Our first stop after leaving Texas was Hot Springs, Arkansas. It was a very pretty area, hilly and treed, but we had missed the peak of the fall colors. The downtown is actually an urban national park. It became famous due to the dozens of "hot" springs throughout the area, which were thought to have medicinal purposes. In the early 1900s, elaborate bathhouses were built around the springs and the wealthy and sick came for a 3 week bath cure. Art and I didn't take the "cure", but we did tour a restored bathhouse at the visitors center in Bathhouse Row. There are 3 bathhouses still open, with the Buckstaff being in continuous operation since 1912. Fountains around town have both water and steam coming out!
Art and I tried our luck hunting for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. This is the 8th largest diamond mine in the world and if you find anything you can keep it! No other diamond mine allows you to do this. There are about 650 diamonds found each year, some very large without any impurities. Obviously, there aren't too many of these discovered, or it would be privately owned and not open to the public! As you probably guessed, we didn't find any diamonds, but Art found a quartz crystal. Oh well, we had fun anyway!
McClard's is a famous Hot Spring's BBQ restaurant, opened since 1928. Art and I shared a pound of BBQ ribs piled high with french fries and still had room for homemade blackberry cobbler. Delicious! Our waitress was 82 year old Wyona, who had worked at the restaurant for 48 years. She was so cute and still pretty spry! While eating, we met a great couple, Joan and Richard, who we hope to visit in Bogalusa, Louisiana next Spring. We also met a very nice couple, Gary and Lanaya from northern IL, while camping. Hopefully we will run into them again.
After Hot Springs, we made a trip to Branson, Missouri. This area has really grown since our first visit in 1995. There are so many more shows and theaters. The town was all decked out for Christmas, and all of the shows had some kind of Christmas theme and a tribute to the Veterans for Veterans Day. We managed to see Yakov Smirnoff, the Russian comedian, Shoji Tabuchi, the Japanese violinist, and Legends in Concert, with Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline, the Blues Brothers, Stevie Wonder, and Elvis. Elvis called me up to the stage, and I got kissed!
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