Start from 23 curated places around Fort Smith, AR, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Neumeier's Rib Room
Downtown Fort Smith's self-described "Rock 'n Roll Rib Joint," operating out of a historic Garrison Avenue building with a covered outdoor stage and beer garden. Ribs, chicken, pork shoulder, and pork loin are smoked entirely over hickory in a wood-burning pit with no marinades or tenderizers, just time and smoke. On Friday and Saturday evenings in warmer months, live bands play outside while people eat and drink under string lights on the patio.
Rolando's Restaurante
Ecuadorian-owned nuevo Latino restaurant in a brick building dating to the 1850s on North A Street, with walls covered in murals painted by the founder. The menu ranges across Central and South American traditions: handmade tamales, ceviches, mole, fresh seafood, and handcrafted margaritas. The large covered patio facing the street is one of the best outdoor dining spots in downtown Fort Smith.
Trails & outdoors
Greg Smith River Trail
A 6.3-mile multi-use paved trail running along the Arkansas Riverfront from downtown Fort Smith westward through river parks, passing statues, a pedestrian bridge, kayak and canoe access points, and a pavilion with river access for fishing. Section I runs through the most scenic stretch past the National Historic Site; the trail widens and lightens as it extends west. The route is lighted and can be used morning to evening.
Ben Geren Bike Trail
A 5.1-mile paved loop at Ben Geren Regional Park, rated one of the better multi-use trails in the Arkansas River Valley with 4.7 stars on AllTrails across nearly 300 reviews. The route runs through a mix of forest, open prairie, and rolling valley terrain with 305 feet of elevation gain; the majority is gentle grade but there are a few honest climbs. The park also holds 14-plus miles of rugged natural-surface mountain bike trails for riders who want something rougher.
Things to do
Fort Smith Regional Art Museum
A 16,000-square-foot converted bank building on Rogers Avenue that serves as the city's primary contemporary and regional art space. The RAM runs rotating exhibitions featuring local, regional, and national artists alongside a permanent collection, and hosts classes for all ages, lectures, and opening receptions. Admission is free, making it one of the more accessible cultural institutions in the region.
The Park at West End
A whimsical downtown pocket park with a working Ferris wheel first operated at the 1935 San Diego World's Fair, a vintage Italian-painted carousel, a Pullman railcar diner, and snack service from a repurposed double-decker bus. All rides are one dollar. It's deliberately old-fashioned and intimate, and on a warm evening the lit-up Ferris wheel and carousel offer a view of Fort Smith from the air that many locals have never seen.
Landmarks & sights
Fort Smith National Historic Site
The federally preserved remnants of two successive frontier forts on the Arkansas River, anchored by the restored 1851 courthouse where the famous "Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker dispensed frontier justice and by the reconstructed gallows just outside. The site also preserves the original barracks building and the foundations of the first fort. Anyone interested in the post-Civil War frontier era, Native American territory boundaries, or Western legal history will find this genuinely moving.
U.S. Marshals Museum
The only museum in the country dedicated exclusively to the U.S. Marshals Service, opened in a striking 53,000-square-foot star-shaped building on the banks of the Arkansas River. Five immersive galleries trace the Marshals from their founding by George Washington through the Wild West era and into modern federal law enforcement, with a solemn Hall of Honor memorializing the more than 350 deputies killed in the line of duty. Fort Smith was chosen as the site because the Western District of Arkansas was the largest federal jurisdiction in American history.