BNB Hot / Neighborhoods / Downtown and historic
Neighborhood guide
Downtown and historic Hot Springs
The walkable core around Bathhouse Row, and the in-city spot where commercial and historic parcels can still earn a new STR license.
Downtown is the Hot Springs people come to see: Bathhouse Row against the mountain, the national park trails starting at the end of the street, and Central Avenue's shops and restaurants a short walk from a stock of older and historic homes. It is also, for a would-be short-term rental host, the most promising place to look inside the city.
Who downtown suits
The historic core rewards a certain kind of owner.
Walkability seekers
People who want Bathhouse Row, the park trails, coffee, and dinner on foot instead of a drive. The core is built for walking in a way the rest of the area is not.
Character-home lovers
Period houses on the hillsides, downtown condos, and restoration projects. Buyers who want architecture and history over new-build square footage.
Hosts chasing a city license
If you want a brand-new city STR license, downtown's commercial and historic-registry parcels are the place that can still deliver one.
Visitors who want to be in the middle of it
The park drew roughly 2.5 million visits in 2025, and downtown puts guests in the center of why they came.
The homes, and what your money buys
Downtown and the hillsides around it hold the oldest housing in the city: Craftsman and Victorian-era houses, mid-century homes, condos in and near the core, and restoration projects for buyers who want a period home back to its best. The in-town ZIP 71901 generally sits below the lake corridors on price, though a significant historic home can run well above the area median.
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Life in the core
Downtown trades yard and garage for walkability and setting. What you get in return is hard to replicate anywhere else in the area.
- Bathhouse Row and the national park. The thermal springs, the historic bathhouses, and park trails that climb the mountain, all steps from the core.
- Central Avenue. Galleries, restaurants, the farmers market, and events that run through the year, walkable from the surrounding homes.
- Oaklawn nearby. The racing and gaming season runs late November into spring, a short drive from downtown and a steady draw for visitors.
- History you live in. A downtown home comes with a story and, in many cases, architecture worth preserving.
STR eligibility downtown: zoning is the whole game
Inside the city, the short-term rental answer is not a flat yes or no. It is written into the zoning map.
- Residential zones are capped. The city's residential STR license cap of 400 filled on July 1, 2025, with no waitlist. A standard residential downtown house cannot get a new license today.
- Non-residential zones are still open. New STR licenses remain available in the city's commercial and industrial zones, including the central business district. A parcel zoned commercial is a different story from the house next door zoned residential.
- Historic Registry properties qualify. Properties on the Historic Property Registry can still be licensed, which is a real edge for the period buildings that fill the core. Condos recorded before January 18, 2022 are also still eligible.
- Check the parcel, then call. Zoning can change block to block. Run the address through our checker, then confirm with the city's Planning and Development office at 501-321-6905 before you write an offer.
Common questions
Can I short-term rent a home in downtown Hot Springs?
Downtown is inside the city limits, so STR eligibility turns on the parcel's zoning. In residential zones, new licenses are closed because the city's 400-cap filled in July 2025. In non-residential zones such as the central business district, and on Historic Property Registry properties, a new STR license is still possible. Check the exact address with our eligibility checker and confirm with the city at 501-321-6905.
Why is downtown the best place to look if I want a new STR license?
Because the city's remaining STR openings live in non-residential zoning and on historic-registry properties, and downtown is where those overlap. A commercial or central-business-district parcel, or a listed historic building, can still be licensed when a standard residential house cannot. That makes the core the first place a would-be host should search.
What is downtown Hot Springs like to live in?
It is the walkable, historic heart of the city: Bathhouse Row and the national park at your door, Central Avenue's shops, galleries and restaurants, and a stock of older and historic homes on the hillsides around the core. You trade yard and garage space for walkability and character.
What do homes cost downtown?
The in-town ZIP 71901 generally sits below the lake corridors, though historic and architecturally significant homes can run well above the area median. The mix ranges from fixer-uppers to restored period houses and condos. The figures on this page load live, so check the current number before you budget.
Keep exploring
Where to head next on BNB Hot and across our Hot Springs network.
Oaklawn area
The other in-city neighborhood, anchored by the racetrack and gaming season.
Commercial real estate
Where the only path to a brand-new city STR license runs. The CRE hub.
Buyer's guide
The whole purchase, with the STR eligibility check built into the right step.
Market dashboard
Live medians, by-ZIP detail, and a mortgage calculator.
Eligibility checker
Type an address, get its zoning and STR verdict in seconds.
Search listings
Browse what is for sale across Hot Springs.
Want a downtown home that can actually host? We'll check the zoning first
The Bergeron Group, Keller Williams, knows which downtown parcels carry commercial or historic standing and which are capped residential. Call or text, or send us your plan and we will point you the right way.
The Bergeron Group, Keller Williams · 501-463-6328. One local team sees this; we never sell your details.
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