So here we are. The PANDEMIC. Well, this has certainly thrown a curveball to our travel plans for 3 months! We had booked an Eastern Caribbean cruise for spring break in April, a Europe cruise in June AND a Hawaii resort trip for June, not to mention some other road trips in between. All that… went down the toilet. After following all guidelines and losing so much in the stock market that we weren’t sure if we were ever going to get to cruise again, we finally decided to venture out this past Sunday for a road trip from Atlanta to Hot Springs, Arkansas!
Day 1:
We had to leave fairly late (around 8pm) so we decided to spend the night at HOTEL FINIAL in Anniston, Alabama (near Birmingham Alabama). This means we only had to drive about 2 hours and we also gained an hour from the time difference so it worked out really well for us. If you ever travel to Birmingham from Atlanta, I absolutely recommend Hotel Finial, part of the Best Western collection. Hotel Finial is a historical hotel with lots of charm. The Victorian style main house is absolutely beautiful. The best rooms of the hotel are the suites, the Cottage, and the Grand Ballroom. We decided to stay in the Cottage because it’s one of the largest (even has 1.5 bathrooms) and on ground floor, with a private access to the pool. The Grand Ballroom is also very large but located on third floor without an elevator. The rest of the hotel rooms are added on later on, and much more like a regular motel. The hotel is reported to have an amazing breakfast buffet, but since the pandemic measures are still in place, the buffet is currently closed.
Dinner: Olive Garden, Oxford, Alabama.Olive Garden is conveniently located off the interstate. Due to the pandemic, the menu is limiting but it served our needs. The food is delicious and the drink specials are wonderful.
Lodging: Hotel Finial, Anniston, Alabama.
Day 2:
Today, we drive to Tunica, MS and we are staying at the Horseshoe Casino. They comped our room so the stay is free except for the resort fee, which gives you free wifi for 2 devices. This is important since we have to do a couple of zoom meetings in the hotel room. The slot machines seem rather tight and not all casinos are open at this time. Also, due to social distancing, all slot machines had to observe the 6 feet rule, which meant every other machine was shut down. Same goes for table games – only every other seat is available for sitting. Tunica casinos do offer free drinks, but during our game play (on the slot machines), we watched the waitress run past us so fast there was no way to flag them down.
Breakfast: Cracker Barrel, Pell City, Alabama. We got the Grandma’s breakfast and some ham and biscuits. Perfect start for a new day!
Lunch: Buffalo Wild Wings, Pell City, Alabama. This is located next to Cracker Barrel. We have both always wanted to try this restaurant but never had a chance before, so we put in a to-go order while dining in Cracker Barrel. Then we enjoyed it in the car as we are driving to our next destination!
Dinner: Luck 8 Asian Bistro, Robinsonville, Mississippi. This place exceeded my expectations!! They are located inside Horseshoe Casino so it is very convenient for us. The Chinese/Cantonese menu is AUTHENTIC. I ordered the Abalone Chicken Congee and it’s SO GOOD. It even came with Fried Crullers. The prices are high, but since authentic Cantonese cuisine is so hard to find, I let that pass.
Lodging: Horseshoe Tunica, Robinsonville, Mississippi. I believe we are starting to grow “out of” most casino hotels because they tend to be loud, smoky, and invite a mixed crowd. However, we do feel that casino hotels have better security, cheaper rates, and the most comfortable beds. This one was no exception. Although after losing our money at the slot machine, the “room” certainly wasn’t cheap, but that’s par for the course.
Day 3: Today, we drive from Tunica to Hot Springs, Arkansas!! The great thing about road trip is that we can modify our trip as time goes on. The drive is 3.5 hours which really isn’t too bad. Neither of us has ever been to Hot Springs before so this is a wonderful way to celebrate our 5 month anniversary! We chose Hotel Hale as our lodging option, which turns out to be a GREAT idea. Hotel Hale is currently owned by the mayor and his wife, Pat and Ellen McCabe. When we showed up, Ellen was the only one available at the front desk. It was interesting because she’s not usually the one working, so her knowledge was limited but she’s so sweet and pleasant that we instantly felt like we made the right choice. Later when the front desk employees showed up, we were given a proper tour of the property, a discussion of the history, and they even showed us a “secret” door that shows how the water is connected to the hot springs. (Hotel Hale’s bath tubs uses the hot spring water!!) Hot Springs is a very quaint little town and Hotel Hale is right in the middle of it. We are staying in the Ozark room – we only picked it because we love the Netflix series OZARK. Next time I would pick a different room because I would rather have the city view than the “green” view (back of the hotel). Hotel Hale is a full service hotel with breakfast included in the rates. It also has a restaurant on site that’s open Thursday through Sunday (at least in the meanwhile) and a bar that opens everyday with happy hour from 3pm to 6pm. Hotel Hale also welcomes you with a jug of mineral water, and two fresh baked cookies (YUMMY!). There’s no parking attached to Hotel Hale. You would park your car on Exchange St, where the city has a free parking garage.
Hot Springs downtown streets are beautiful. It’s very easy to walk the town and enter the National Park without ever picking up your car. Our hotel (Hotel Hale) is located next to the local brewery Superior Bathhouse Brewery. (Of course, the brewery uses the famous local spring water for their brewing!) Walking the other direction from our hotel, you’ll reach Fordyce, the Visitor center, and Buckstaff and Quapaw, the only two bathhouses that are still operating today. Keep in mind these bathhouses use the same hot spring water as the tub water in our hotel room at Hotel Hale!
Breakfast/Lunch: Iguanas Mexican Restaurant, Forrest City, Arkansas. Their lunch menu is available 7 days a week and the prices are AMAZING. We got the Fajitas for $7.99 (you can get chicken, steak, or mixture, all same price), and a Guacamole Salad that was less than $4. Chips and salsa were free so we had a full meal. They also have signature Mexican breakfast dishes like Huevos Rancheros.
