March 14-18, 2007The Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival 2007Various Venues Historic Downtown Hot Springs       The Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival is heading into its 3rd year of producing original, forward thinking, innovative music. The Valley of the Vapors brings the big sounds or rock and roll into various small clubs in downtown Hot Springs giving the audience the thrill of an up close and personal experience with the musician.  Expect to see and hear as many as 30 bands from all across the globe at various locatons in downtown Hot Springs. 03/08/2007

Botanical beauty! The spring season begins at Garvan Woodland Gardens with the "Dance of the Daffodils." Come enjoy the beautiful color of over 150,000 daffodils from 327 varieties on a breath-taking 210 acre botanical garden on Lake Hamilton.Don't miss it!  The Gardens are so beautiful this time of year, and the weather has been perfect ... with many days in the low 70s.  You can even bring your fuzzy family member (pets) along for a stroll in the garden.  03/07/2007

Oaklawn Park resumes traditional five-day-per-week racing this week in Hot Springs, Arkansas -- which will be Wednesday through Sunday through the end of the racing season.  The only exception to the schedule is Easter Sunday, April 8, when the  track is closed.  First post time reamins at 1:30p.m. weekdays and Sundays and 1:05p.m. Saturdays with a special noon first post time on Arkansas Derby Day, Saturday, April 14th. 03/06/2007

The oldest tourist attraction in the state of Arkansas, the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo in Hot Springs was the first of its kind in the country when it opened back in 1902. The Wild South?  Legendary outlaws Frank and Jesse James robbed a stagecoach five miles outside of Hot Springs in 1874. 03/05/2007

D uring the American "bathing experience" of the early 1900s, '20s and '30s, Hot Springs was a popular destination for the rich and famous, drawing the likes of Babe Ruth, Andrew Carnegie and F.W. Woolworth.  Gangster Al Capone and members of his mob occupied the entire fourth floor of the popular Arlington Hotel when visiting the Spa City.  A brass plaque marks Capone's favorite suite - Room 442.  Hot Springs was a neutral territory for gangsters from Chicago and new York who visited Hot Springs to enjoy the baths and racing. 03/05/2007

T he first bathhouses were basically tents fashioned out of canvas and wood; these were replaced by poorly constructed wooden buildings, which either collapsed from wood rot or burned.  The bathhouses of the early 1900s, which lined Bathhouse Row, were exquisite structures replete with marble, brass and stained-glass accents.  They housed what were then state-of-the-art mechanotherapy machines, gymnasiums and beauty shops which helped cure-seekers in their efforts to feel and look better.   G radually Hot Springs came to be called "the National Spa", and such slogans as "Uncle Sam Bathes the World" and "the Nation's Health Sanitarium" were used to promote the city.  By 1921, the Hot Springs Reservation was such a popular destination for vacationers and seekers of health remedies that th... 03/05/2007

D o you know what Hernando de Soto, Babe Ruth, Al Capone and Harry Truman have in common?  They have all luxuriated in Hot Springs' thermal baths.  Actually, scientists estimate that people have been drawn to these waters for the last 10,000 years.  These waters begin as rain water that is absorbed through crevices in the earth's surface.  It is then warmed and mineral enriched as it percolates deep underground.  When the water eventually flows back to the surface, it has reached a temperature of 143 degrees Fahrenheit and is laden with over 20 mineral deposits. 03/05/2007

Babe hits a homer and takes home a gator!  Babe Ruth first visited Hot Springs as a young pitcher with the Boston Red Sox and often returned to take the baths and play golf.  On one such trip, he purchased a small alligator at the Alligator Farm to take back to boston as a Hot Springs souvenir. 03/04/2007

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Hot Springs was the off-season capital of Major League baseball teams.  The Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Nationals, Chicago White Stockings and Boston Red Sox all held spring training in Hot Springs. A training ground for champions.  Heavyweight boxer Billy Conn, the former light heavyweight champion, trained for his 1946 rematch with Joe Louis in the gymnasium at the Fordyce Bathhouse.  He ended up losing the fight to Louis in what is often remembered as "the fight of the century".  Many famous boxing champions liked to vacation in Hot Springs, including Jack Dempsey, John L. Sullivan, Jim Corbett, Joe Louis and Jess Williams 03/04/2007

Tony Bennett first crooned his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Franciso", in the early 1960s during a first reading and singing of the lyrics at the Vapors Club in Hot Springs. The Spa City had a reputation as a presidential playground in Hot Springs, Harry Truman had a favorite club where he played his favorite game, poker.  Truman was known to play for small stakes, and he tipped small as well.  Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt visited Bathhouse Row in 1936, and Theodore Roosevelt came to the Spa City in 1910 to attend the Arkansas State Fair at Oaklawn Park. 03/04/2007

T he historic city of Hot Springs bears yet another distinction.  It is proud to have been the boyhood home of the 42nd President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton.  The home of the Clintons, located at 1011 Park Avenue, is not open for tours, but you can view it from the streets of downtown.  He graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1964.  Visitors can tour the streets, church and other local establishments that Mr. Clinton credits with giving him the early experiences that would lead to a life of public service. 03/04/2007

