Known as the Natural State for its abundant hot springs and scenic beauty, Arkansas offers planners convenience and affordability, with
first-class venues, hotels, and resorts. Arkansas’ central location in the country makes it easily reached by vehicle. The state is served by two main airports: Little Rock’s Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport and Northwest Arkansas National Airport near Bentonville, an area that is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies. Parts of the state are gearing up for a total solar eclipse in April 2024, when the path of totality runs through the center of Arkansas.
Central
Conway
ConwayArk.com; @ConwayArkansas; @ConwayARCVB
Conway is an easily accessible college town with all the amenities that come with higher learning institutions, along with fun events, a new microbrewery, and a new hotel, says Rachel Shaw, executive director of the Conway CVB.
“Our new Courtyard by Marriott has just opened and is a beautiful property close to shopping and dining. It has 109 guest rooms and a full restaurant and bar and is in the process of completing a large meeting facility,” Shaw says.
In Conway, planners get the services of a large town, while being 15 minutes from the heart of the natural outdoor beauty for which Arkansas is known. “You can enjoy fishing, hiking, kayaking, and mountain biking here, with new trails added to our existing mountain bike trails, plus city walking trails and a pump track in the middle of town,” Shaw says. “Our median age is around 26, making Conway the epitome of a young, vibrant college town.”
Planners will want to take advantage of city events, Shaw says. “Toad Suck Daze takes place the first weekend in May and is the largest family-friendly festival in the state. While hotels might be hard to come by that weekend, it is a can’t-miss event,” she explains. “And during our year-round First Friday Art Walks, restaurants offer drink specials, and vendors are out showcasing their latest works.”
The city’s largest event space is the Conway Expo Center, with 40,000 square feet of open convention space and 6,200 square feet of meeting space. The Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center on the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) campus has 6,500 square feet of meeting space and a dedicated conference services team. Also on the UCA campus, Reynolds Hall is a 1,200-seat performing arts space.
The city has approximately 1,700 guest rooms. A 103-room Hilton Garden Inn, 92-room Hampton Inn, and 71-room Microtel Inn & Suites have smaller meeting spaces.
About 30 minutes northwest of Conway, the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute in Morrilton is a nonprofit meeting, event, and corporate retreat facility located on the historic cattle ranch home of former Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. It features an 80-seat theater with full video conference capabilities and event rooms for 250 people. Lodging is available in the 30-room President’s Lodge and The Orchard, a self-contained 10-room facility for overnight corporate retreats.
Little Rock
ConwayArk.comConwayArk.com; @LittleRockCVB
Located in the center of the state and easily accessible by car or air, the state capital offers a range of experiences that make it a unique and memorable destination.
“From history and cultural attractions to outdoor adventures and food and drink, our city has everything to offer everyone with multiple tastes,” says Adam Berrios, vice president of sales and services for the Little Rock CVB. “Our city makes it convenient to host a wide range of meetings and events due to our unique spaces like the Statehouse Convention Center, which is the city’s largest venue and can easily host intimate board meetings and breakout sessions, trade shows with thousands of attendees, and everything in between.”
Attendees can tour the Clinton Presidential Center with its library and museum, visit the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, or catch a performance at the Robinson Center. “Thanks to our thriving food and drink scene, with a focus on Southern and Soul food, visitors can sample local favorites like fried catfish, barbecue, sweet tea, and local craft beers,” Berrios says.
Newly opened this spring, the reimagined Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts offers an array of visual, performing arts, and educational experiences with meeting and event space. These include a 350-seat performance hall, 153-seat lecture hall, a glass-walled multipurpose space that can host 220 for receptions, a soaring atrium space, an event lawn, and the museum’s Cultural Living Room that can seat 350 people or accommodate 500 for a reception.
The 220,000-square-foot Statehouse Convention Center has 21 meeting rooms, an 18,362-square-foot ballroom, and an exhibit hall that can hold 400 booths. The center is attached to the Little Rock Marriott, with 418 guest rooms and an additional 40,000 square feet of function space. The Robinson Center, recently renovated and LEED Gold-certified, includes a 2,222-seat performance hall and a 25,000-square-foot conference center with four meeting rooms, a ballroom that seats 500 for dinners, and a 5,500-square-foot terrace overlooking the Arkansas River. The Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Little Rock connects to the center and has 288 guest rooms and 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
Little Rock has approximately 7,200 guest rooms with 2,000 in the downtown Convention District. Other hotels with event space include downtown’s historic Capital Hotel with six event rooms in 6,000 square feet of function space; Holiday Inn Conference Center, Little Rock Airport, with 201 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space; Four Points by Sheraton Midtown, with 264 guest rooms and meeting space to host 400; and West Little Rock’s Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center, with 251 guest rooms and 13 meeting rooms in 24,800 square feet of function space.
