Ride Weekend Activities

Big Steam Music Festival

Join us for the two-night event! The Big Steam Blues & Roots Music Festival will be back, September 29th & 30th, 2023, for the second year in a row. With a lineup of incredible Blues, R&B, and Rock musicians taking the stage in the Hill Wheatly Plaza in downtown Hot Springs. This is a free event, with the opportunity to purchase VIP tickets beginning August 1st. To learn more about the festival please visit www.BigSteamMusicFestival.org.

Family Friendly Attractions in Hot Springs

ARKANSAS ALLIGATOR FARM AND PETTING ZOO

Visit the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo today for an opportunity to be a kid again. Hold a baby alligator, feed and pet miniature goats and see wolves, mountain lions, monkeys, raccoons and more up close and personal. There’s something fun for everyone in your family.

You can also feed baby alligators meat on a stick and witness live alligator feeding shows every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at noon May through mid-October. Group rates available, call 501-623-6172.

NORTHWOODS TRAIL

Experience 31.5+ miles of world class mountain bike trails just five minutes from downtown Hot Springs. The Northwoods system includes Green, Blue and Black single track, multi-track, flow trails, jump lines and the Lucky 13 expert section. The Cedar Glades trailhead includes a bike skills park. Northwoods is home to the annual Gudrun MTB Festival each November. Bikers, hikers and trail runners are all welcome.

MID-AMERICA SCIENCE MUSEUM

Mid-America Science Museum is a state of the art science facility featuring exhibits like the Bob Wheeler Science Skywalk, the World's Most Powerful Conical Tesla Coil, the Oaklawn Foundation Digital Dome Theater, DinoTrek and more than 100 other hands-on science exhibits, shows and experiences for families and visitors to Hot Springs. Ask about group reservations, event rentals, educational outreach and more when you visit!

GARVAN WOODLAND GARDENS

Verna Cook Garvan donated the 210-acre Garvan Woodland Gardens to the University of Arkansas School of Architecture in 1985. Located on 4.5 miles of wooded shoreline along Lake Hamilton near Hot Springs, the gardens feature more than 128 species of ornamental and native shrubs and wild flowers, 160 different types of azaleas, a 4-acre Asian garden with a 12-foot waterfall, three unique bridges, the Perry Wildflower Overlook, and the sandstone and redwood Garvan Pavilion, designed by Fay Jones and Maurice Jennings. Anthony Chapel, designed by Jennings and David McKee, is a popular wedding venue. The Evans Children’s Adventure Gardens offers 1.5 acres of interactive fun with a waterfall and cave, an iron bridge that resembles woven tree branches and rocks weighing more than 3,200 tons. The annual Holiday Lights display – featuring 5 million lights over 18 acres – draws thousands of visitors each winter. For more information on the Gardens, including maps and directions to the site, visit www.garvangardens.org.

For additional attractions please visit Hot Springs National Park.