Arrive between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to check into the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa.  ICR Events staff will be on hand to assist in the check-in process, and give a brief orientation on the evening's itinerary.

Note that each participant will be responsible for all parking costs associated with their vehicle. Parking at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa rates are:

• Self-parking spaces in private parking garage just steps from the Hotel – Hourly parking @
$5 per hour (1 – 5 hours) or $22 (5 – 24 hours).
• Self-parking spaces in private surface lot only two short blocks from the Hotel – Hourly
parking @ $5 / day or $12 / overnight.

Spend a few minutes exploring one of the shorter trails in Hot Springs National Park, located just behind the Arlington Hotel. For anyone interested in participating, please meet in the hotel lobby at 3:45 p.m. This hike will be just under 1 mile long, with moderate grades of up to 4.6% through the forests of Hot Springs National Park. Plan to spend about 90 minutes on this activity.

Or, if you would rather see the forest from above the trees, join Dr. Tim Clarey for a visit to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower situated in the Hot Springs National Park just behind the Arlington Hotel. For anyone interested in participating, please meet in the hotel lobby at 3:45 p.m. This will involve a short drive, or a moderate walk to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower visitors center, where you will take a ride up an elevator to the top of this 216-foot tall tower to see breathtaking views of the Hot Springs region. Plan to spend about 90 minutes on this activity.

Dinner in the Arlington Hotel Restaurant. Or, use this time to explore one of the other nearby restaurants or cafes in downtown Hot Springs. (Note: evening meals not included in the price of registration)

Hear from ICR Director of Research, Dr. Tim Clarey as he introduces us to the geology of the Hot Springs and Central Arkansas region in the context of a world-wide flood and ICR's research on flood induced geological mega-sequences.

Meet in the hotel lobby to load up for the day's field trip to Petit Jean State Park to see the Pictographs inside of Rock House Cave, and then after lunch at the Mather Lodge, we will move along to the Ron Coleman Mining adventure.

Dress in layers, with sturdy hiking shoes or boots, but also to get dirty, because this adventure will involve not only hiking a short trail in the beautiful woods of this Arkansas State Park but then a guided tour of this working mine, the chance to dig for quartz crystals that you get to keep, and zip-lining over the mine pit for those who are brave enough to do so!

Our first activity of the day will be the Petit Jean State Park hiking adventure.  We will drive 90 minutes from Hot Springs to Morrilton, Arkansas to the Petit Jean State Park to spend the morning hiking.  After exploring the Rock House Cave with pictographs, we will enjoy lunch at the park restaurant inside Mather Lodge (lunch included in the price of registration) before we leave to the Ron Coleman Mine.

Dress in layers, with sturdy hiking shoes or boots. While the trails are through forested areas and have gentle inclines, you're welcome to bring hiking poles, sunglasses, a widebrimmed hat, bug spray, and sunscreen to make the experience more enjoyable.

After exploring the Rock House Cave with pictographs, we will enjoy lunch at the park restaurant inside Mather Lodge (lunch included in the price of registration) before we leave to the Ron Coleman Mine.

Once we leave Petit Jean State Park, we will drive about 90 minutes back towards Hot Springs, stopping in Jessieville at the Ron Coleman Mine.  At this active mine, will have the opportunity to dig for quartz crystals, take a guided tour of the mine, and enjoy an exhilarating ride over the mine via zip-line (optional for those that dare take the challenge).  

A set of digging and sifting tools will be provided for each individual or family / group, but plan to also pack your sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, bug spray, and sunscreen to make the experience more enjoyable.

Arrival back at hotel at approximately 5:30 p.m. with time to clean up and get ready for dinner and the evening presentations.

Dinner in the Arlington Hotel Restaurant. Or, use this time to explore one of the other nearby restaurants or cafes in downtown Hot Springs. (Note: evening meals not included in the price of registration)

Join ICR's scientists Dr. Tim Clarey and Dr. Brian Thomas for short presentations to recap the day.

Meet in the hotel lobby to load up for the day's field trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park.

We will drive the 90 minutes from Hot Springs to Murfreesboro, Arkansas to the Crater of Diamonds State Park to spend the morning digging for diamonds and other gemstones.

Dress to get dirty, because this adventure will involve the opportunity to dig for gemstones and minerals that you get to keep. Who knows, you may even find a real diamond!