Dinner: 501 Prime, Hot Springs, Arkansas. For dinner, we decided to splurge a little and went to 501 Prime, an upscale steak restaurant. This is a 20 minute walk from the hotel and there is no Uber available for us. We enjoy walking, but the last part (closer to the restaurant) is a little sketchy. We had the Whiskey Oyster appetizer (AMAZING), 18oz Strip Steak (Prime), and Caramelized Scallops. Everything is very good and the ambiance is very nice. I would definitely recommend reservation for this place as I’m sure it can get crowded. They also have a patio with live music if that’s your thing. This may be one of the few restaurants that offer Goose Island Bourbon County Stout on tap.
Lodging: Hotel Hale, Hot Springs, Arkansas. Hotel Hale is owned by the mayor of Hot Springs Arkansas and just went through a $1.5 Million renovation in 2019.
Day 4: I’m not sure if I ever slept so good. After the dinner at 501 Prime and soaking in the hot spring waters in the bath tub, I slept like a baby. We walked around the trails of Hot Springs National Park. There are several hot spring fountains around the town. If you’ve never seen one, you must check it out. The water is VERY hot – you can dip your fingers in but not for long! The steam flies up from the water and it’s beautiful. There are also cold water fountains around town – and you can fill up your jugs as much as you like! This is the most delicious water I’ve ever had.
Attractions:
Gangster Museum of America. Walking distance from Bathhouse Row, this is a great museum to discover the history of Hot Springs, where the gangsters used to frequent.
Baths. There are only two bathhouses that are currently operating. Quapaw and Buckstaff. If you are in Hot Springs, you obviously should try one of these legendary bathhouses.
Hot Springs Tower. If you are only going to do one hike, then you should choose the tower. It’s 0.6 miles to the top and 0.6 miles down. The trail starts on Bathhouse Row so it’s very convenient. Make sure to bring water and spray yourself for bugs! At the top of the tower, there is a small museum and a 360 view. Since the elevator isn’t always functioning, be prepared to walk up the stairs (306 of them).
Breakfast: Hotel Breakfast at Hotel Hale.
Lunch: Superior Bathhouse Brewery. This place is literally next door to Hotel Hale. This old Bathhouse became a brewery and of course, the beer uses the local spring water! There are around 20 beers to choose from and they also serve great food. They also sell “squealers” and “growlers”, which are for take home enjoyment. They are about half the price compare to paying it by the cup, so we bought some squealers and brought it to the hotel to enjoy over the tub. This also gives us something to bring home (the squealers) for souvenirs.
Dinner: Back Porch Grill. For dinner, we drove to Back Porch Grill. The outside is non-assuming, like a hole in the wall. But once you go inside, you realize you’ve hit the jackpot. We asked for a table outdoors. They sat us on the back porch, overlooking the water and sunset. They serve seafood, steak, and they have a bar. We ordered the house special, which included the bone-in ribeye, scallops and shrimp. Everything was delicious! We also had the Bread Pudding for dessert. Amazing.
Lodging: Hotel Hale. Tonight, we decided to upgrade from their Ozark room to their Hale room. I must say, for the price difference, this is well worth it!! The Ozark room is nice but the window faces their back water system. The Hale is a whopping 636 square feet, all in one big room! It’s a corner suite, which means there’s windows everywhere. You can see the neighboring Maurice Bathhouse as well as the street in front of Bathhouse Row. Right across the street is Ohio Club, a wonderful cocktail bar with lots of history. Hale’s open large room consists of a living area, work space, and a king bed. The bathroom has a tub that’s spring fed and a stand up shower. There is also a spigot in the bedroom area that supplies you cold spring water on tap.
Day 5:
Today we have to leave the lovely town of Hot Springs and head home. We stopped at Tupelo, Mississippi, where Elvis Presley was born and made a nice day out of it.
Attractions: The biggest attraction here is hands down, the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum. It was very interesting to tour the house Elvis Presley was born in, and learn about his early life. Even if you are not staying in Tupelo, I definitely recommend this as a roadside attraction/stop.
Breakfast: Hotel Hale.
Lunch/Dinner: Fairpark Grill. This was exactly what we were looking for. The menu is REALLY good and the price point is a bit between high end and low end. After Prime 501 (high end) and Back Porch Grill (hole in the wall), we wanted something that’s kind of in-between, so this served that purpose well. We had the Nola Pasta and the Blackened Catfish – yum! The best part was their dessert, blueberry cobbler, which was on the house! Best cobbler I’ve ever had, hands down.
Lodging: Hilton Garden Inn, Tupelo, Mississippi. This was centrally located and next door to the Fairpark Grill. There are several other restaurants within walking distance as well.
Day 6:
Today we checked out of Hilton Garden Inn and started our journey home. It’s always hard to work and play at the same time, so we didn’t do as much as we’d have liked on this trip, but at the same time, it’s nice to be able to work away from home and enjoy nature.
Breakfast: D’Cracked Egg, Tupelo, Mississippi. This place hit the spot. Typically Hilton Garden Inn provides decent breakfasts and they are free for Gold members, but due to COVID-19, all that is out of the window. Well that worked out. We had Fried Green Tomatoes, eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon and hashbrown casserole. Delicious!
Lunch: Jasmine Chinese Thai and Sushi, Oxford, Alabama. We had the Sushi Love Boat for two, sizzling rice soup, and the restaurant gave us some complimentary spring rolls! The spring rolls and soup were tasty, but I don’t think the sushi is the best quality, although that may have to do with the current pandemic. If we come here again, I would stick to their Chinese or Thai dishes.