HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Students of history may not realize how two scientific discoveries and one driven politician worked not in tandem, but separate from one another, bringing a town to its knees, followed by an unexpected group of starving artists who would reach down and give it a hand up.
Such is the case for the perplexing history of this Arkansas town, once steeped in gambling and its associated “evils,” baseball, bathing and art, a historical tale as told by Bill Solleder, director of marketing for Visit Hot Springs.
Once Major League Baseball was gone, the gambling establishments closed and many of the baths shuttered, Hot Springs got a shot in the arm by the artists.
“The Hot Springs boom was sparked by the arts community who pioneered a dilapidated downtown in the 1980s and opened galleries and started events and festivals,” Solleder said. “The arts movement, in turn, brought more retail, attractions and life to what’s now an energetic downtown that was once known as ‘The Vegas Before Vegas.'”
So what can you discover now? Plenty.