| Fort Smith is located in northwest
Arkansas and borders Oklahoma and is the county seat for Sebastian County.
The city has a population of 80,286 which makes it the second largest city
in Arkansas behind Little Rock. It is located in the River Valley of
Arkansas between the Ouachita mountains in the south and the Boston and
Ozark mountains of the north and a gateway city to the Ozarks. In 1817
Fort Smith was established as a military fort next to Indian territory in
Oklahoma. It is located at the junction of the Arkansas river and the Poteau
river at a place that early French explorers called Belle Point. This
location was a good place to build a fort guarding the wilderness to the
west and the Indian territory of Oklahoma.
Get around
The best way to get around and see Fort Smith is by car. Also
Fort Smith
Transit is available.
Attractions
• Miss Laura's Social Club and Visitor Center, 2 N "B" St., (479)
783-8888, A house of ill-repute from Fort Smith's past, now a visitor
center. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a
good starting point for any visit to Fort Smith.
• Fort Smith National Historic
Site, South of Garrison Ave., near the Arkansas river. Parking and
Park entrance near 3rd St. and Garland Ave. This site includes both the
original Fort sites and the reconstructed gallows of Hanging Judge Issac
Parker.
• Trolley Museum, 100 S. 4th,
(479) 783-0205 Take a ride on the trolley past the Judge Parker court and
the National Historic Site.
Dining
You will find the standard chain restaurants spread out for 2 miles on
Rogers Ave. to the east of Interstate 540. They include Friday's, Applebees,
Chili's, Outback Steak House, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Arby's,
Chick-fil-A, KFC, Wendy's, Schlotzsky's Deli, IHOP and Village Inn.
• Bella Italia Restaurant, 407. N. 8th St., Phone: (479) 785-1550
• Calico Country, 2401
South 56th, Phone: (479) 452-3299, Family style restaurant with great
cinnamon rolls.
• Catfish Cove Restaurant, 1615 S. Phoenix Av., (479) 646-8835,
Catfish, Seafood and frog legs on a all you can buffet.
• Doe's Steak House, 422
N. 3rd Street, Phone (479) 784-9111, Great steaks and tamales.
• Emmy's German Restaurant, 602 N. 16th St., (479) 783-0012, Yes,
this is a great German food restaurant.
• Hamburger Barn, 317 Garrison Av., (479) 782-0233, Design your own
hamburger.
• Jerry Neel's BBQ, 1823 S Phoenix Av., (479) 646-8085, Very good
BBQ.
• Ole Feed House, 3801 Planters Rd., (479) 649-9525, Seafood and BBQ
Buffet, don't miss out on the homemade cinnamon rolls.
• Taliano's, 201 North 14th Street, Phone: 479-785-2292, Very good
Italian food.
• Varsity Sports Grill,
318 Garrison Ave., Phone: (479) 494-7173, TV's with all the games, pool and
great homemade potato chips. |
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Get in
By plane
Fort Smith has a small
regional airport with service by two regional carriers, American
Eagle/American Airlines and Northwest Airlink/Pinnacle. There are several
flights each day to both Dallas/Fort Worth and Memphis.
By train
There is no rail access to Fort Smith.
By car
Access by car on Interstate highway from the East and West is by I40 and
from the North by I540. Access to the South is by US71.
By bus
The Jefferson Lines
services the city with bus service to the east, west and north.
Education
UA Fort Smith, 5210 Grand
Ave., (479) 788-7000 University of Arkansas - Fort Smith
Stay safe
Check the Tornado Safety page if you are visiting Fort Smith. A tornado
ripped through downtown Fort Smith on April 21, 1996 killing two people.
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