Garland: Discover Hot Springs, Nature, and Culture

Discover Garland through a variety of experiences: hot springs and bathing history, trails through nature, activities on the water, and recreational offerings. If you’re looking for a hotel for your stay, the activities you have planned can help you shape your days.

Hot Springs and History in Hot Springs

The bathhouses in Hot Springs National Park continue a tradition dating back to the mid-19th century, making the region’s hot springs accessible to visitors. Natural outdoor pools for bathing are not part of this offering. The Fordyce Bathhouse is a historically furnished museum and also houses the national park’s visitor center. Free self-guided tours are available there.

Local history is also evident in the character of the place: Bathhouse Row and the Grand Promenade together form a National Historic Landmark District, designated in 1987. One particularly striking hot spring is Hot Water Cascade—it is considered the largest and most visible spring in Hot Springs National Park.

For an overview of the park and its landscape, Hot Springs Mountain Drive leads from downtown along a winding road to a picnic area, Pagoda Overlook, and Hot Springs Mountain Tower. From the tower, you can enjoy panoramic views of the park and the surrounding landscape. The route connects several distinct perspectives: the drive around the curves, the view from the overlook, and the broad vista from the tower.

Hiking Trails, Wildlife, and Water

Cedar Glades Park has 15 miles of mountain biking and hiking trails. This makes the park a good stop for anyone who wants to spend time outdoors and be active. White-tailed deer, raccoons, armadillos, and gray squirrels live on Electric Island. There are also numerous bird species, both year-round residents and seasonal visitors. The wildlife offers a different way to experience nature than the trails do: here, the focus is on the island’s inhabitants and the changing bird species throughout the year.

Swimming, water skiing, scuba diving, boating, kayaking, and fishing are all possible at Lake Ouachita. Activities range from quiet time by the water to various forms of water sports. Lake Ouachita State Park also offers nature interpretation programs year-round, including guided hikes, eagle cruises, and kayak tours. If you’d like to experience nature with a guide rather than on your own, you can take these programs into account when planning.

Gardens, Events, and Recreation

Garvan Woodland Gardens covers 210 acres. Within the gardens, the 1.5-acre Evans Children's Adventure Gardens offer interactive experiences featuring a waterfall, a cave, and an iron bridge. The two acreage figures give a sense of the different scales: the gardens are a sprawling destination, while the Adventure Gardens’ dedicated area is a smaller, clearly defined world of experiences.

A regular event on the calendar is the Hot Springs Water Festival. It takes place every October, is free, and is family-friendly. Oaklawn has offered thoroughbred racing in Hot Springs since 1904. Nature and water activities can thus be complemented by an event or a sporting attraction, rather than shaping the trip around just one kind of experience.

Magic Springs combines an amusement park and a water park. Attractions include roller coasters, family rides, and the Timberwood Amphitheater. The water park features an adventure river, a slide and water tower, children’s activity areas, and a wave pool with a capacity of 350,000 gallons. The different areas offer several ways to spend a day enjoying rides or water attractions.

Whether you’re especially interested in bathing history, nature, water, or events, your choice of experiences can shape the focus of your trip to Garland.

Discover more destinations: Lake Hamilton, Piney, Hot Springs, Sevier County, Mississippi County, Phillips County, Benton, Pulaski.

For the broader travel overview: Arkansas.