Since I'm not from this area, I wouldn't know what to expect. Obviously, the early U.S. Army had a…read morefort here. They say something about defending against an Indian uprising. I could write for days about such a thing, but that takes away from the museum. The museum has a few exhibits for free in the lobby. If you want to see the rest of the first, and the second floor, it's $5.00 for adults, which isn't bad, considering the amount of information and the orderly way in which it's presented. Of course, flash photography is not wanted, as it can cause older items to deteriorate more quickly. They had early maps of the area, including a French map of the Native American Indians, which was quite informative. A handy guide to French would have made it accessible to everyone. They presented many items from the 1800s and early 1900s throughout the building, including vehicles, tools, and clothing. There were newspaper articles explaining events. I was surprised to see the creative use of typography, given the difficulty of manually assembling a page of metallic type. Along with this, they showed a couple of printing presses. On the second floor, they went into later years, up through the 1960s, and touched on subjects more likely to still be on the minds of older generations in the area. I suspect that school kids will go to the museum no matter what, but those who don't know about the history of the area should take the trip. Besides, feeding a museum in order to help preserve your history isn't a bad thing at all.

Very nicely done! We had a flight cancellation on a very rainy Saturday which led us to the…read moremuseum. Glad we went. The staff was very nice and the displays were great. Keep up the good work! Thank you!

I wasn't sure if this is open or not and what the deal is, but I arrived at a quiet time. One of…read morethe "conductors" gave me a nice tour of the museum and the repair shop which was pretty awesome to see one of the trolleys being restored. Yes, the place smells like cat pee but they have a lot of cats here and I think that's okay. And then the trolley came back to the station where I boarded, paid my "fare" and had a nice little ride around some of downtown Fort Smith. It's pretty cool and the trolley driver pointed out a few of the sites as he dinged the bell and crossed a few streets in a completely safe manner. This was pretty awesome and as a "big kid", I loved it! This was a fun time and I'm really pleased to have found this little spot. [Review 669 of 2024 - 339 in Arkansas - round number 21700 overall]

This is a free ride ( tips appreciated) and it was an absolute delight! The gentleman driving is so…read moreknowledgeable and friendly! He knew the train schedule so he was able to route your trip to get you back in time for the train! Great for kids and adults alike!

Well, it's a hot day, we ended up spending a bit of time here learning about the history of Fort…read moreSmith, how integral it was into the colonization of the west, as well as their turbulent times trying to manage both the tribal communities and the white settlers who were moving into the area rapidly. It's a fascinating history And one that you have to spend a little bit of time going to the museum and understanding the different angles. I guess that's a purpose of a museum, right? We learned a little bit about Judge Isaac, Parker, as one of the first influences that had to deal with the wild West murderers and people committing heinous crimes that until he arrived, didn't face many consequences as there was no federal government system that was in control of the area and the tribunal process did not cover non-native Americans. Fascinating history. You can even see a replica of the courthouse as well as the gallows as they were over 160 people hang here. Take a rock across the railroad tracks and read a bit about the trail of tears. There are plenty of areas to contemplate the history. Bring a picnic, there are many places to relax and spread out. The museum is actually free, is air-conditioned and had clean restrooms

Really interesting historical site. We've been to a ton of National Parks and National Monuments /…read moreHistorical Sites. This is top 10 for sure! The information is presented in a fun way that really grabs your interest. There's a nice out door area to walk and explore more. The rangers were all very friendly and informative. Worth a stop for sure!

This is one of Fort Smith's gems. It is a wonderful and inexpensive place to visit. They always…read morehave things going on. There's a free weekly Zoom sketch class online Tuesday nights. There are always fun and family-friendly events on Saturdays, Drop-in and Draw with live models on Thursday afternoons, a really excellent gift shop... I could go on and on. My advice to you is to stop by and take a look. I promise you'll be glad you did!

Smallest airport I have prob been to but friendly, easy access, short walks. What's not to love.read more

Emma was a wonderful guide who was well versed in her history of the building and its occupants…read more I'm thankful she mentioned going to the Chaffee barber shop to see where Elvis got his Army haircut. I had not clue it was nearby. Definitely a unique stop but worth the time and certainly fun.

Unique (you probably have not been to one of these before)…read more Free - (donations requested, but not demanded) Super well read and knowledgeable staff on the history of the house and the "oldest profession" share in a 20ish minute tour. This also serves as the Visitor's Center for Fort Smith and so has many maps, brochures, booklets free for the taking. Even the landscaping, maintained by area master gardeners looks very nice. Definitely worth making tim; the only downside is the limited hours. closes at 4pm, closed Sunday

Fun little find. If you're an Elvis fan or a military history buff this should be on your list…read more It's free to visit and is run by volunteers. The guy there today was so passionate about the history he shared so many details and made sure we didn't miss a thing! It's not too big so the visit is fairly quick but still fun to say you've been where Elvis got his first army haircut! The other part is also just a well curated military history museum, not just about Elvis. It covered info from WWI, WWII and the Vietnam War. The parachute wedding dress is really neat to see in person!

There were numerous displays not just the barber chairs. I asked the curator if I could just…read moreplease walk around and take in the history. She insisted on talking about everything. I asked up front because I have visited hundreds of museums all around the world; I do not like guided tours. I want to spend my time on what I want to observe and ask questions if I have them. She was totally inconsiderate of my request. Therefore I only have pictures of the chairs; after that it was just how quick I could get out of there!

Incredible home! Please have the tour guide explain the history, there's a lot to unpack in this…read moreplace. Really cool seeing the original furniture and trinkets! Completely free to the public! Note-address on Google takes you to their visitor center, if it's closed, proceed a road down and go up the hill to see and tour the home.

Wow! This home was owned by 5 generations of Drennen/Scott's. The home was purchased by the…read moreUniversity of Arkansas in 2005 from the family to preserve its history. We were so lucky to have a history professor from the University give us a personal tour. It's simply incredible to have the entire home furnished with actual family furniture, portraits, clothing, etc. All of it! We highly recommend and will be back for their annual Christmas party. It's free but they do take donations!

We had just finished appetizers, martinis and a bottle of wine at 21 West End and were driving our…read moreway out of downtown when we saw some people dip into this building... and HAD to check it out. Upon entering, we felt like we were in some crazy Opry museum as we were instantly surrounded by old Country and Bluegrass memorabilia, costumes, and posters. To the left, a bar. Next to that, a ticket window... and deep inside the building there was a ruckus that sounded like an awesome seven piece country band. What we had stumbled upon was the first night of the new season of Second Street Live's music and performing arts schedule... as well as their first show in their brand new facility! What a score! Wine in hand, and half priced tickets purchased we sat down and enjoyed a wonderful show by Alseep at the Wheel, an amazing band whose played with the likes of Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and the like. Great times!