100 things to about Hot Springs
Magic Springs & Crystal Falls
Thousands of residents and visitors love to spend hot summer days cooling off in inviting pools and warm summer nights listening to top-name entertainment at Arkansas’ only water and theme park, Magic Springs & Crystal Falls, located off Highway 70 east.
The original Magic Springs opened in the late 1970s, but investors became burdened by millions of dollars of debt and sold the park in the 1980s to a group headed by businessman Melvyn Bell. After Bell experienced his own financial troubles, the theme park closed in 1995 and fell into disrepair.
Fitraco, a Belgian company, bought it at a foreclosure auction, and approached Kentucky businessman Ed Hart about revitalizing the park. Hart decided to take on the project and went on to forge a unique public-private partnership. Through Hart’s own investment, and public bond financing, the park reopened in 2000. It is now owned by Amusement Management Partners LLC of Jacksonville, Fla.
For 16 years, Magic Springs has entertained thousands of visitors with white-knuckle roller coaster rides, twisting water rides, entertaining concerts at Timberwood Amphitheater and special events including Magic Screams and Hispanic Heritage Day.
The grandaddy of the rides is The Arkansas Twister, the park’s unique 3,500-foot-long wooden roller coaster that offers sweeping views of the Ouachita Mountains.
The Twister is not native to Arkansas, though. Its original home was in Florida where it entertained passengers as the Roaring Tiger and Florida Hurricane. Magic Springs purchased the ride in 1991, and it was transported from Florida to Hot Springs in 40 semi-trailers. The coaster opened at Magic Springs on May 30, 1992, and has been entertaining multiple generations of Arkansans ever since.
Ever think about riding a wave in Arkansas? Then visit the Crystal Cove Wave Pool, where you can rent inner tubes and ride the waves, or just wade right into a zero-entry pool. Lifeguards are on duty at all times, and those looking for a calmer area can splash around in one of the shallower side pools.
The most recent addition at the park is the The Magic Spring, the brand-new chiller pool. No matter how blistering the Arkansas heat, this pool remains a refreshing yet comfortable 70 degrees. A large waterfall made of all natural stones from Clinton, Arkansas provides the perfect peaceful sound to drown out any shrieks of joy from amusement park-goers nearby. You won’t find a cooler pool in all of Arkansas, or a more enjoyable place to spend a summer day, than at Magic Springs.