Welcoming Sentiments

In searching for what fun things we should do or see I was trying to find dog friendly things. This is my first dog ever so traveling with him was new for me too. I thought it would be helpful to put more dog friendly travel ideas out there for people to find.

Over the last several years we have taken trips to visit lake areas that are further south. Someday when JP has graduated we’d love to leave Illinois and go a little further south. We have ruled several areas throughout Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas out. This trip was scouting the Hot Springs Village, Arkansas area.

We took the dog with us, it was his first road trip. He really hadn’t been in the car much more than an hour at a time. Some of that was intentional because he would get car sick as a small puppy. While the actual puking hasn’t happened in a while he does often have excessive drool. It’s interesting because it doesn’t make him fear or not want to get into the vehicle to go somewhere. He loves to go places and see people. When we leave places he doesn’t want to get back in because he knows we are done! For short trips around town we deal with it but for longer trips we do have some CBD treats for him 😉

The Little Rock and Hot Springs area actually had several places that are dog friendly. It was very easy to find with a couple of quick searches. I tried doing the same for our local area and all that I was finding was dog parks. We had a high level plan on what days to go where based on the weather. The forecast predicted rain at the end of the week. So, we did more activities with the dog earlier in the week.

Having the dog with us meant our stops on the way there and home would be different. I packed meals this time. Our stops were just for the bathroom and gas. It was actually kind of nice to just be in and out quick and get the long travel day over with. For breakfast I packed some hard boiled eggs and pop tarts. Well, not pop tart brand, if I buy them we like the Natures Path Organic Wildberry Acai to be exact! and for lunch I just had deli meat and cheese sandwiches. I also had plenty of fruit and snacks handy too.

Thankfully the dog was fine on the trip. He did get his special treats before we left. However, my guess is they wore off before we got there and he was fine.

Hot Springs

The first day we went into Hot Springs. Hot Springs has a cute little downtown called Bath House Row. You can read more about the history at the National Park Service site. The Superior Bath House Brewery is dog friendly so we went there for lunch. After lunch we went down the street to the state park area and went on a hike to the Observation Tower. Whenever walking requires effort like this, I always compare the distance for JP to his old elementary school. We walked and rode bikes often so he understands that. This hike round trip was the distance there. It did indicate a moderate/difficult level though. I didn’t tell anyone that and thought how hard can that short distance be? Well it was all up hill as we made our way to the observation tower from town. Dogs are not allowed up the tower which was fine because Joe doesn’t do heights and wasn’t going up anyway.

The hike down was much easier and quicker! We walked through town a little more and on the way out JP stopped and filled up a bottle at one of the fountains that provides spring water.

I don’t know if it’s an Arkansas thing or just that area. Very few businesses and restaurants are open on Monday’s. Thank goodness I plan ahead so we could easily work around this. Day 2 was spent on the golf course and the boat. Hot Springs Village is a gated community with several lakes and golf courses. When we went to the golf course the parking lot was full of vehicles with small trailers. The people brought their own carts. It was so unique…for us anyway. It was like at a boat ramp, instead of trucks with boat trailers it was smaller golf cart trailers!

Little Rock

The next day’s adventure took us into Little Rock. It’s a small quiet city compared to what we are used to. We had lunch at Dugan’s Pub as their patio is dog friendly. From there we went to the River Market area. This area was neat to walk along. There was a nice play area with a lot of rock climbing and tunnels. We hung out there for a bit and let JP run around. The rest of the walk down the park area has several sculptures and it’s all very well maintained.

After exploring the river area we drove over to Rock Town Distillery. They are dog friendly so it was a stop to kill some time. It was a great place! They had several games to play so we were there for quite a while playing games. The dog just laid down and took a nap! JP kept wanting to go back because he had so much fun playing the games while we had a few drinks.

The rest of the week was supposed to be rainy. We planned for a quiet day staying in and relaxing. The rain held off for most of the day. This allowed for a lot of time on the boat and relaxing on the deck.

The last 2 days did have a lot of rain. We went back into Little Rock and had lunch at the River Market Ottenheimer Hall. It’s a food court but not like a mall food court with traditional fast food. There are all kinds of different ethnic foods. There is also a cafe and BBQ for the non-adventurous or picky eaters. I would definitely recommend this for something quick and low maintenance.

Museum Of Discovery

After lunch we headed to the Museum of Discovery. The Museum of Discovery is full of interactive STEAM exhibits. We typically are quick to get through these types of places. Even with our quicker non lingering pace, we were there for a few hours. You can easily spend more time there. If kids are a little older, you can sit and let them play and explore on their own too.

Our last day we went back into Hot Springs for lunch and to enjoy a bathhouse. We had lunch at the Ohio Club. There were several things to read about the history of the restaurant which has quite the history. The food was great too!

Buckstaff Bathhouse

The Buckstaff Bathhouse was so unique! Kids 10+ are welcome and for $45 you got the private bath, hot towel wrap, steam cabinet and sitz tub. They don’t take appointments, and they close for a period during lunch. We planned lunch and arrived as they opened back up. There were other people waiting but we still got right up. I’m not sure how lines and wait times change as the afternoon goes on. Ladies go upstairs and boys on the main level. I got to enjoy a little peace by myself for this! It took about 1.5 hours and was so unique compared to the typical spas. JP even thought it was great!

Leaving Arkansas was a little dicey, we woke up to flash flood warnings and travel advisories. There had been a lot of rain over a few day period. It was only supposed to continue to rain. Trying to wait it out wasn’t really an option either. The situation could have gotten worse. Within a few minutes of leaving the village we came across a downed tree blocking the whole road. That was fun getting the boat backed up until there was a spot to backup into. A nice man drove along side us so Joe had more light from his headlights to see. Other than the last hour it rained the entire way home. Stopping was fun with the dog because there was no way of staying dry as he went to the bathroom. I had kept a towel in the back for that very reason. The flooding throughout Arkansas and Missouri was really bad, fields looking like lakes for as long as you could see. Several spots the water was almost overflowing the ditches and into the interstate. We made it home and it was a nice trip.

We did rule that area out as a potential retirement location. It was very nice to visit and explore new things. It was very pretty and peaceful but we just couldn’t see ourselves living there permanently.

Suggestions

We are looking for a lake community to retire on where the weather is nicer than the Chicago area. More mild winters to be exact!! We want a house on the water where we can walk down to the dock. Our current suburban lifestyle has us wanting the best of both worlds. Small town feel but access to top notch medical and a large variety of restaurants that is easily accessible. Our boat isn’t huge but often the size of the motor limits the lakes where it can be. It needs to be a lake large enough to handle motors capable of going faster than anyone really should be going on water. We are thinking the middle of the country, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, the Carolina’s. The places we’ve visited so far:

-Chattanooga, TN
-Branson, MO (Table Rock)
-The Ozarks, MO
-Rogers/Bentonville, AK (Beaver Lake)
-Hot Springs Village, AK
-Bull Shoals Lake, AK
-Lake Guntersville, AL

Of all of these places there is only 1 that we like so far. Everything has been great to visit but seeing yourself there is something different. What suggestions do you have for places for us to visit?