Hot Springs Baseball Trail

Hot Springs calls itself the birthplace of Major League spring training, and the Hot Springs Baseball Trail is the proof. In the late nineteenth century, teams began coming here in late winter to boil off the offseason in the hot baths and shape up on local fields, and the habit grew into a tradition that lasted for decades. Dozens of Hall of Famers worked out in the hills around town, including Babe Ruth, who is remembered for a mammoth home run at the old Whittington Park, along with names like Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. The trail ties these stories to the streets with 33 markers placed around the city. Each marker tells a short story, and together they stitch the town into the history of the game, from the first team visits to the Negro League stars who passed through.

Doing the trail is easy and free. You can follow it by car or on foot, and many markers are within walking distance of Central Avenue, so a baseball fan can collect a dozen in an afternoon. A map is available online and at the visitor center, and you can use it to plan a route that matches your interest.

Some stops are at the site of a vanished ballpark, now a parking lot or a quiet field, and part of the pleasure is imagining a spring training camp under those trees. Others are at hotels and bathhouses where players soaked, ate and sometimes got into trouble.

The trail also tells the story of the people behind the game. Look for markers that recognize Black players and teams who found a place to play and bathe in Hot Springs during an era of segregation, and for those that honor the local community that made the visits possible. The best moments often come from small details: a photograph of a line of players in wool uniforms by the baths, a note about a young star learning the game, or a quote from an old-timer.

If you love baseball, you will find the trail charming. If you do not, you will still learn something about the town.

Plan the trail around other stops. Pick markers near the places you are already visiting, such as the Arlington Hotel and the bathhouses, and turn it into a theme rather than a separate trip. Wear comfortable shoes, bring water and take photos of the markers you like. The trail is accessible all year, though spring training season in late winter is the most evocative time. For families, a scavenger-hunt approach works well: assign a marker to each child and let them lead.

If you want a deeper dive, pair the trail with the National Park Service exhibits and the local history displays you will find around town, which cover the baths that drew the teams in the first place. The idea was practical: players sweated out winter weight in the hot water, walked the hills for conditioning and played exhibition games against local sides for a paying crowd. By the early twentieth century, the Red Sox, Cardinals, Dodgers and many others had made Hot Springs a seasonal home, and newspapers followed.

The trail makes it easy to imagine those spring mornings, with sportswriters, gamblers, bathhouse attendants and ballplayers all sharing the same few blocks. Even visitors with only a casual interest in baseball tend to enjoy the way the stories link familiar names to streets and buildings they are already walking past.