Boat Tours and Fishing Expeditions on the Horizon in Hot Springs

Lake Ouachita Boat Ramp

             Lake Catherine State Park, Lake Ouachita State Park, Mid-America Science Museum and the 3^rd Annual Fishing Challenge in Hot Springs offer summer activities involving fish, fishing or boat tours. With three major lakes in the Hot Springs area, Lake Catherine, Hamilton and Ouachita, there seems to always be an event about or on the water.

            At Lake Catherine State Park from 9:30-10:30 a.m. starting Friday, July 26, and on weekends through Aug. 24 the Park offers a relaxing cruise on Lake Catherine to enjoy the morning breezes and explore Lake Catherine nestled in the Ouachita Mountains. For a schedule or reservation information, go to www.lakecatherine@arkansas.com.

At a sister park, Lake Ouachita State Park, two opportunities await for boat tours on the lake starting July 26 with a Bird Island Tour and an Island Adventure Tour. Bird Island is a habitat for migrating birds including purple martins, egrets, herons and ibises. Two Bird Island Tours are available each weekend July 26- Aug. 31at sunrise from 5:30 a.m.-7:15 a.m. and at sunset from 7:15-9 p.m. Island Adventure Tours begin July 26-Aug. 24 and include boat rides out to some nearby islands and shorelines. Check the website for dates and reservation information at www.lakeouachita@arkansas.com.

Mid-America Science Museum Exhibit: “Amazon Voyage: Vicious Fishes and Other Riches” takes visitors to seven ports of call along the Amazon where they can see piranhas, anacondas, stingrays and pink dolphins. The hands-on activities include multimedia presentations, computer interactive, storytelling, live fish in uniquely designed tanks, original artifacts, dance, music and live demonstrations. The exhibit will be available through Aug. 10. For more information contact Cara Matthews at 501.767.3461 or go online to caram@midamericamuseum.org.

Last but not least, another exciting event in the Hot Springs area is the 3^rd Annual Fishing Challenge on Lake Catherine and Hamilton through July 31. Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison said, “The prize for catching Big Al, the top-money fish, is $10,000. And we have increased the total number of tagged prize fish placed in Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine from 53 to 60. For rules and regulations, go to www.agfc.com/fishing/pages/fishingregulations.aspx or call Steve Arrison for more information on the event at 501.321.2027.

So many of the events around Hot Springs involve one of the three beautiful lakes in the area. Lake Catherine is partially-situated in the Diamondhead Resort Community. Many of the houses are lakefront or lake view lots with picturesque views of the water. Other lots back up to the beautiful golf course. We have a wonderful lifestyle at Diamondhead with the gorgeous lake, great golf course, Olympic-size swimming pool, children’s playground, tennis courts, park for picnics and the best neighbors you can find anywhere. For more information on Diamondhead give us a call at 501.520.9201 or 501.262.9310. We’d love to answer your questions or give you a tour of Diamondhead in Hot Springs.