Transit Stops

AR, MO, IL (22-27 Aug)

As we finished our visit in Grapevine, we had to make our way back across the Midwest to Elkhart. Along that route we made stops in Hot Springs, AR; Charleston, MO; and Fairmount, IL.  Each stop was a pretty cool point of interest and made for another fun leg of our journey around ‘Merica!  

Our first stop was within the boundaries of the Hot Springs National Park in the historic downtown.  The town has quite an interesting history of the original hot springs bath houses that was the initial focus of the city and its ‘healing waters’ in the ‘30s.  Only one of the original bath houses is still operational and in business. We did not partake (it was under renovation), but we did visit one of the original bath houses which has been converted into a local craft brewery.  “Superior Brewing” was an interesting venue since the brewery had to be created while staying within historical guidelines on building construction including the interior. They did a great job using the piping and floor plan to incorporate the brewery into existing infrastructure.  And the beer and soft pretzels were great, too!  We also ventured to the “Hot Spring Mountain Tower” for an incredible 360-degree view of historic downtown and the surrounding mountains.  Resting over 200’ above surrounding terrain, the tower also contains a very nice, succinct history of the city that is worth the read.  

The next stop on this transit was to “Boomland” just outside of Charleston, MO.  If you are familiar with our description of Wall Drug from our Badlands trip, you will understand when I say Boomland is a miniature version of Wall Drug. It is an all-in-one tourist stop for souvenirs, fuel, fireworks and food at their restaurant.  The one addition over Wall, and the reason for our stop, is the no frills, but more than adequate full hook-up RV park.  For only $15 a night, it is hard to beat for an overnight stay.  We ate at the family style buffet restaurant – food was great!  Fuel was competitively priced, and we picked up a couple of souvenirs!  Easy in . . . easy out!

Our final stop before Elkhart was at a Harvest Host location called the “Sleepy Creek Vineyard” in Fairmount, IL.  Sleepy Creek is a scenic winery just outside of town that grows and processes their wine on site.  What we tried, we liked and purchased a couple of bottles for the road.  We also hit the winery on “Wieners and Wine” Friday. Sleepy Creek provides the hot dogs and a fire – we buy the beverage!  It was an incredibly popular event and they also had live music that night.  We talked to the owner, Eric, later that evening and he said it was one of the largest – if not the largest turn-out they have had in years!  Great night for all and a wonderful Harvest Host.  We will look for a way to get back there in future travels!