The virus has this mostly shut down (thus the 2 score), but you can see the commissary building and the gallows, which is actually quite interesting, with recorded narration available. The shutdown seems to impact just the museum. But there are a lot of descriptive sign posts around the grounds to explain the history.

The majority of the trails are through nice, relaxing, wooded areas along the riverbank. The informational signs are also interesting if you like history (though a bit depressing in this particular case). I enjoyed this park- and town - much more than I ever imagined i would.

The place is exceptionally cared for. The grounds are pristine and attractive. Every building is well maintained. And the staff! Friendly, engaging and far beyond just knowledgeable. I am so glad we made this stop part of our trip. The historical importance of this place is much more than I imagined and was both moving and satisfying..

A lot of history, great place to check out, right next the river. And the gallows were haunting.

Beautiful site. Plenty of room to check things out while social distancing. A cool little trail takes you all around the gallows and old barracks buildings all they way down to the water. All of the buildings have information posted that tells you what its purpose was. Very cool site to check out if you are in town and have time.

I did my community service here. The park rangers were exceptionally nice! They even bought me fast food for lunch the 2 days I worked there. The park itself is beautiful. Nice walking path, view of the river, and lots of historical places and things to learn about.

Lots of history, beautiful walking trails, nice view of the river, rest stops with benches are nice. Paved walking trails all around the area have historic markers to inform the public of our past history as a border City to Indian Territory. The trails are full of gorgeous trees that show the age of our town.

Great place to soend a sunny day out side during this Pandemic. The recorded audio at the gallows really give a lot of information about why people wouple attend a public execution.

Even during Covid-19 closure, you can still walk the exterior and read and learn from several signs posted. I love that there are old photographs included in the signs, but they are exposed to the elements and time, the sun, etc has taken their toll. Would love to see the signs done anew. And more photos included; pictures are worth a thousand words. Maybe they could have an app for smart phones that as you walk the grounds it would run like a recording, telling of the history too. (I gave it a 4 because of the condition of exterior signage.)

Great exhibits and arifacts. A really good and educational local history museum. Well worth the time to visit.

Lots of nice walking trails along the river with wayside signs that chronicle the history of the fort. On the day we visited, park rangers had left a box on near the side entrance to the visitors center with Jr Ranger booklets, Jr Ranger badges, information pamphlets and park stamps. We ran into two rangers who said it was their first day leaving out these park items and a test run. Junior Ranger would need access to the visitors center to complete the booklet, but there was still a lotof information kids can gather from the wayside information signs. We really appreciated having the booklets, badges and stamps available, as my kids love national parks and the junior ranger program. On the parks website they also have a junior ranger program for the outdoor portion of the park- be warned that this booklet is dated and does not match the current wayside signs! My kids still had fun filling out what they could but some kids might find it frustrating. We were able to fill out about half of this booklet. The Trail of Tears outlook and wayside signs were washed away in a flood in 2019.We visted on August 2nd; this review is of the exterior portions of the fort as the visitors center was closed during our visit due to Covid.

Are you really interested in history? Then I suggest you ck it out. Its well worth the trip. Couldnt get into all buildings because of Covid. Thats ok we will be back.

This place is amazing. Fort Smith has so much history and this museum does a great job of portraying it. The main visitors center has many exhibits as well as the original partition if the jail that was used in the 1800s. If you enjoy the old west or native American culture this museum provides a lot of value in those categories. The outside area is great to walk and explore. There is another building on site that is the oldest building in Fort Smith. The site offers a beautiful view of the Arkansas river. Definitely worth stopping by if youre in the area! The cost to view the exhibits in the visitor center is $10 per person. I do not recommend this place for small children as they dont really offer a lot to engage that age group.

The grounds are nice for a good walk. Some info available but buildings closed.

Very cool and interesting place. The gallows and the gardens all very historical. If you want to see the origins of the town look here. If you dont like historical sites then you should pass.

Im not going to try to impress you with facts about the fort to try to get you to go. as you can see there is over 700 reviews and the have a 4.7 rating. if that doesnt tell you something nothing will. i will say i spent at least 3 to 4 hours here enjoying the site on a so so day and had a great time. all the employees i meet their were really great, friendly and willing to help and take the time to watch a 15 minute movie about the fort. walking the grounds and trails was really nice and see the original forts foundation was cool. to even make your trip to the fort that much more great, plan you trip to see Miss Lauras Visitor Center, (FANTASTIC) and The Clayton House (all these site are minutes away from each other) and youll have yourself a really super day trip in Fort Smith.

Great stop for history buffs. was able to walk around and explore for almost an entire afternoon.

Wow this is a gorgeous park. The history of the federal court, jail, and Indian Territory is gripping. True Grit pervades. The National Park staff is very fun and helpful and informative. We walked the river trail and really enjoyed it with our two kids. The shade from the huge trees was nice. The Arkansas river is a feature for photos. The surrounding historic district is a must see.