The majority of downtown is on the METRO Streetcar line. “These historic-replica streetcars are a fun and unique way to see the sights,” Berrios says. “The Blue Line travels across the Arkansas River to North Little Rock and stops at popular destinations, such as the Clinton Presidential Library and the River Market, while the Green Line meanders through downtown Little Rock.”
Little Rock offers planners several unique offsite venues. The Clinton Presidential Center features exhibits and history programs on the presidency and continuing work of Bill Clinton and more than 10,000 square feet of event space for dinners, meetings, lectures, and receptions. Heifer International, a global nonprofit hunger-relief agency, offers meeting, conference, and retreat space at its LEED Platinum-certified headquarters for cultural, professional, or educational activities. Downtown’s River Market Entertainment District includes the 8,375-seat First Security Amphitheater, two open-air pavilions, and the adjacent Museum of Discovery has a 3,000-square-foot Great Hall, theater, and three multipurpose rooms.
Planners wanting to infuse an event with local flavor should consider one of the city’s many annual festivals and celebrations. “With year-round events and awesome festivals, you’re sure to find an event that gets you out on the town and into the mix,” Berrios says.
He notes a spring Food Truck Festival, September’s Big Dam Bridge cycling event, and the Arkansas State Fair, which attracts more than 500,000 visitors every October.
North Little Rock
NorthLittleRock.org; @ExploreNLR
North Little Rock sits at the crossroads of interstates 30 and 40, providing easy drive-in access from much of the Midwest and South, and it is just across the river from the state capital and all it has to offer.
The city’s largest convention hotel, the Wyndham Riverfront, has 220 guest rooms and 10 event rooms in 14,000 total square feet of event space. The hotel is next door to the 7,000-seat Dickey-Stephens Park home of the Double-A baseball Arkansas Travelers, and within walking distance of the historic Argenta Arts District. Hilton Garden Inn North Little Rock has 119 guest rooms and five meeting rooms in 4,015 square feet of function space to seat 220 guests for banquets. There are more than 2,700 guest rooms across the city.
Offsite meeting spaces in the city include the 2,000-seat Simmons Bank Arena, which has four meeting rooms with space to accommodate 400 people in theater-style seating. Argenta Plaza, managed by the North Little Rock CVB, is a community space with a stage with a 40-foot video projection wall, fountains, and a tree-shaded lawn area. Downtown’s 600 Main Sky Deck has an indoor venue for 20 and indoor and outdoor space for 50 with views of the Little Rock skyline.
A unique local outing opportunity is the Arkansas River Trail, a 14-mile loop between North Little Rock and Little Rock.
Delta Region
Lower Delta
Pine Bluff
ExplorePineBluff.com; @PineBluffArkansas
Pine Bluff offers visitors opportunities to explore its history with the Freedom & Blues Experience that includes sites and experiences significant to the civil rights movement and to the city’s prominence in the early days of blues music. The downtown has 58 structures on the National Register of Historic Places, making it one of the most architecturally significant cities in Arkansas, according to Explore Pine Bluff.
The city’s largest event space is the Pine Bluff Convention Center, which features a 1,844-seat auditorium, a 14,400-square-foot banquet and exhibit hall, a 7,600-seat arena, and the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame. A 125-room Courtyard by Marriott is set to be built adjacent to the center with construction expected to start late this year, according to news reports.
The largest hotel with event space is Holiday Inn Express & Suites at Pines Mall, with 80 guest rooms and a 2,000-square-foot meeting room. Unique offsite venues include the John Fallis Waterfront Meeting Facility, with a 165-person capacity; BJ’s Event Center, with indoor and outdoor event spaces, including a banquet room seating 175 guests; and the Sahara Shrine Center for gatherings of 400 people.
Upper Delta
Jonesboro
TourJonesboro.com; @JTownChamber
Located about an hour from Memphis, Tenn., in a fast-growing region of the state, Jonesboro is the host city for the 50th anniversary of the Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
According to the Jonesboro Tourism & Visitors Bureau, the city’s largest event space is the 203-room Embassy Suites Red Wolf Convention Center, located on the Arkansas State University (ASU) campus. The hotel and convention center provide 40,000 square feet of function space including a ballroom that can seat 1,000 people for dinners. The facility is near the 10,038-seat First Bank Arena and a quarter mile from the 30,000-seat Centennial Bank Stadium.