Dress to get dirty, as we will be in an open field digging and sifting through dirt and rock, in the quest to find a diamond or other beautiful gemstone. "Finders keepers" is the motto here!

A set of digging and sifting tools will be provided for each individual or family / group, but plan to also pack your sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, bug spray, and sunscreen to make the experience more enjoyable.

We will enjoy a boxed lunch (included in the price of registration) inside the park pavilion before we return to our hotel in Hot Springs.

After returning to the hotel, the afternoon will be free to rest, take in shopping in the downtown Hot Springs area, or fellowship with other trip adventurers.  Some optional activities include:

• Visit the Hot Springs Mountain Tower with Dr. Tim Clarey to see the geologic formations of the Hot Springs area from 216 feet in the air!

• Join Dr. Brian Thomas for a hike along the Hot Springs Mountain Trail and Upper Dogwood Trail, located on Hot Springs Mountain, just behind our hotel.

• Tour the historic Fordyce Bathhouse, one of 8 bathhouses located along Bathhouse Row, just a few hundred feet from our hotel. In this self-guided tour experience, you will get to see first-hand how these hot springs fed bathhouses operated in their prime, nearly 100 years ago!

• While you're visiting Bathhouse Row, be sure to check out the Bathhouse Row Emporium operated by the National Park Service, located inside the Lamar Bathhouse.

• Also located on Bathhouse Row are the Buckstaff Bathhouse and Quapaw Bathhouse, which each offer the chance to soak in the hot springs water, get a massage to work those quartz mining and hiking induced muscle knots out, or take advantage of other spa services. Take this chance to step back in time, all while treating yourself a little!

Dinner in the Arlington Hotel Restaurant. Or, use this time to explore one of the other nearby restaurants or cafes in downtown Hot Springs. (Note: evening meals not included in the price of registration)

Join ICR's scientist Dr. Brian Thomas for a presentation on how creatures adapt to thrive in extreme environements like hot springs, geysers, and hydrothermal vents.

All good things must come to an end!  Time to check-out of your hotel room, as we start the last day of our adventures together.  

Meet in the Magnolia Room to share in a time of worship and thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus.

This will be our last meal together before we say our goodbyes and go our separate ways after a memorable weekend together learning about the wonders of our world, and the workmanship of the Lord Jesus.

Please note that brunch is served buffet style, and these costs are included in your registration.

We will say our goodbyes and officially dismiss.  Anyone wishing to stay around for a few more hours is welcome to look around the shops and hiking trails in the Hot Springs downtown area.

Included in Registration:
• All registration and entrance fees to each attraction our group visits. Having admission fees built into the cost of this tour allows us to take advantage of discounts available for larger groups.

• Lodging at the historic Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa. This is a scaled cost, based on the type of room that you choose, and the number of occupants per room.

• Boxed lunches for the Friday and Saturday excursions are included in the price of registration. Complementary bottled water and snacks will also be available throughout the trip during the daily excursions and activities.

• Sunday brunch at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa is included in the lodging price.

Not Included in Registration:
• Transportation to and from Hot Springs, and for each day's tour activities. (Instructions for rendezvous points and timing, detailed printed maps, and a printed itinerary will be provided for each participant / vehicle in the group to ensure everyone is able to arrive safely and on time to each location on the tour itinerary.)

• Parking on-site at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa. Parking rates are as follows:
- Self-parking spaces in private parking garage just steps from the Hotel – Hourly parking @
$5 per hour (1 – 5 hours) or $22 (5 – 24 hours).
- Self-parking spaces in private surface lot only two short blocks from the Hotel – Hourly
parking @ $5 / day or $12 / overnight.
- FREE Parking is available in the parking garage owned by the City of Hot Springs, located at 128 Exchange Street (one block west of the Hot Springs National Park visitor center). This garage is about 7 minutes' walking distance from the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa.

• Any meals on Thursday, and breakfast and dinner meals on Friday and Saturday.

• Other incidentals or added amenities related to lodging including food and beverage purchased from the hotel lobby gift shop, restaurant or coffee shop.

• Admission to any other attractions in the Hot Springs area that are not listed on the official itinerary for this tour.

• Souvenir or gift shop purchases.

