Car Rental in Hot Springs: The Valley of the Vapors

Hot Springs is the eleventh largest city in the state of Arkansas. Unsurprisingly, the city lies in close proximity to a number of hot springs for which it was named. The surrounding area is the Hot Springs National Park, where visitors regularly flock to receive the healing powers believed to be hidden in its waters. This myth has been popular for centuries, with many Native American tribes having legends revolving around these mystic waters. On the historical side, the city is also home to Major League Baseball training sites, Al Capone and even Bill Clinton. Nowadays, a vast portion of the city is preserved due to the old architecture and houses that reside there.

What to do in Hot Springs

Without question, the first thing on everyone’s minds is to visit the Hot Springs National Park. This area offers stunning mountainous landscapes complete with springs and waterfalls galore. There area is perfect for hiking, and the National Park being a short hop from the city itself, makes this ideal for a day trip.

In the city itself there are a huge number of sites to see. First up is the Grand Promenade, which is a walkway, running along the Bathhouse Row. This quiet area is pedestrianized and gives visitors a view of the city along with the chance to see a number of the hot and cold springs that give the city its name. Many of the aforementioned hiking trails actually go through this area and out towards the national park.

There are also a number of excellent museums to be found within the city. The Gangster Museum of America offers a look into some of the most notorious criminals the country has seen. It offers an interactive look into this world, even giving visitors the chance to play in a casino. If you need something for the kids, then a trip to the alligator farm allows you to get up close and personal with over 300 of these impressive reptiles. If the children need something to cuddle though, there is also a petting zoo featuring sheep, ponies and goats.

How to Save On Car Hire

Car rental doesn’t need to be expensive, and in Hot Springs you can hire a care for as little as $30 per day. The prices below outline current prices for the various car classes and are based on daily price for cars rented for periods of a week. Factors that can affect the rental price include the location of pickup, time of year and the driver’s age. For more specific and pertinent pricings, simply use our search feature at the top of the page and input the desired dates, drivers and car class to find the perfect vehicle for you.

• Kia Rio (economy class) - $30 per day
• Nissan Note (compact class) - $34 per day
• Hyundai Elantra (intermediate class) - $35 per day
• Chrysler 200 (standard class) - $36 per day
• Kia Optima (fullsize class) - $38 per day

Get Yourself a Budget Rental Car

When looking to get a car anywhere in the world, the most important thing is to check the high season. For Hot Springs this tends to be the summer months, which means that as the temperatures go up, so to do rental car prices. However, October is actually seen as one of the better months to visit and as it is out of tourist season, lower car rentals can be found. Renters should also look at booking the car for longer periods of time. Rental of three days or less can have steeper per day prices, which will drop significantly when the car is rented for more than a week.

Other helpful tips for reducing the cost of car hire, is to book in advance. For those of you who are organized, getting the rental car sorted two months in advance can see you looking at cheaper overall daily prices whereas booking it a single week or even days in advance can see prices sky rocket, usually due to the fact that the cheaper cars are already booked up. Another factor to bear in mind is the pickup and drop off location. Where possible make sure to return the car to the same depot it was collected from in order to avoid any excess fees. Different locations in the city also carry different prices with the Hot Springs Airport generally offering better-priced cars than the Downtown area.

Rules of the road

1. As with the rest of the USA, driving is on the right hand side of the road
2. All speed limits must be adhered to
3. Drivers should not come to a sudden stop
4. No honking the horn in city limits
5. Drivers must present a valid and full driver’s license and ID when renting a car