Hot Springs, Arkansas · a free phone game
This game is for everyone
Hidden Springs turns Central Avenue into a 1936 mystery. Every shop is a sealed tunnel door you open with your own phone. These are the reasons I built it the way I did, and who I built it for.
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How to playHow a door works: no app, your own phoneIn Hidden Springs you open a secret tunnel door by touching your own phone to a white card at a shop counter. No app, no sign-up, and nobody else ever holds your phone.2 min read
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FamiliesHidden Springs with kids: a mystery they can walkA free, family-friendly downtown mystery for Hot Springs: short walks, hands-on puzzles, a reward at every door and no scary stuff. Here is how I built it for kids.2 min read
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Accessibility · RetireesFor slow walkers and retirees: play at your own paceHidden Springs can be played from your chair at home, in a short 30-minute walk, with bigger text, a black-on-white sun mode and a voice that reads every screen out loud.2 min read
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VisitorsVisiting for the weekend? Here's a free Saturday downtownA free walking mystery for a weekend in Hot Springs, Arkansas: where to park, how long it takes, and how to fit Hidden Springs around Bathhouse Row.2 min read
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Locals · HistoryFor locals who think they've seen downtownYou've driven Central Avenue a thousand times. Hidden Springs points you at the 1886 building, the shell over a stair door and the creek under your tires.2 min read
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HistoryThe real history behind the legendsGangster tunnels under Central Avenue? Capone at the Arlington? Here is what is documented, what is claimed and what is legend, tagged the way the game tags it.3 min read
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Safety · HistoryThe real tunnels are sealed. Here's how the game lets you in safelyThe 1884 creek arch under Central Avenue is real, sealed and illegal to enter. Hidden Springs opens a pretend tunnel behind every shop counter instead.2 min read
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AccessibilityAccessibility: what Hidden Springs does today, and what it doesn't yetBigger text, sun mode, read-aloud, Listen buttons, play from home and no time limits. Plus the honest list of what I have not solved yet.2 min read
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Shop ownersFor shop owners: why one door is worth more in a full gameEvery shop that joins Hidden Springs hands the game to its own customers, and every player walks to every door. Here is the math, in real numbers and honest assumptions.2 min read
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UpdatesWhat's new each TuesdayNew Hidden Springs chapters open on Tuesdays, along with a weekly challenge that is the same for every player. Here is what changes, and where to see it.2 min read