Hot Springs National Park

Permit Information

NPS Special Use Permit required. Application fee not published; contact the park for current cost recovery charges. Four approved ceremony locations: Arlington Lawn (up to 200 guests), Whittington Park (up to 200 guests), Hot Springs Mountain Pagoda (maximum 20 guests, 1 hour), and West Mountain Overlook (maximum 20 guests, 30 minutes, no tables, chairs, or food). Flowers, amplified sound, balloons, and signs are prohibited. Contact hosp_permits@nps.gov or 501 620 6715.

Planning Your Day at Hot Springs National Park

One-Spot Day

Hot Springs has 4 officially approved ceremony locations per the park: Arlington Lawn (up to 200), Whittington Park (up to 200), Hot Springs Mountain Pagoda (maximum 20 guests, 1 hour limit), and West Mountain Overlook (maximum 20 guests, 30 minute limit, no tables, chairs, or food). The Grand Promenade is walkable and gorgeous for portraits but is not on the official ceremony list, so couples typically pair a ceremony at one of the 4 approved sites with a portrait walk along the Promenade under the same SUP. Because the entire park fits in and around downtown Hot Springs, a one spot day is easy: pick your approved ceremony site, walk or drive under 10 minutes to any other location for portraits, and have reception dinner at a downtown restaurant or historic hotel. Contact hosp_permits@nps.gov or 501 620 6715 for the current fee (the park does not publish a standard rate).

Ceremony + Portraits Split

The cleanest split: morning ceremony at Hot Springs Mountain Pagoda or West Mountain Overlook (both 20 guest caps, both paved access), then midday portrait walk down Bathhouse Row and along the Grand Promenade with the couple alone, then late afternoon at Arlington Lawn or Whittington Park for a larger guest reception if you have one. If your guest count exceeds 20, you must start at Arlington Lawn or Whittington Park because those are the only two approved sites with larger capacity. Flowers, amplified sound, balloons, and signs are all prohibited; plan your aesthetic around what is already here (brick, magnolia canopy, thermal steam, stone bathhouse facades). Submit your application 6 to 8 weeks in advance because the Grand Promenade and Arlington Lawn are the most requested sites in the park.

A Note on Light

Hot Springs sits in a narrow valley between Hot Springs Mountain to the east and West Mountain to the west, which means the downtown Bathhouse Row corridor stays shaded until mid morning and goes into shadow again by mid afternoon. Plan ceremony windows at 9:30am or 3:30pm for the best direct light on the bathhouse facades. Hot Springs Mountain Tower and Pagoda get first light because they sit on the ridge; sunrise ceremonies up there are possible if you can coordinate parking before the road opens. Winter mornings deliver the signature Hot Springs photograph: thermal steam rising off the springs against the cool stone in low sun. Fall color peaks mid October through early November across the Ouachita hardwoods surrounding the park. Summer afternoons are oppressively hot and humid and should be avoided for outdoor ceremonies.

Ceremony Spots at Hot Springs National Park

• Hot Springs Mountain Tower Overlook — Couples wanting sweeping Ouachita Mountain panoramas with easy access and no strenuous hiking
• Goat Rock Overlook — Intimate ceremonies on a rocky outcrop with long valley views and a sense of quiet seclusion
• Grand Promenade behind Bathhouse Row — Couples wanting a walkable, historic, in town elopement with brick pathways and magnolia canopy