“Fort Smith, known as the Star of the Western Frontier, is an exciting destination where folks can bring a heart that loves history, and we’ll show them ways to fill it,” says Carolyn Joyce, tour and travel sales director for the Fort Smith CVB. “Arkansas’ second-largest city can provide several types of activities, and many of our museums and attractions reflect our rich Old West heritage.”
Miss Laura’s Visitor Center is the typical starting place for a group visit to the western Arkansas city. The center is set in a century-old building that is the first former bordello to be listed on the National Register of History Places. With prior arrangements, Miss Laura—portrayed by Joyce—will greet the groups and recount the scandalous past of Miss Laura’s Social Club and the city’s red-light district, which thrived in the early 1900s.
One of the city’s must-dos for groups is the Fort Smith National Historic Site. The attraction includes the courthouse, barracks, jail and restored gallows of the Federal Court of the Western District of Arkansas. During tours, groups can see the courtroom of Judge Isaac C. Parker, who sat on the bench for 21 years and sent 79 men to death by hanging.
Joyce says another popular option is a tour featuring The Unexpected Project, a group of more than 30 murals in the downtown area. And, in September 2019, the city will welcome the U.S. Marshals Museum, which will trace the 230-year history of the U.S. Marshals Service.
For more information, email Joyce or visit fortsmith.org.
Top photo: Fort Smith National Historic Site
Photo by Fort Smith CVB
