Weekend Itinerary: Hot Springs, AR

Saturday
The French Market Café's delectable breakfast will add a little pep to your step while you're wandering around the city. It comes with two eggs, two pieces of bacon, toast, and hash browns for $2.50.

Spring is the best time of year for sightseeing. Board the Outdoor Adventure Tour bus (they'll even pick you up at your hotel) for a jaunt through Hot Springs National Park. The tour visits the thermal springs, where you'll witness steamy mists rising into the atmosphere. It also includes a scenic drive through mountain overlooks and visits to historic homes. Other tours include a stop at President Clinton's boyhood home as well as hiking and canoeing excursions.

For more outdoor escapades, Oaklawn racetrack offers high-stepping, heart-pounding excitement. Jockeys in rainbow-colored uniforms sit astride horses with names such as "Cigar" as they dash around the track in a quest to be the best. The season runs January 25 through April 13 (last year's races attracted more than 500,000 fans), but you can catch events year-round as Oaklawn offers simulcasts of horseraces from across the country. The racing rush might leave spectators a little famished, so the facility boasts restaurants with views of the action.

(After your first weekend visit, try to return to Oaklawn for this year's Arkansas Derby Race, scheduled for April 13. This race is considered a stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby.)

Possibly even more heart-stopping (not literally) than the track is McClard's hot tamale spread. The famous dish comes complete with a bed of Fritos, an 8-inch tamale, beans, chopped beef with barbecue sauce, chopped onions, and, lastly, shredded cheese. "I was trying to kill a dishwasher that came in a little under the weather one time," jokes owner Joe McClard. "He came into the restaurant not feeling good, so I threw a bunch of stuff on a plate hoping he'd feel better. Well, he liked it, and the dish became a mainstay." For those who prefer to bow out of eating the great tamale, McClard's serves delicious barbecue. Bill and Hillary even stopped by on their wedding day for a healthy heaping of the same.