The arts are alive in Fort Smith! Live bands, symphony performances, theatrical productions and art exhibits highlight local talent and attract special guests. The Fort Smith Symphony features the oldest orchestra in the state and performs multiple concerts each year. The Fort Smith Little Theatre is an award-winning organization that casts local talent.

 

The University of Arkansas Fort Smith Season of Entertainment features national touring theatre and musical productions as well as the "Season on the Green," a series of free outdoor performances. Every fall, the Riverfront Blues Fest electrifies Harry E. Kelley Park and draws famous artists. The Old Fort Days Rodeo and the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair are annual events at Kay Rodgers Park and attract some of the best talents in North America.

 

423 North 6^th Street

479-784-ARTS

The Fort Smith Art Center is located in the Vaughn-Schaap house, one of the few remaining examples of Victorian Second Empire architecture in Fort Smith. It was the first home to be restored in the Belle Grove Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Every month the center showcases work by regional and nationally recognized artists and rotates a permanent collection of contemporary regional art. The center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

 

401 North 6^th Street

479-783-2966

The Fort Smith Little Theatre he oldest continuously operating community theatre in the state and has been bringing live theatre to Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma since 1947. The volunteer organization regularly treats guests to dramas, musicals and comedies keeping Fort Smith entertained. Tickets range from $5-25 and some opening night performances include complimentary hors d’oeuvres and champagne prior to each performance and dessert at intermission.

 

320 Rogers Avenue

479-783-7841

http://www.fortsmithmuseum.com/

For 97 years the Fort Smith Museum of History has been telling the intriguing and exciting stories of Fort Smith’s colorful past. The museum acquires, preserves, exhibits and interprets objects of historical significance relevant to the Greater Fort Smith Region from frontier justice to manufacturing. A gift shop full of unusual gifts and a 1920s soda fountain are also available for guests. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children 6-11. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

 

479-452-7575

Entering its 84^th season, the Fort Smith Symphony is the oldest orchestra in the state of Arkansas and performs classical, pop, youth and community concerts in Fort Smith and the surrounding communities. The symphony boasts excellent performers from Arkansas and across the country and received the 2005 Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Arts in Education. Tickets range from $13-25 with shows for youths and adults alike.

 

100 South 4^th Street

479-783-0205

The Fort Smith Trolley Museum is full of fascinating displays of vintage cabooses, passenger cars, locomotives and railroad and other transportation memorabilia with a Frisco 4003 Steam Locomotive on display. Visitors can take a ride on a 1926 restored Birney Streetcar for a nostalgic ride through downtown. The museum is open Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. with free admission. The trolley runs Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Tokens are $2 for adults and $1 for children.

 

 

 

North 5^th, 6^th, 7^th and 8^th Streets

This 22-block area reflects a variety of architectural styles from the past 130 years featuring restored homes and buildings lining the streets with lush, mature trees and foliage. The district is on the National Register of Historic Places and delights visitors young and old who enjoy a stroll down memory lane.

 

514 North 6^th Street

479-783-3000

Originally built in the 1850s, this classic Victorian Renaissance baroque mansion was enlarged in 1882 by William Henry Harrison Clayton, the U.S. District Attorney in Judge Parker’s Court. The house is fully restored with Clayton family belongings and other period furnishings. The house is open for tours Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children ages 12-18.

 

311 General Darby Street

479-782-3388

The Darby Foundation, founded in 1977, restored the boyhood home of William O. Darby, the leader of Darby’s Rangers in World War II. The house is a tribute and memorial to Darby and all U.S. Rangers and contains artifacts from Cisterna, Italy, the sister city to Fort Smith. Admission is free.

 

301 Parker Avenue

479-783-3961

At Fort Smith National Historic Site visitors can walk where soldiers drilled, pause along the Trail of Tears and stand where justice was served. The park includes the remains of two frontier forts, the Federal Court for "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker, the historic barracks/courthouse/jail buildings, and reconstructed gallows. There is a walking trail along the Arkansas River. The park is open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is charged for adults. Children 15 and under are free as are Senior/Golden Age, Golden Access and America the Beautiful Interagency Annual Pass cardholders.

 

2 North B Street

1-800-637-1477

Miss Laura’s, the first bordello listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now the unique setting for the Fort Smith Visitor Center. The center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

 

522 Garland and South 6^th Streets

479-783-5345

Interments date from the War of 1812 and include Judge Parker, many of his deputy marshals and Gen. William O. Darby.