Due to Covid 19 the majority of this site was closed, however, the employees were able to still share valuable information and provide us with maps and details of the site. This is a wonderful place to go for a beautiful day out with a lot of history.

The grounds were very nice. The buildings were not available for exploring, hopefully next time.

This was a neat stop on our trip! Lots of interesting information and a beautiful place to visit in the Spring. Make sure you walk around the path and see the old fort site and read the information on the trail of tears.

Visitor center was closed due to covid, but everything else was open. Great spot to stop at from i40 to stretch your legs and see some history!

This was a beautiful site. Very well maintained and full of things to see. The museum/main fort building is staffed with very knowledgeable and friendly rangers and mostly full of history of the time it was a prison and courthouse with full exhibits of the jail cells. The grounds have lots of walking trails and beautiful outlooks over the river. This site is also located within walking distance of several other Fort Smith landmarks. Amenities include multi stall bathrooms located in the museum building itself, on site parking, picnic tables and benches and water fountains inside the building.

Go see where the Wild West started its US Marshal law and started to tame the wild Wild West.

Nice place to see. Liked reading the history

Great visit. Great signage...so we learned a lot even though the visitors Center is closed for now...definitely want to return when it opens back up.

What a great National Park for sure, had a great visit. The Park Rangets were great, thank you for being so helpful!

It was good visiting, but museum was closed,till further notice, be good when they open it back up

Great place. Nice walking path. Buildings are closed, well at least when I went but nice place

The walk through history was nice but the inside tour was closed due to Covid19

Its an awesome place to learn some history.

Second time to the gallows and made it out alaive .lol. Fun little spot.

Very informative tour. The hands on stuff is great. Being able to go into the old jail cells is very interesting. Lots of wonderful photo fun.

Wonderful historical place. Building and the artifacts were amazing. The tour with the hand held was fantastic.

Beautiful and well manicured. Exceeded our expectations. Good history and preserved to high standards.

I actually stopped here because I was looking for a place to picnic off of I-40. So it turned out to be a good place to stop for lunch. It was only a few minutes off of the interstate. And offered some interesting history and a good place to get in a walk before getting back on the highway. Everything was clean and everyone was helpful and nice.

My only fort experience is Fort Vancouver in Washington until now and Fort V. is an outpost compared to Fort Smith. But still respectable for a frontier fort. The Fort Smith site is absolutely beautiful and the adjacent city seems to be an extension of that.

Super neat location! Nice shady walk around the site! I learned a ton, a little sad that museum and visitor center were closed due to Covid.

Liked the grounds, but it was closed due to Covid 19 which is why it only gets 4 stars.

Enjoyed the movie that gave an overview of its history. Cool, vintage movie poster collection of films that were inspired by its history. Friendly staff.

Nice views and great walking on the river bank.

Difficult to find (I was on a motorcycle) I had to memorize the turns. $10 to get in the museum, per person. Extremely informative and well laid out. The grounds are well kept.

This place is really nice.. Very interesting.

A great place to learn about history, if you get a chance check out the statue of Bass Reeves the first black bounty hunter, and stop the courthouse where hanging judge Parker was the judge.

Very well maintained and preserved history site . More people should stop and take time to enjoy our American History.

A unique way to share all the history of this area. We had fun and learned a lot from visiting. Very friendly staff.

Loved it but needed money see all the good stuff like my page On the Road with Hobo Hanson on facebook

Great diversion after crystal bridges good history. Used to be the end of America before the Louisiana purchas

Surprised me how interesting this place is! This is where “the hanging judge” ruled. Go to the visitor center at the back of the former Federal Court to get more information. We learned the 9/28 this year there will be the Fall Festival held here. There will be historic reenactors and more. We definitely will be back!

Its a good place for a hike or just to enjoy the view. Theres a lot of interesting history. We were there to make cap and gown photos for graduation.

Great park, so much information. Love Judge Parker.

A lot of history from the 1800s on Native Americans settlement from the East to the West. Also law, order, and justice between Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Awesome place to take kids to explore and learn

We look forward to going here every 4th of July with my Arkansas family!! So grateful for this get together!!

Lovely piece of AMERICAN HISTORY!!!

The parking is free and the park was also free. However, if you want to go into the museum it cost $7 per person. You can apply your annual national parks pass. This place is a must-see in Fort Smith. We learn a lot about the history of this place. Also, there is a small gift shop inside the museum. You can get some souvenirs here. One thing I have to mention is that the staff here was super friendly. They can answer every question you have. The lady in the court at 2nd floor tell a lot story about the old document.

