Hot Springs is an odd little town reminiscent of something you might find in a David Lynch movie. The town was originally named after the natural mineral springs found here.
Unfortunately they've dried up, but there are man made "hots springs" that still draw visitors. (These hot springs are basically hot tubs sitting in a gazebo.)While sipping an Oatmeal Porter in the Paddler's Pub on Main Street, a fellow patron noticing my hiking boots asked if I had hiked up from Greenville. This would be an odd question in any other pub, considering Hot Springs is a two drive from Greenville, but the town is a well known stopping point for through-hikers traveling via the Appalachian Trail, so it was certainly a reasonable question. The AT runs through the center of town.
Being located on the French Broad River, the town is also a popular put-in and pullout for paddlers. In addition to the various spas, there are also campgrounds, cabins and B&B's available in the town.
And of course, no small town in the South would be complete without its share of religious proselytizing in the form of vandalism.Distance from downtown Greenville: 96 miles
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