ready. My favorite part of Hot Springs. 0:17:40.480 --> 0:17:46.080 I think it's probably superior bathhouse, the brewery. Um. Yeah, 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:49.439 it's just like the coolest thing ever. I've done it twice, 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:51.280 both times have been to Hot Springs. It's the thing 0:17:51.280 --> 0:17:53.960 I've returned to. I just think it's the most unique 0:17:54.200 --> 0:17:57.880 thing for in every aspect the fact, that's the only 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:00.840 brewer with International Park, the only brewery in the world 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:05.520 making beer like this with thermal spring water. And it's 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:07.440 just really like icing on the cake that the beer 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:10.360 tastes really good, because like all those aspects like, oh 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:12.480 this is really cool, unique, but does it taste good? 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:15.800 And you're like maybe a little hustan at first, but 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:21.359 they do really good, cool and clean menu. You know, 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:23.879 it's not over the top, and you know they have 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:26.280 a lot of hurdles to go over because they're using 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:31.080 that water source there in the like historical building, so 0:18:31.160 --> 0:18:33.200 like they have to be very careful and what they 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:36.560 do and and what they've been able to overcome to 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:41.359 make that food and those beers is truly amazing. Yeah, 0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:43.720 and we have pretty high beer standards to like we 0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:47.080 I mean not only coming from Chicago where there's so 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:51.560 many breweries and amazing, amazing beer, so we were accommended 0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:54.480 to that kind of but also like in our travels 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:56.639 to various cities and states, like we go to a 0:18:56.680 --> 0:19:00.840 lot of breweries and have our favorite things, and this 0:19:00.920 --> 0:19:04.359 place definitely holds its own like it's worthwhile. It's a 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:06.960 beer destination in and of itself. I think hot Springs. 0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:10.200 So it's actually kind of funny. On that like trip 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:14.400 from Las Vegas to North Carolina, we had two beer 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:16.439 stops and we brought two different types of beer for 0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:18.800 the holidays. Yes, this is like a weird beer theme 0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:21.600 broachap for us, I guess. Yeah. We had Brawn Bone Arrow, 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:25.080 one of our favorite breweries in the country from Albuquerque, 0:19:25.200 --> 0:19:31.199 from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and yeah, they have some just great, um, 0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:33.639 great beers. But we picked up that and then we 0:19:33.760 --> 0:19:36.119 picked up this beer and we brought it to my 0:19:36.160 --> 0:19:41.320 sisters and we all enjoyed it together, which was nice, 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:44.680 you know, after of course I was having it there right, Yeah, 0:19:44.680 --> 0:19:46.680 because that's the whole experience too. It's like the beer 0:19:46.720 --> 0:19:48.760 is delicious, and I would happily drink that anywhere, but 0:19:49.119 --> 0:19:51.199 it takes it to a whole another level by drinking 0:19:51.240 --> 0:19:55.959 it at Superior Bathhouse in these amazing historic confines with 0:19:56.040 --> 0:19:59.320 great service here. They're very friendly, very accommodating, and happy 0:19:59.359 --> 0:20:02.120 to provide sam balls and tastes of the various beers 0:20:02.119 --> 0:20:04.560 because there's a lot. There's like twelve or thirteen on taps, 0:20:04.600 --> 0:20:07.199 so you want to kind of sample things and like 0:20:07.640 --> 0:20:10.720 see what they have. Yeah, I would say my favorite 0:20:10.720 --> 0:20:15.479 thing was definitely the bathhouse itself. Going into that and 0:20:15.520 --> 0:20:20.879 coming out like it was just like I said earlier, 0:20:20.880 --> 0:20:23.040 cloud nine, I was on cloud nine and I left that, 0:20:23.600 --> 0:20:25.240 I was on cloud nine for the rest of the 0:20:25.320 --> 0:20:28.199 day umbly even the next day, like to be honest, 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:31.760 I mean, I was so happy. I was relaxed. I 0:20:31.800 --> 0:20:34.560 was relieved. And I can definitely see where like the 0:20:34.920 --> 0:20:39.600 Native American indigenous people they came and use those waters 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:42.320 for healing, because the way you feel when you get 0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:45.240 out of them, um, So that that was truly a 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:48.720 beautiful it was. Yeah. Yeah, and that room. I think 0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:50.400 we should also talk about that room a lott about 0:20:50.400 --> 0:20:54.919 our private bathroom because like the room itself is clearly 0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:58.280 very old and historic, has this kind of well worn 0:20:58.359 --> 0:21:01.919 flora tile and pile's wall hole on the walls, but 0:21:01.960 --> 0:21:06.000 the bath itself is very modern. The tub seemed very modern, like, um, 0:21:06.040 --> 0:21:10.479 a very sleek, clean two person tub with these jets 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:13.720 that are like very very precisely manufactured to just scent, 0:21:14.119 --> 0:21:18.520 temperatures and everything. It's very comfortable. So it was really nice. 0:21:18.520 --> 0:21:20.280 And then I think we also had like this little bell, 0:21:20.359 --> 0:21:22.879 like an actual bell, right in case we needed service 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:25.160 or like more bath salt or something, so you could 0:21:25.520 --> 0:21:28.960 ring ring this little actual bell. I feel so uncomfortable 0:21:29.080 --> 0:21:32.560 dringing that bell. I feel like I'm like, no, that's 0:21:32.600 --> 0:21:34.080 not I know. I felt like I was calling for 0:21:34.119 --> 0:21:38.359 like a servant or something, and that's just not not 0:21:38.480 --> 0:21:41.080 for me. We didn't we didn't use the bell. No, no, no, 0:21:41.280 --> 0:21:45.120 but I was tempted. Yeah. So that was a good 0:21:45.119 --> 0:21:47.199 time and I'm so thankful we did it, and a 0:21:47.240 --> 0:21:51.640 great level like road trip stop. For the three things 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:55.560 I would bring, I would definitely bring an appetite and 0:21:56.160 --> 0:22:03.120 taste for beer, good good beer. That would be one thing, um, 0:22:03.160 --> 0:22:08.160 I guess I would bring you. And I would definitely bring, 0:22:08.520 --> 0:22:11.240 like I was gonna say, a bathrow but you know what, 0:22:11.400 --> 0:22:15.280 they have enough to provide them for you. Yeah, that's true. Um. 0:22:15.359 --> 0:22:16.959 The things that I would bring, I guess would be 0:22:17.880 --> 0:22:21.160 maybe a bathing suit. I don't know if it's well, yeah, 0:22:21.240 --> 0:22:23.480 especially if you're gonna be taking a communal bath, like 0:22:23.760 --> 0:22:28.840 come on, you're going to need that. It can't be naked, Um, 0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:34.919