Other hotels with event space include the 102-room Holiday Inn with four meeting rooms, a Courtyard by Marriott with space to accommodate a 50-person meeting and a 109-room Hilton Garden Inn with five meeting rooms with 4,970 total square feet of function space.
A variety of event spaces are available on the ASU campus including a 316-seat auditorium, 550-seat lecture hall, and additional meeting rooms.
West Memphis
ExploreWestMemphis.com; @CityOfWestMemphis
West Memphis offers small-town attractions minutes from the big city amenities of Memphis that can be accessed on foot via Big River Crossing, a Mississippi River pedestrian bridge. The bridge connects to Big River Trail, with more than five miles of paved trails for walking or biking along the river and through the West Memphis flood plain.
The main event space in West Memphis is the Civic Center Complex, which includes the 1,000-seat Civic Auditorium and the Eugene Woods Civic Center, with space to accommodate 400 meeting guests. According to the West Memphis CVB, there are 1,400 guest rooms in the city. The Southland Casino Hotel offers two private dining areas and meeting space for 100 guests; Radisson Hotel West Memphis has 121 guest rooms and 7,000 square feet of meeting space; and Comfort Inn & Suites has 1,444 square feet of meeting space.
Northwest
Bentonville
VisitBentonville.com; @VisitBentonville
Bentonville fills a distinctive niche for meetings and events, says Kim Krutsch, director of sales for Visit Bentonville. “We have a unique collection of world-class amenities, all near downtown, with great culinary experiences and fine art, plus outdoor recreation opportunities, especially mountain biking and hiking,” she says.
Bentonville touts the “unconventional convention” spread among multiple venues offering unique experiences, professional education, and work-fun balance. “In our downtown, we have multiple locations all within a few blocks where you can break the mold and let your participants enjoy a walkable outdoor meeting experience,” Krutsch says.
Bentonville is a great destination to bring the family to, she notes. “Folks with young children can enjoy numerous playgrounds at Bentonville parks; ride bikes; and visit the Amazeum, our hands-on science museum that is fun for all ages. For spouses and older children, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a great place to spend a day or two diving into the art collection, library, and miles of trails,” Krutsch says. “Bentonville History Museum, Museum of Native American History, and the Walmart Museum Heritage Lab are also great options. The opportunities for biking and hiking could occupy a family for days. If you’re new to mountain biking, Bentonville has several bike guide services where you can try out biking on progressive trails.”
Ledger Bentonville, a new event venue, offers both meeting space and a unique six-story exterior walking or biking route ramp. “A journey from the first floor to the roof is approximately three-quarters of a mile. Along the way, you can spot artwork and enjoy incredible photo ops,” Krutsch says.
Inside, Ledger has hi-tech meeting spaces with 28 small breakout rooms, a classroom that seats 59 people, a boardroom, and a top-floor multipurpose room and outdoor gathering space offering 360-degree views and space to seat 65 people for a meeting.
Bentonville has 2,389 guest rooms with three new hotels currently under construction, including an AC by Marriott on the new Walmart headquarters campus, set to open in summer 2024. Larger hotels with event space include Four Points by Sheraton, with 105 guest rooms and event space to host 550 people; Doubletree by Hilton, with 140 guest rooms and 8,162 total square feet of function space; and a 104-room 21c Museum Hotel, with 12,000 square feet of meeting space in six galleries.
Unique offsite venues include Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, with 12 indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces to accommodate 600 people; the Momentary, with eight meeting spaces for 4,000 people; Record, with 8,100 square feet of indoor and 2,600 square feet of outdoor event space; and numerous classroom, event, and meeting spaces at NorthWest Arkansas Community College. Thaden Fieldhouse at Thaden Field, a municipal airport, has meeting and exhibit space to accommodate 300 people and offers unique excursion opportunities with canoe rentals, fishing, and scenic flights.
Construction began on a $34 million terminal renovation project at Northwest Arkansas National Airport, which serves the entire region. According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the work will take about two years to complete and will include new baggage-handling equipment, information desks, and flight information displays, plus new flooring, lighting, and a canopy over the drop-off area.
Eureka Springs
VisitEurekaSprings.com; @Eureka_Springs; @EurekaSprings
Eureka Springs is known for its rich history, warm hospitality, scenic beauty, and not having one stoplight in the entire town, according to Visit Eureka Springs. The entire downtown of well-preserved Victorian-era architecture, set on winding streets with local shops and restaurants, art galleries, spas, and historic hotels, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The area has attracted tourists for more than 100 years, thanks to its 60-plus natural springs. Attendees can enjoy the surrounding natural environment of forests, lakes, and rivers, along with family-friendly area attractions, including the vintage Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. The city also is home to the seven-story-tall Christ of the Ozarks statue and The Great Passion Play, an outdoor drama staged since 1968.
