on the main stem - View this location on map 'any weekend in hot springs starts with a leisurely stroll along central avenue, the city's main downtown thoroughfare and the home of historic bathhouse row, eight ornate structures preserved from the city's hydrotherapeutic heyday. starting in the early 1900's, hundreds of thousands of travelers a year flocked to hot springs to take the waters and frequent the officially tolerated, if not completely legal, casinos, bookie joints and brothels. most of the bathhouses are being extensively renovated, but the palatial fordyce bathhouse (501-624-2701) is now the national park service's visitor center and a museum dedicated to the city's spa-related heritage. outside the fordyce, twin fountains gurgle with superheated geothermic mineral waters, while inside you can wander through the rooms of the opulent spanish revival structure, most of which contain museum-style exhibitions.'' New York Times 369 central avenue, Hot Springs, Arkansas Cultural, Active,

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