Fort Smith CVB

An exciting destination known as the city “where the New South meets the Old West,” Fort Smith, Arkansas, offers exceptional accommodations, outstanding and expanded area attractions and the amazing scenery that gives Arkansas—“The Natural State”— its name. Fort Smith has big-city benefits in a home-town, family friendly environment, including a complete package of convention and event services courtesy of the Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Accommodations Downtown Fort Smith now features 565 guest rooms within walking distance of the convention center, with the completion of the Courtyard by Marriott. The full-service Holiday Inn City Center and Howard Johnson Inn provide a range of accommodations and rates for convention groups. Just off I-40 and I-540, there are 1,765 more guest rooms for a citywide total of 2,330. If you’re looking for more of a “down home” atmosphere, check out the Beland Manor Bed & Breakfast just off I-540 at Albert Pike and Rogers Avenue. All Fort Smith properties offer complimentary parking and are fully accessible.

Dining Out Fort Smith offers a wide variety of affordable dining options. Diners have their choice of American to Latin cuisine to good old-fashioned barbecue. With more than 200 restaurants from which to choose, all your attendees will find something to tempt their taste buds, with money left over to buy dessert!

Convention & Meeting Facilities The Fort Smith Convention and Performing Arts Center complex has 140,000 square feet of exhibit, meeting, banquet and theater space. The complex includes a versatile 40,000-square-foot exhibit hall, 13 meeting rooms and a 1,300-seat performing arts center with full production capabilities. Portable seating can be added to the exhibit hall to accommodate up to 5,500 people. The Holiday Inn City Center adjoins the center complex and offers 255 guest rooms and an additional 13,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space.

Convention Services The Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau is your one-stop shop for meeting needs. The bureau offers a full compliment of convention/event services from bid proposals through on-site registration.

Cultural Facilities & Activities Famous for our Southern charm and colorful frontier past, Fort Smith offers enjoyable entertainment from blues and blue grass to symphony. Fort Smith also offers intriguing antique shops, wineries and festivals. Start your visit with a stop by the Fort Smith Visitors’ Center, better known as “Miss Laura’s” Social Club, a former brothel now on the National Register of Historic Places. Or, visit “Hangin’ Judge Isaac C. Parker’s” Courthouse, Jail and Gallows at the National Historic Site and relive the Wild West. You can take a walking tour of our Belle Grove Historic District, 22 square blocks of vintage architecture. Many of the 40 beautifully restored homes are on the National Historic Register. The points of interest include the residence of William O. Darby, founder of the famed Army Rangers; the Bonneville House; the Vaughn-Schaap House; and the Clayton House. Visitors can also enjoy a performance at the Fort Smith Little Theater or visit the Fort Smith Art Center, both located in the historic district.

The Fort Smith Museum of History provides a close-up look at everyday life on the Western frontier, including a re-creation of the old fashioned corner drug store of the 1920s. Visitors can enjoy a genuine ice cream treat from the operational soda fountain in the pharmacy.

Just across the street from the Museum of History is the Fort Smith National Historic Site, where Judge Parker presided over federal court for the Western District of Arkansas, when the city limits were literally the western frontier of the United States. The brave men and women of the United States Marshals Service helped bring law and order to the West through their service to Judge Parker’s Court. Now, that famous frontier spirit has earned Fort Smith the designation as the future home of the United States Marshal Museum. With an anticipated opening in 2010, the museum will pay tribute to the entire 218-year history of the nation’s oldest law enforcement agency, including the likes of Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves, the first African American deputy marshal west of the Mississippi River.

Just deciding how to see the many sites in the Fort Smith area is half the fun. You can tour the historic district on a bus trolley or downtown in a classic horse-drawn carriage, hop a ride on a genuine 1926 electric streetcar, or climb aboard an authentic 19th century railroad passenger car for an exciting day trip north through the scenic Ozark Mountains.

Fort Smith also features the new Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center, just minutes from downtown. The center is located on Wells Lake and features spectacular natural beauty, including hiking trails around the lake. Numerous interactive exhibits are entertaining and educational for the entire family.

Even the newest attraction in the downtown area—the retro Park At West End—takes yet another fun approach to history. Everyone will want to take a ride on the Ferris wheel from the 1935 Worlds Fair or on one of the hand-painted ponies on the Italian-made Bertazzon carousel. A 1960s-style, Leland double-decker bus features standard concession treats or enjoy the delicious cuisine with an Italian flair in a 1950s refurbished Pullman rail car, known as the Nickel & Dime Diner.

Airport and Driving Logistics Fort Smith is located on the banks of the Arkansas River on the Oklahoma and Arkansas state borders, just off I-40, half way between Oklahoma City and Little Rock and four hours from Dallas and Branson. Our Mid-South location makes it an easy day’s drive from most central U.S. cities.

The Fort Smith Regional Airport terminal is listed as one of these top 10 most beautiful airport terminals in the nation. American, Northwest and Delta Airlines provide regional jet service to Dallas, Memphis and Atlanta hubs. All hotel accommodations are within a 15 minute drive and offer complimentary airport shuttles.

For further information on hosting your next state or regional association meeting in the Fort Smith, Arkansas, area, please visit the Web site at www.fortsmith.org, call (800) 637-1477 or fax (479) 784-2421.