Hot Springs National Park

Location: Arkansas

Year Established: 1832

Area: 5,549.75 acres (22.5 km2)

Annual Visitors: 1,424,484

Hot Springs was established by act of congress as a federal reserve on April 20, 1832, as such it is the oldest park managed by the National Park Service. Congress changed the reserve's designation to National Park on March 4, 1921 after the National Park Service was established in 1916. Amid some controversy, using 1921 as its official established date is inconsistent considering Yellowstone and other parks still readily use their pre-National Park Service dates, yet were not officially national parks at the time of their establishment.[38] Hot Springs is the smallest and only National Park in an urban area and is based around natural hot springs that flow out of the low lying Ouachita Mountains. The springs provide opportunities for relaxation in an historic setting; Bathhouse Row preserves numerous examples of 19th-century architecture.