HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS IS BAD NEWS

Thinking of moving to Hot Springs Arkansas? Don't. Don't make the mistake of moving here because you think it's "quaint" or has "the four seasons" or is cheap. It IS cheap and if I were homeless it would be a good choice. But other than that it really has almost Nothing to offer.
So it has old bathhouses. You can go in one on a tour! It's a depressing place, full of ancient tiles and old bathtubs. No wonder you see no one touring it. Think it has a National Park? Hardly. There is a 1/4 mile or less winding road that carries you through some small hills covered with rocks and trees with the absolute dumbest "RV Park" you will ever encounter. NO hookups. It's just a slab of concrete, you pull up and sit. No water, no manager, no sewer. They could burn down the entire "park" and few would care. I wouldn't care.
Go downtown to see the sites? You will see maybe TWO (2) places to eat (the third closed down) and they're nasty. There is one toystore that is a Huge ripoff.
There are a few boutiques that have really nice clothes. So there's one point for women's activities. The traffic is no problem; why would it be a problem? Who wants to go downtown? There is the Arlington Hotel. Imagine yourself sleeping in a very old, super tall hotel that just looks like it is waiting to burn down. It is really aging; it just feels unsafe. There is so much incompetence in Hot Springs I'd never trust an elevator here in any building. There are some art galleries, very small, and a few sorry restaurants. You will Never have to wait in line for a seat at any of these eateries. They REEK of incompetence. The "radio station" is a horror. It is so creepy you'd never allow a child to go in alone. There is never more than One Car in front of it. Then of course you have a few closed down bathhouses with new awnings; wooooow. And a couple holes in the ground with smoke coming up from them; wooooow. Then there is a small candy store that serves ice cream cones and the Worlds' Worst hotdogs. Just stick with the candy and you'll be fine. These buildings have very old, creeky wooden floors.
Are they charming? No. Cheerful? No. Tourists walk up and down the small downtown area probably thinking, "where should we eat?" Whatever choice they make, they'll regret it. And ohhhhhhhh the natives. A Perfect word for the guys downtown that actually Live here. Let me describe for you the typical Hot Springs resident: do you know what a scarecrow looks like? If so, you're close.
Get a tall stick. Put a wool flannel shirt on it that has never seen a washing machine, a pair of dirty jeans and old black shoes. Then for the head, find a
gray/green pumpkin. It must have a slight green cast to it. Put a big, bushy gray beard on it. Then carry it up and down the street. It can't talk, it doesn't smile, it just exists. It doesn't know where it's going but I would bet it's feeling hungry. So it goes to someone's "house" off one of the scary sidestreets to bum some food. Then back to the sidewalk it goes, and resumes it's walk. On any day of the week, in any kind of weather, this "person" , about a dozen of them, will be seen walking down the street, alone. One wonders: does this one carry a knife? How about a gun? Is it a felon? Does anyone care?
Save yourself a horror story and go somewhere else on vacation.