Touching down at Fort Smith Regional Airport in Fort Smith keeps you central, with the Ozarks, the Arkansas River, and the Oklahoma line an easy drive away. Fort Smith is a frontier town that grew into the second city of Arkansas, built where the Arkansas River meets the old Indian Territory border. The history is hard-edged and fascinating, from the Hanging Judge to the deputy marshals of True Grit, and the downtown is adding murals, restaurants, and a new national museum.

Standout experiences around Fort Smith: - Walk the Fort Smith National Historic Site, with Judge Parker's courtroom and the rebuilt gallows - Explore the U.S. Marshals Museum on the riverfront - Visit Miss Laura's, the former bordello that is now the visitor center - Hunt for the large-scale murals from The Unexpected project downtown - Ride a vintage streetcar from the Fort Smith Trolley Museum - Stroll the Belle Grove Historic District and its Victorian homes - Tour the Fort Smith Museum of History and have a soda at its old fountain - Catch a concert or ballgame at the riverfront parks

Fort Smith is the gateway to the Ozarks and the Ouachitas. Van Buren and its historic Main Street are ten minutes across the river, and the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad runs excursion trains from there into the hills. Lake Fort Smith State Park is a half hour north, Mount Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas, is about an hour southeast, and the Talimena Scenic Drive begins about an hour southwest. Fayetteville and Bentonville, with the Crystal Bridges museum, are about 90 minutes north. Fried pies, chocolate gravy, and catfish are the local comforts. Fort Smith is a real place with a story worth hearing.