We have done our best to make this adventure as affordable as possible, while also maximizing the educational benefits and maintaining the quality of the experience, and covering the expenses of ICR's staff involved.  To that end, the price for each room is set up with the actual expected costs involved for each occupant / participant.  By having rooms available that can accomodate up to 4 people, we are able to pass along some savings for those who will be joined by other family or friends who are able to share lodging accomodations.

However, we do understand that this adventure is costly, so we are making available a 10% discount for families of 4 or more people (can be immediate family or an extended family group).  In order to receive the coupon code for the 10% discount, please email [email protected] with the number of people in your group and their names. Please note that this discount will be available only through September 26th, 2024.

We trust that you will be able to participate in this fun and educational tour, and make some new friends along the way as you learn more about the evidences for creation and the global flood!  But, we do know that sometimes unforeseen circumstances arise, and a registrant may have to back out from participating in the tour.  

That said, ICR will allow for cancellations of a registration requested by registrants who contact us as soon as they are aware of the need to do so, but due to the nature of financial commitment that ICR has involved in setting up this tour, a full refund for a registration cancellation will be available only through September 26th, 2024.

Cancelation requests made AFTER September 26th will receive a partial refund amounting to $200 total per registrant.

ICR has reserved a block of rooms at the historic and beautiful Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa located right in the Hot Springs National Park. The Arlington has a colorful history dating back over 100 years, and has played host to countless vistors, including noteworthy and notorious ones like U.S. Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, as well as baseball great Babe Ruth and the legendary gangster Al Capone, among other famous and infamous people. You're sure to enjoy learning about the rich history of the hotel as you take in the ornate architecture and charm of the hotel and the ample accomodations each room has to offer.

The hotel features an onsite restaurant that serves lunch and dinner Thursday - Saturday, as well as breakfast on Fridays and Saturdays.  The famous Sunday brunch is included in your registration price.  A Starbucks coffee shop is located on the first floor, along with a cafe and bar serving light menu options.

Also located inside the hotel is spa and salon, featuring several options including a thermal water spa with locally sourced hot springs water.

The nearest public airport is Hot Springs Memorial Field (HOT), located in the city of Hot Springs.  This airport has regular service from Dallas / Ft. Worth Intl. (DFW) and Memphis Intl. (MEM) via Southern Airways.

For adventurers coming from other parts of the country, we suggest flying into Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Little Rock. The Little Rock airport has daily flights via American, Delta, Southwest, United, Frontier, and Allegiant. Rental car services are available on site through Avis, Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty. The airport is about 1 hour drive from Hot Springs via I-30 and US-70.

ICR is not providing transportation from the Little Rock airport to Hot Springs, however there are some options available, including Uber and Lyft, and the Intercity Transportation company.

In order to help keep the attendee pricing more reasonable, we have opted to not provide any chartered transportation options for the field trips on the itinerary.  Each location is within 90 minutes drive of our hotel, and accessible via Arkansas State Highways.  For each destination, an address and map will be given, along with instructions on where to meet the rest of the group once they arrive at the destination.

Great question!  Here are some items we suggest you pack to make your experience the best it can be!

Attire recommendations:
For most of this adventure, we will be moving about quite a bit, with a lot of walking involved. Please plan to pack comfortable pants or shorts, and comfortable shirts (t-shirts are acceptable), along with sturdy walking / hiking shoes or boots for the outdoor adventures like the hiking, cave exploring and diamond mine visits. For those activities, pack clothing you don't mind getting dirty! Bring along a hat, sunglasses, some sunscreen, and bug repellent too, to make your adventure more comfortable and pleasant.

For the evenings, business comfortable (nicer jeans or chinos, and a polo shirt or blouse) would be quite acceptable for presentation time.

Other items: a note book and pen for taking notes along the way as you hear ICR's scientists share about what we see and experience at each stop. Small plastic baggies to put your new found treasures from the diamond and quartz crystal mine inside to carry home.

Souvenir money: plan to bring along some spending money for souvenirs in the museum and park gift shops, and for any items you find in the quaint little shops along Central Ave. in Hot Springs.

For the Crater of Diamonds SP diamond mine and Ron Coleman quartz crystal mine dig experiences: please plan to bring sunscreen, bug spray, and a wide brimmed hat for these activities. You may also bring along a camping chair, knee pads or a gardener's kneeling pad for use at the mine dig sites. Gloves, a garden trowel, rock hammers and chisels, and a 2-gallon bucket will be provided by ICR.