According to Arkansas Tourism, the main event venue in the city is The Auditorium, opened in 1928, which seats 984 in the balcony and main floor. The 1905 Basin Park Hotel has 61 guest rooms, a full-service spa, and three main event spaces. The hotel features a grand ballroom with original stained-glass windows and hardwood floors that can host 250 people; the Barefoot Ballroom and Foyer holds 150; and the glass-ceiling Atrium seats 40. Set on 15 acres near downtown, the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa has 72 guest rooms and four cottages, a full-service spa, a fine dining restaurant, and indoor space for 350 people plus additional outdoor garden and gazebo space. Both historic hotels offer paranormal and ghost tours.
Fayetteville
ExperienceFayetteville.com; @FayettevilleAR
Fayetteville is a city with its own unique personality, says Tina Archer-Cope, vice president of sales for Experience Fayetteville. “We’re where the beautiful Boston and Ozark mountain ranges are the backdrop for any meeting, and as a university city, our vibrant downtown provides plenty of art, entertainment, and local culinary delights,” Archer-Cope says. “When you ‘Meet us on the Square,’ you’re within walking distance to historical buildings that host restaurants, the oldest taproom in the state, a Korean Noraebang karaoke establishment, and coffee shops for that morning wake-me-up.”
Home to the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, Fayetteville is a thriving college town with a vibrant downtown arts and music scene and the popular Dickson Street Entertainment District. Fayetteville provides many opportunities for group excursions, teambuilding, and family entertainment before or after meetings. “We’re a very family-friendly city, with parks and a botanical garden to explore; a trampoline park; and Arcadia, a vintage arcade,” Archer-Cope says. “For those who want to extend their stay, Fayetteville is a great basecamp for a float on the Buffalo, America’s first National River.”
There are also hiking trails minutes from downtown at Kessler Mountain, electric scooter rentals, indoor climbing walls, and several newly designed pickleball facilities.
Fayetteville Public Library recently opened a new 8,018-square-foot event space for theater presentations or banquets seating 700 people. The library expansion also includes the Innovation Center, with a green room for photography, a podcast booth, a sound studio, industrial profession simulators for training, and a 3D print lab.
Hotels and venues include Graduate Fayetteville, with 234 guest rooms and 12,000 square feet of meeting space; Hilton Garden Inn Fayetteville, with 115 guest rooms and 9,226 square feet of function space; the 107-room Hyatt Place Fayetteville, with 1,753 square feet of event space; and the 114-room Courtyard by Marriott, with 1,573 square feet of meeting space.
Unique venues in the city include Fayetteville Town Center, with a 14,000-square-foot ballroom that seats 700 people for dinners and additional breakout rooms and outdoor spaces; Arkansas Air & Military Museum, with more than 2,000 artifacts and a 15,000-square-foot airplane hangar facility; Mount Sequoyah, with 10 classrooms, a 400-seat auditorium, and a variety of lodging options; and TheatreSquared, with two theaters, galleries, rooftop terrace, and other meeting spaces.
The historic Inn at Carnall Hall, located on the University of Arkansas campus, is a boutique hotel with several indoor and outdoor spaces to host 400 guests. The Walton Arts Center, located downtown, features a 1,201-seat main theater, a smaller theater, and other indoor and outdoor event spaces.
Fort Smith
MeetInFortSmith.com; @ExpFortSmith
Fort Smith is where the “New South” meets the “Old West,” says Amy Jones, director of sales for the Fort Smith CVB. “We have a rich legacy as the original gateway to the American West and a modern reputation as a celebrated contemporary outdoor art destination. Visitors can take a tour of Miss Laura’s, once one of the grandest bordellos in the West and the first to be preserved on the National Register of Historic Places,” Jones states. “They can relive a history that inspired True Grit; view more than 40,000 artifacts in our Museum of History; take a tour on board a historic 1926 electric streetcar; and tour Chaffee Barbershop, where Elvis received his infamous military buzz cut.”
Art can be viewed at the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum and through The Unexpected, a growing gallery of public art sculptures and murals throughout downtown.
The big news is the official opening of the United States Marshals Museum, with full exhibits this summer honoring the federal law enforcement agency that has been in operation since 1789. As an event venue, the facility has 12,826 square feet of usable space, with classrooms, a boardroom, a multipurpose room, and an atrium with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Arkansas River.
