Lake Hamilton

In 1932, Carpenter Dam was constructed on the headwaters above Lake Catherine. It was named after Flave Carpenter, the pioneer peace officer who first discovered both dam sites while searching for outlaws along the river and recommended them to Couch. The resulting lake was 18 1/2 miles long and covered 7,200 acres. couch named it Lake Hamilton in honor of his faithful attorney, C. Hamilton Moses, who assumed the presidency of AP&L after Couch's death in 1941. There are free swimming areas on each lake, in addition to privately owned facilities which charge a user's fee. Boating is one of the most popular sports on the lake, and there are numerous boat launching ramps on the lake, as indicated on the map. In addition, various concessioners rent boats and motors to the public.

Bathhouse Row, consisting of eight turn-of-the century historic buildings, lies within Hot Springs National Park and is managed by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Two of the bathhouses remain in operation. The Buckstaff, and the Quapaw which was reopened in 2008. Another bathhouse, the Fordyce, has been converted into a museum to give tourists a glimpse into the fascinating past of the city. The federally-protected natural thermal waters are also used for thermal bathing at several downtown hotels and a hospital. The water is available free for drinking at several fountains in the downtown area.

The city has been a tourist mecca for generations due to the thermal waters and attractions such as Oaklawn Park, a thoroughbred racing facility; Magic Springs & Crystal Falls theme parks; a fine arts community that has earned the city the No. 4 position among “America’s Top 100 Small Arts Towns”; the Hot Springs Music Festival; and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, held each October at the historic Malco Theater, one of the top documentary festivals in the world,[citation needed] attracting numerous Academy Award-winning films and producers.

Hot Springs is also home to Oaklawn Park, a thoroughbred racetrack which has been in operation since 1904. The meet which is annually held from January through mid-April each year is sometimes referred to as the "Fifth Season" and features the "Racing Festival of the South" during the last week of the racing season each April. Many Triple Crown contenders compete in the Arkansas Derby, which is the big finale each year of the meet. Former U.S. President Clinton, his brother Roger, and Billy Bob Thornton, all Hot Springs natives, have been known to frequent Oaklawn Park in the past.

Other annua

Educational institutes and conventions are also important events in the spa city. Perhaps the most popular of these events is the Hot Springs Technology Institute (HSTI), drawing over 1300 participants each June. Hot Springs is also home to the annual alternate reality game Midnight Madness, based on the movie from which it gets its name. Teams race throughout the city at night, solving clues based on difficult puzzle and physical challenges. Games last 12 hours or more, with the winning team designing next year's game.