Part of what makes Hot Springs both special and unusual is the downtown portion of the city is surrounded by Hot Springs National Park. If you've never visited, the main street through downtown is Central Avenue. One side of the street is the c

Episode 18 - The "See you later, Alligator" Episode

Nov 4th, 2019 50m 55s

One of the oldest and still operating attractions in Hot Springs features alligators, turtles, goats, wolves, peacocks and rabbits. And the list of animals there is longer than that. It's the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo. In this epi

Episode 17 - How downtown overcame problems to achieve it's current growth curve, with someone who was part of it all.

Oct 22nd, 2019 42m 41s

While many would say downtown Hot Springs is stronger now than it's been in decades, the growth came in the wake of difficult challenges. The Hot Springs National Park was almost down graded to a "historic site"; floods roared through the downt

Episode 16 - The Documentary Film Festival

Oct 7th, 2019 44m 21s

The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival is the longest continuing running festival in North America. The festival this year is October 18-26th, with over 60 features films and at least that many shorts. The festival also includes workshops, p

Episode 15 - Meet Mr. Crappie - and his Crappie Tournament and Expo

Sep 22nd, 2019 32m 17s

His real name is Wally Marshall, but he goes by "Mr. Crappie", the the weekend of October 4-6, he's bringing what he calls the biggest Crappie Tournament and Expo to Hot Springs. Taught to fish by his Grandmother, Wally is an angler, sportsman

Episode 14 - The Hotel Hale Story

Sep 15th, 2019 40m 25s

For many years, the buildings that made up Bath House Row in Hot Springs were closed and shuttered. Years ago, the National Park Service entered into public-private partnerships, leasing the historic structures to people who wanted to house a b

Episode 13 - The Spa Con Convention in Hot Springs

Sep 9th, 2019 41m 2s

The 4th Annual SpaCon Convention is the topic for this episode. SpaCon is a three day celebration of everything from animation to Cosplay, from Cult movies to laser tag. And that doesn't even cover it all. My guest is Bill Solleder, Director o

Episode 12 - Meet Mrs. Garvan of Garvan Gardens

Aug 24th, 2019 40m 24s

In this episode, you'll meet Verna Cook Garvan, the woman who donated the land that became Garvan Woodland Gardens. She died in 1993, so you'll hear from her by way of Susan Harper. Susan has been with Garvan Gardens since its' start. Over the

Episode 11 - Mid America Science Museum

Aug 19th, 2019 55m 13s

Another popular place in Hot Springs is the Mid America Science Museum. You'll see dinosaurs when you walk in. During the summer, they had a series of programs related to the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing. And there are a lot of static e

Episode 10 - Bill Barnes and Mountain Harbor Resort

Aug 12th, 2019 41m 56s

The story of Mountain Harbor Resort starts with a man taking his son fishing in a newly formed lake. Mountain Harbor Resort remains a very popular destination for everything from families to anglers to business conferences. Bill Barnes owns and

Episode 9 - Call to the Post - with Louis Cella from Oaklawn Park

Aug 3rd, 2019 1h 27m

Louis Cella is the 4th generation of his family to oversee what is now Oaklawn Racing Gaming and Resort. As you'll hear, it's no coincidence that "Racing" comes first in the name. Oaklawn Park has been in operation since 1905. It's now in the

Episode 8 - The FLW returns to Hot Springs

Jul 28th, 2019 34m 23s

For three days in August, 52 of the best bass anglers in the world will converge on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs for the FLW Cup. Called by many the biggest bass tournament of all, they are competing for the first place prize of $300,000. In th

Episode 7 - The "Gangster Episode"

Jul 22nd, 2019 36m 48s

This episode features a conversation with Robert Raines - the owner of the Gangster Museum, the first of it's kind in America. Many people know that Hot Springs was a prime vacation spot for some pretty notorious members of the Mob. Robert has

Episode 6 - Magic with Maxwell Blade

Jul 15th, 2019 26m 33s

This week, we visit with the man who makes magic and brings a smile during his show. Maxwell Blade has been performing magic in Hot Springs for many years, and recently completed the renovation of the historic Malco Theater. He talks about the

Episode 5 - Baseball Spring Training in Hot Springs - A Rich History

Jul 8th, 2019 32m 22s

Baseball spring training actually started in Hot Springs. That led to a rich baseball history in the Spa City. In this episode, Baseball Historian Mike Dugan tells us the healing waters brought the players here, and shares his years of research

Episode 4 - Guest: Anthony Valinoti of Deluca's, called Arkansas' best Pizza,

Jul 1st, 2019 38m 56s

In this episode, we visit with Anthony Valinoti, who left his Wall Street career and traveled to Italy to learn how to make pizza. Anthony told us his aim was to recreate the flavors he remembered growing up in New York. As you'll here, in an u

Episode 3 - Hot Springs is home to the only brewery in a National Park in America.

Jun 24th, 2019 40m 44s

Rose Schweikhart operates the first and only brewery in a National Park. In this episode, we hear the story of the Superior Bath House Brewery, plus a look at things to do in Hot Springs, AR over the next few weeks, including 4th of July events

Episode 2 - McClard's BBQ has been serving up ribs and other favorites for 91 years. Our visit with Scott McClard plus things to do, and Ouachita River levels for floating looking forward.

Jun 17th, 2019 43m 7s

The history behind the iconic McClards BBQ with owner Scott McClard. The restaurant is going strong after 91 years, and you'll be surprised to hear how it all started. (Hint: someone couldn't pay their bill.) Plus, things to do starting the Wk

Introducing the Pod Cast

Jun 10th, 2019 4m 46s

In this episode, we explore the things to do in Hot Springs, AR for the week of June 10th, and a few items beyond.This is the "get our feet wet" episode, to get it posted. Future episodes will also include interviews and information about the

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