Arlington Park in Hot Springs - Safe? (environment, job)

[janiskent]

Hi - would anyone know whether the Arlington Park is safe to walk in (alone) during the day? At night?

How about the promenade?

Is it safe to walk around downtown alone during the day?

Thanks in advance for any info.

[J Arp]

Yeah it is safe...even at night *gasp*

Hot Springs isn't the wild west and Al Capone has been dead for a couple of years now. I think you'll live.

[janiskent]

Then perhaps you are knowledgable enough to enlighten me as to the areas of town that are NOT safe as implied by the high crime rates on this and other sites.

Or is Hot Springs the new Mayberry? I am originally from New Orleans and it is considered prudent to "know where you are going" when in an unfamiliar environment.

Thanks so much.

[J Arp]

Yeah I definitely know what you're saying, but as long as you stay in the touristy areas (ie. Central Ave. & downtown) the worst problem you are going to have is some god forsaken bus of evangelicals roll up, unload and start trying to ram the gospel down your throat or maybe get heckled by a drunk.
If you go a couple of blocks too far from Central Ave. away from downtown yeah you might feel uncomfortable. It is southern Arkansas... it has a good amount of poor people so most of the crime is theft/burglary.

This is all based on walking around and driving around as a visitor. If you are looking for a place to live then I can't help with specific roads and neighborhoods to avoid living in.

I've been around lots of random parts of Hot Springs; I used to go downtown almost every weekend and I never felt the least bit threatened and neither has my girlfriend.

[Megande]

I would not hesitate to go downtown, on the promenade, or to Arlington park during the day. I personally would not go on the promenade at night, period. I have no issue going downtown at night, but Arlington park can be a little sketchy. I've seen many a drug deal go down after dark there. I've been to a lot scarier areas in this world, but I wouldn't chance it.

FWIW, I lived in HS for 18 years and my family is still all there and I still spend a lot of time there.

[Ira500]

There's an area just east of the convention center in Hot springs that I'd avoid walking around in at night...maybe I'm just a scaredy cat but it gave off kind of a weird/unsafe vibe. But almost everywhere else in beautiful downtown Hot Springs seems perfectly fine to me.

[janiskent]

Can't wait to get down South again!

[BRINDY2]

Originally Posted by janiskent

Hi - would anyone know whether the Arlington Park is safe to walk in (alone) during the day? At night?

How about the promenade?

Is it safe to walk around downtown alone during the day?

Thanks in advance for any info.

When I lived in Hot Springs it was safe to walk the promenade and all around the city streets! Thats been at least 10 yrs ago, my best friend lives in HS and she says she wouldn't walk anywhere downtown at anytime of the day alone, now! So, I guess my answer would be take a friend with you or take guided tours with lots of other people. Good luck and have a great time! I really miss living in HS and wish my husband would agree to move back to the area but he really likes his job and doesn't want to make that move from NWA!!!

[Aporkalypse]

Daytime - 100% safe

Nighttime - 95% safe, about like walking down St Charles

Just stay as close to Central as you can at night. In the daytime there are tourists everywhere, it couldn't possibly be safer.

If you are used to New Orleans you'll laugh that you were worried once you get there. The crime issues are theft/burglary, not violent crime and are propped up by the high tourist numbers (the population of the town at times is doubled by visitors, but the statistics don't reflect that).

[paramour]

Several years ago, I briefly attended a residential school nearby Arlington Park and we would walk in and around that area quite often during the day & at night. We never had a problem and there were usually a few cops around, keeping an eye out on things. As someone previously mentioned, there was the occasional drug deal but we certainly weren't fearing for our lives or anything.