3-Day Trip: A Long Weekend in Arkansas

This is the perfect little road trip from Dallas since it’s only about 4.5 hours away. It can even be a day trip if you’re just looking to get your quick travel fix. We’re willing to travel a little way if we know the water will be worth it—as you can probably tell by now from our other posts—and let me tell you, it’s totally worth it.

Lake Ouachita is approximately 40,000 acres of clear lake water with over 200 islands, making it its own absolutely stunning little world.

Day 1 & 2  Drive In & Explore Historic Downtown Hot Springs

Depending on your energy level, this can be done in one day or split into two. 

Drive in and take in the historic downtown, uniquely located within Hot Springs National Park. This is truly a gem because an actual trail, called Peak Trail, is woven right into the little town. It’s a short but semi-steep half-mile hike up to the very scenic Hot Springs Mountain Tower.

Or, you can do the free option right next to it: the Pagoda Overlook at the base of the tower, which also has a nice view.

It costs $13 per adult to go up the tower as of September 2026, but it’s well worth it since it sits on top of the mountain overlooking downtown and the impressive surrounding forest.

You can also choose to drive up to the tower and the free overlook. Just be prepared for a windy road, and keep in mind that the trail and tower area close at 8 p.m. The park rangers do drive around to kick people out, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you choose to walk around the trails, keep your eyes peeled for actual pockets of hot springs scattered around the part of the trail closest to downtown. And be warned: if your intrusive thoughts win and you choose to touch them, they are VERY hot. So hot that they steam even in the summer!

The most impressive hot spring is located in Arlington Lawn on the northeast part of town.

Another cool feature of this little town is that they have designated water fountains that directly dispense the naturally sterilized hot spring water for public consumption—and yes, it is dispensed hot.

Since you’ve read this far, I’ll share a town hack. The fountain closest to the exit when driving down from the tower, called “Happy Hollow Spring,” is a cold, filtered spring water dispenser. Just be prepared to wait a little because, as you can imagine, this fountain is popular. But the mineral-rich water was surprisingly delicious, so when in Rome.

Now, onto the touristy stuff.

Downtown’s main street is buzzing with great little restaurants, souvenir shops, and unique bathhouses. The several bathhouses that line the east side of the central street, Park Avenue, have an interesting history dating back to the 19th century. They were created to harness the natural hot spring water for medical, therapeutic, and luxury wellness purposes.

The town comes even more alive at night, and we recommend spending the night close by so you can recharge for a lake day!

Days 3 – Hiking, Exploring & Lake Ouachita

Arkansas has a pretty interesting geological history. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed an Arkansas license plate, but some of them have a diamond on them because the state is known for its naturally occurring diamonds.

The state sits on a very tectonically active site, creating rare minerals and gems. There are even cool little side quests where you can excavate for your own diamonds and crystals, but I’ll save that for another blog.

Or maybe you’ll get lucky and find something cool during my next recommendation: a morning hike.

Caddo Bend Trail, near the Lake Ouachita State Park marina, it’s approximately four miles around a peninsula that juts out to a very scenic midpoint overlook before looping back. But in my opinion, I think the hike itself is just as impressive as the scenic midpoint.

You’ll see all sorts of glittering quartz crystals, sedimentary stone, and tectonic minerals with beautiful colors and shapes. I think this is a great option if you’re like me and like to get a good little workout in before earning some playtime.

Lake Ouachita Time!

We recommend bringing your river shoes and getting there early, especially during a holiday weekend. It fills up, but if you choose to sleep in, don’t worry. This lake is so massive that you’ll still be able to find some peace and quiet if that’s your preference.

The times we’ve visited, we’ve rented kayaks from the Lake Ouachita State Park Marina, located in Mountain Pine. They’re very inexpensive, and since it’s a state park, the pricing is regulated compared to some other places.

They also rent boats, but we recommend booking well in advance if you’re going during a holiday weekend. The prices are very reasonable, with at least a six-hour single floor pontoon boat rental for a party of six coming in under $500, this includes gas and taxes.

We’ve also rented from Crystal Springs Marina and they had very similar, reasonably priced rates too.

The water is SO clear, and there are so many islands. As we mentioned, if you’ve rented a pontoon boat, it’s super easy to drive up to one of these small islands, anchor the boat, and have a nice picnic on your own little private island.

Don’t expect to easily anchor while you’re in the deeper parts of the lake, though. On average, Lake Ouachita is around 50 feet deep—but this makes for some great mid lake splash-in sessions!

We love our furry friends, and Crystal Springs Marina allows you to bring the pups. Just make sure you bring them their own life jackets.

Still Got Energy?

The first year we visited, we stumbled across a flyer for the Annual Labor Day Fireworks Show on Lake Hamilton at the Highway 7 South Bridge.

I was blown away by the production.

I’m a fireworks junkie—ask my wife. The weeks leading up to Independence Day are basically Christmas to me. Before we started traveling out of state as much as we do now, we’d spend our time jumping from city fireworks show to city fireworks show.

And man, this fireworks show is top-notch.

I’ve seen some of the most unique—and I’m sure expensive—fireworks during this show.

It’s important that you show up early because it gets PACKED. The ideal spot is across the street from the Double Tree by Hilton Hot Springs. I’d recommend getting there about two hours in advance.

Time for another town hack: at the corner of Central Avenue and Villa Point, there’s a shopping center parking lot that is the perfect parking spot if you’ve managed to show up this early.

Unfortunately, it looks like the 2026 show has been canceled due to a countywide burn ban, but I think that just means next year’s will be even better.

Hope you enjoyed the suggestion, and check back because we will most definitely be back to experience even cooler and more unique things Arkansas has to offer!

Jesus & Elaine

Aerglo Travel