by Jess McCuan
photos by Margaret Williams

The key to an ideal Hot Springs summer day is to save the hot bath until last. And yes, a hot mineral bath can still feel good even when the daytime temperature hits 100. The town was named for the natural spring water that gets piped into the tubs at the Hot Springs Resort & Spa downtown and, lucky for summer visitors, the spa owners were clever enough to outfit some of their hot tubs with fans.

But before we tell you exactly which tub to soak in to keep coolest, consider this: There is more to Hot Springs than springs. Huck Finn Rafting Adventures (158 Bridge Street, 828-622-9645) on the main downtown strip just started offering tube trips down the French Broad River this year. After breakfast at the recently-revamped Bridge Street Café & Inn (145 Bridge Street, 828-622-0002), which serves an unusual French toast “casserole” that’s like a bread pudding, hop on a tube at Huck Finn’s and float down the French Broad for $20. A full-day raft trip includes a picnic lunch on an island in the river, the Jump Rock, which you can really jump off to go for a swim. If you don’t want a sandwich, try the house-made pizzas and fried green tomatoes at the Smoky Mountain Diner on Lance Avenue (828-622-7571), an extension of Bridge Street, all part of the main strip.

There are a handful of other cool places to while away a hot afternoon. The Yellow Teapot (81 Bridge Street, 828-622-9727) sells work by some 75 regional artists, including postcards, paintings and pottery. You’ll also find photographs by well-known Madison County photographer Rebecca Tolk, which she pastes onto recycled barn wood. Teapot owner Amy Gillespie just started selling iced tea “freezies” for $2. The Sweet Imaginations Ice Cream Café (170 Bridge Street, 828-622-7522) makes a chocolate milkshake with real ice cream. Locals say the best people-watching spot is outside the centrally-located Paddler’s Pub, which often has live music (153 Bridge Street, 828-622-0001). The Appalachian Trail runs right through town, and you can almost always spot an AT hiker wandering the streets with a giant backpack in search of food, a shower or a haircut. (Debbie Parks, who opened Salon Salon Hair Design on Bridge Street last fall, says her business took off when she put up a sign: “Salon Salon Welcomes Hikers”; many of them wanted their heads shaved.)

For dinner, there’s the fancy Martha’s at Mountain Magnolia Inn and Retreat (204 Lawson Street, 828-622-3543) where a hangar steak with port wine reduction costs $28 and a braised pork roll costs $24. If you didn’t go to the Bridge Street Inn for brunch, try their zucchini parmesan for dinner, a nice summery break from the usual eggplant.

Then, when your dinner’s settled and it’s nearing dark, it’s time for Hot Springs’ main attraction, the no-frills Hot Springs Resort & Spa (315 Bridge Street, 828-622-7676 for tub reservations), the reason most people make the 45-minute trek from Asheville in the first place. Only three of the spa’s 16 tubs have fans, so we recommend selecting from tubs #4, #5 or #6. There is a long-running debate among locals and regular spa-goers over which tub has the best view of both the French Broad and Spring Creek, which flow together at the corner of the spa’s property. According to our unscientific survey, Tub #5 is currently in the lead. Still, spa manager Sandy West says Tub #16, just added this year, has jets that hit your neck and shoulders—great if you work on a computer. And a new group tub, which holds eight people, is popular for ladies’ nights, she says. The new main spa building was just completed this spring and has twice the number of massage rooms it had before (13 now) including two couples’ rooms. Because the spa is open late (weeknights until 10pm, weekends until around 1am), you can hang out with your friends in your skivvies (or less) and listen to crickets chirp in the trees near the river, by and large some of the best summer entertainment Western North Carolina has to offer.    

Visit www.hotspringsnc.org for more information on Hot Springs.