Hot Springs National Park.

Housed inside the historic Fordyce Bathhouse, the Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center is far from a standard information booth. This sprawling, 28,000-square-foot Gilded Age structure is a fully restored museum that lets you step straight into the heyday of America’s spa culture. As you pick up trail maps from park rangers, you can explore three floors of opulent architecture, complete with stained-glass ceilings, ceramic fountains, marble details, and even an old basement bowling alley. Updated exhibits break down the unique geology behind the area's 47 thermal springs and the evolution of this rare urban national park. It is the ideal, free-to-enter starting point for understanding how these healing waters shaped the surrounding downtown.