Great place to learn about some of Fort Smiths rich history. Staff were all friendly, place was clean and well kept and information was abundant. Admission is $10 per person they do accept credit and debit. Lots of videos to watch while touring. Didnt get to tour the outside as there was a heavy downpour of rain all day but it looked very interesting none the less.

Went back home to see my daughters graduation at NHS. Took some photos downtown. Love my hometown.. Fort Smith Proud.

We loved this place. The grounds are beautiful. The exhibits were engaging. It is very clean. The staff was awesome! Must see!

Great accumulation of historical artifacts and history. Truly brought to life by dedicated civil servants. Plan to spend at least a couple hours going through the various exhibits and REAL jailhouse. Call ahead to confirm times because schools flock here regularly.

Love the history the gallows were very cool

Nice history, views and geocaches.

A great national tourist attraction with lots of interesting facts about the original Fort and early township later on and of Judge Parkers hanging corriders and courtroom. It overall makes for a great history lesson esp for people not from around here. And it also has a very well kept and cleaned walking area that goes down by rh3 river for some beautiful scenery and it cuts into another nice park under the bridge

Very informative. To learn the history of the city that you live in and get a little walk in the process.

Very cool to see. Only problem was the buildings and gallows were locked due to the recent Gov issues. Still lots to see. Nice walk. Beautiful scenery. Lots of cool history.

This fort was really cool and it in a nice area with great view of the Arkansas river.

Outstanding grounds and museum telling the story of Fort Smiths place in American history as a gateway to the western frontier. This was definitely worth my 3-hour stop and I would like to return some day to really take it all in.

Peaceful and Historic perfec for a walk trails and views fresh air and nature.

Great place to take family. We really enjoyed our time there. They also offer military and veteran discount. If you are service connected through the va you can bring up to 3 people with you for free.

$10 to tour the museum. Worth every penny to see a piece of the wild west history. The gallows are there to see and touch. Judge Parkers courtroom, the jail, and history of the area is all right here!

Great place to see and fish u also learn some things about fort Smith history

Cool history. Very hot and bathrooms were disgusting.

A wonderful peace of history.

Great place to learn about history.

Great place to see and walk around.

Was very interesting missed alot because of covid closing but still worth seeing

Finally made it to this national park! One the historic sites where the West was opened up. At huge cost to Native Americans.A page of history in America for the good of the country, bad for indigenous people.Beautiful facility and great information. Good use of our tax dollars. Anyone who enjoys this history in our country from this period needs to go.

Really an awesome place to visit .I loved the history of Fort Smith.I strongly recommend visiting Fort Smith and take in some history. Heres a few pictures .

This is great place to walk on paved trails, learn about the history of Fort Smith, see Hanging Judge Parker’s gallows, and this learn about the Trail of Tears. This was the end of the Trail of Tears and there is a marker on the point overlooking the river and Oklahoma. There are a few remnants of the old fort (built in 1817) along with some cannons that are great for photos.

Great location museum. The holding cells have a spooky atmosphere, the museum has some great interactive pieces, and the staff is wonderfully helpful. The grounds are great to walk around and it’s really neat to see the foundations of the original Fort Smith.The place is pretty great to see at night too.

Love the history. Great details posted.

Interesting attraction with a good amount of history.

Great place to visit for history buffs.

Very delicious

Really cool place to visit, esp with children.

Great place for an impromptu wedding ceremony!!!

Very clean park, the staff were very knowledgeable and you could tell they love their job. Learned a lot and made traveling across Oklahoma more interesting.

Beautiful historic walking trail and the museum was top notch. A great place to enjoy yourselves and learn a few things too. Well worth your time. We recommend this very interesting experience.

Everything was closed. And I dont want to join the Historical Society. Just to tour a museum.

I always enjoy coming here seems like I always find something I had never seen or noticed before. Great place to just walk around and check out some of Fort Smiths history.

Worthwhile stopping by. Lots of history and the Rangers were super helpful and informative.

An amazing trip! So worthwhile and excited to add the stamps to my passport!

Had an adventure learning the history of fort smith and got to step into places that will take you back in time! Loved it and i will be back!!!

I was able to walk the grounds and it was still awe inspiring just because of the historical significance of the spot. Thank you for preserving this awesome piece of history. Unfortunately, due to the government shutdown, the fort itself and the Gallows are closed off. The nearby museum is open (not associated with the government). It is 12/30/18 at the time of this writing.Fun fact: if you Geocache, there is one on the grounds.

Very educational lots to see and learn

Interesting historical place

Excellent Experience and a very well preserved historical site.

Great place to walk. City keeps it clean.

A great place for a mini vacation. In-depth guided tour of the historic prison for a nominal fee, coupled with miles of walking trails littered with historical markers. Also a great place for Pokemon Go.

It is a great place of history. Please be willing to take a few hours to enjoy the experience!!