Hot Springs is located slightly southwest of the geographic center of the state and rests amid the gently rolling Ouachita Mountains.  The city's central location offers easy access to the entire nation.  Because of its central location, Hot Springs provides a valuable transportation advantage.  Halfway between Canada and Mexico, the Carolinas and California, Arkansas is only a tank of gas away from one-third of the nation's population. 03/04/2007

Get down tonight! That's what the Summit Arena crowd will be doing Wednesday night, April 11, when KC & The Sunshine Band and Village People perform for the 2007 Hot SpringFest concert highlighting Derby Week in Hot Springs.The two groups promise the most fun-filled evening in the history of the Spa City's series of SpringFest concerts, starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be $25 for the Arena's lower level and $20 for the upper level. They will be available March 12 from all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, the Summit Arena box office or by phone at 501-321-1919.reported by the HOT SPRINGS CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 02/09/2007

Every winter, we are always anxiously waiting for a beautiful snow day in Hot Springs . . . and it finally came this year.  The ground was covered with about an inch of snow and then quickly melted by noon the next day.  Oh well, it was pretty while it lasted.    02/04/2007

Found this awesome networking site and can't wait to tell others about it.  As an advertising sales professional with a background in internet marketing and advertising sales my objective has been to help both realtors and business owners enhance the ROI. ROI is simply return on investment.  Any type of actual advertising such as print, internet, virtual tours etc should not cost you a dime.  These should all enhance your sales.  Any investment should return a hefty return if used correctly.  I look forward to posting some marketing thoughts here in the near future.    01/27/2007

Magic Springs announced a two-year, $10 million expansion plan at the park this week.  The planned expansion of the water park will include what park managers say will be the largest water slide complex in Arkansas.The multi-flume complex will be part of Crystal Lagoon, a new section of the Crystal Falls water park.  It will be the first major investment in Crystal Falls since it opened in 2000.Dan Aylward, President and General Manager of Magic Springs & Crystal Falls, is expecting the park projects attendance to increase by "10 percent or more for the coming year" as a result of the improvements.  Magic Springs is approaching 500,000 guests annually, Hot  Springs Mayor Mike Bush said at the press conference this week.Aylward said the park is "one of the fastest-growing parks in the co... 01/12/2007

Hot Springs, Arkansas has enjoyed popularity as a spa resort, but its low cost of living also makes it of particular interest for retirees, according to geographer Warren Bland.  The Arkansas town is No. 1 on Bland's list of the top 10 value towns for retirees in 2007.The Central Arkansas location also is especially attractive to those with family in the Midwest.To rank the towns, Bland uses 12 criteria:  landscape, climate, quality of life, cost of living, transportation, retail services, health care, community services, cultural activities, recreational activities, work/volunteer activities and crime.  Bland has also authored books on the topic, including "Retire in Style:  60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada."Although people tend to think of places such as Florida and Ari... 12/29/2006

One of America's most popular and prestigious racetracks now has a full house of thrilling plays for their fans to enjoy.  The historic introduction of electronic games of skill makes Oaklawn Racing & Gaming the place to be every day and every night, all year long, for non-stop action.  Sizzling 7s! Double Black Tie!  White Hot Aces!  These names now echo down the same hallowed halls as such great thoroughbred champions as Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Cigar and Azeri.Of Course, Oaklawn's storied thoroughbred tradition only grows greater with another record-breaking year in sight, featuring some of the world's best horses, jockeys, owners and trainers.  Once again, the Spa City will be a primary proving ground for Triple Crown contenders. 12/29/2006

One of America's most popular and prestigious racetracks now has a full house of thrilling plays for their fans to enjoy.  The historic introduction of electronic games of skill makes Oaklawn Racing & Gaming the place to be every day and every night, all year long, for non-stop action.  Sizzling 7s! Double Black Tie!  White Hot Aces!  These names now echo down the same hallowed halls as such great thoroughbred champions as Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Cigar and Azeri.Of Course, Oaklawn's storied thoroughbred tradition only grows greater with another record-breaking year in sight, featuring some of the world's best horses, jockeys, owners and trainers.  Once again, the Spa City will be a primary proving ground for Triple Crown contenders. 12/29/2006

A Wisconsin man recently found a 5.47 carat canary diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro (about 55 miles southwest of Hot Springs).  This was the second-largest diamond unearthed this year at the park on October 14, 2006.  The 5.47 carat diamond is bright yellow and has no visible flaws.Park staff have dug two new trenches in the park, which has led to the discovery of more canary diamonds.  The largest diamond this year was found by a Texas couple, which was a 6.35 carat brown diamond in September, 2006.Diamonds come in different colors, and the three most common found at the Arkansas park are white, brown and yellow, in that order.The park is the world's only publicly-operated diamond site where the public is allowed to search and keep any gems they find.  The l... 11/04/2006