The city’s largest event space is the Fort Smith Convention Center, featuring a column-free, 40,000-square-foot exhibit hall, eight breakout rooms, two rotundas, and a 1,331-seat theater. Connected to the center, the Wyndham Fort Smith has 255 guest rooms and 15,800 square feet of event space. The nearby Courtyard by Marriott has 138 guest rooms and four meeting rooms. Adjacent to all of this, the historic Bakery District offers multiple indoor and outdoor event spaces, including a 5,900-square-foot patio to accommodate 400 people.
Additional event space includes TempleLive, which seats 1,200 people in theater-style seating and has four meeting rooms and three banquet spaces, and facilities at Kay Rodgers Park, with a 24,000-square-foot Expo Center and three meeting rooms.
Rogers
DestinationRogersArkansas.com; @DestinationRogers; @VisitRogers
Rogers has plenty to make it attractive to event planners, says Luke Wiggins, director of sales for Destination Rogers. “First is our location in the beautiful Ozark Mountains foothills, near the geographic center of the country. Also, we are in a metro area of 560,000 people and home to Walmart, Tyson Foods, and J.B. Hunt Transport, all of which have been catalysts for immense growth,” Wiggins explains. “Northwest Arkansas specializes in supply chain and logistics, retail technology, and food innovation, which means organizations in these industries and others can tap into globally respected leadership and expertise by hosting their events here.”
Wiggins notes the area around the 400-room Embassy Suites and Rogers Convention Center, which together offer 125,000 square feet of event space, has experienced $2 billion in private development in the past 15 years. The area also offers planners excursion opportunities with boutiques and bakeries downtown, the Daisy Airgun Museum, and free summer weekend concerts at Railyard Park. Other entertainment options for all ages include art galleries; biking trails; the Rogers Aquatic Center; and attractions on and around Beaver Lake, including War Eagle Cavern, which offers custom experiences for group events.
Other facilities with event space include Topgolf Northwest Arkansas, with space for company events and teambuilding; Walmart AMP (Arkansas Music Pavilion), a 9,000-plus capacity performance venue; and Courtyard by Marriott at Pinnacle Hills, with 122 guest rooms and space to host 300 meeting guests. A 130-room Aloft offers two event spaces for 55 guests.
Springdale
ExploreSpringdale.com; @ExploreSpringdale; @SpringdaleAP
Springdale has plenty going on that people may not know, says Wes Oliver, director of communications for Explore Springdale. “For starters, we are the largest city in northwest Arkansas. We’re also the home of three-time Country Music Awards Musician of the Year winner, Jenee Fleenor, and the NWA Naturals baseball team, the AA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals,” Oliver says. “We also have an amazing culinary scene, and we have the only hard cidery in the state, Black Apple, located
in downtown.”
The city offers a great center for the entire region, Oliver says. “Springdale straddles I-49 and is just 10 minutes away from concerts at the Walmart AMP, 20 minutes from the renowned Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and 15 minutes away from the University of Arkansas campus and athletic venues,” he says. The city has more than 1,600 guest rooms with a new Holiday Inn Express set to open this year. The Holiday Inn & Northwest Arkansas Convention Center has 206 rooms and 61,000 total square feet of meeting space with 23 meeting rooms, while Home2Suites by Hilton has 4,000 square feet of function space.
Other event spaces in the city include the 29,000-square-foot Springdale Civic Center; Arvest Ballpark, with indoor and outdoor suites and a party deck that accommodates 100 guests; the Jones Center, with a 340-seat auditorium and a conference capacity of 216 guests; Springdale Country Club, with a 26,000-square-foot clubhouse; Heroncrest Event Center, with banquet seating for 600 and 6,000 square feet of outdoor event space; and The Apollo on Emma, a historic space in downtown that can accommodate 646 guests indoors with additional outdoor venues. Sassafras Springs Vineyard & Winery offers tastings and tours, full dining, GoElDorado.comand a variety of indoor and outdoor event spaces.
Southwest
El Dorado
MainStreetEldorado.com; GoElDorado.com; @MainStreetElDorado
Beth Brumley, executive director of Main Street El Dorado, says her city is special for many reasons. “First: authentic Southern hospitality. A big part of the attraction of El Dorado is our historic downtown, with more than 13 restaurants, 12 boutiques, lodging, and the El Dorado Conference Center, all within walking distance of each other,” Brumley says. “There’s a reason USA Today named us the ‘Best Small Town Cultural Scene’ and why we are a Great American Main Street winner. We also offer fun for the whole family, like the farmers market, Murphy Arts District (MAD), museums, and festivals year-round. There is so much to do, and you get almost anywhere by car in 15 minutes or less.”
The city’s largest event space is El Dorado Conference Center, a multipurpose venue with six breakout rooms and a large space to seat 600 people. Other event spaces in the city include the 1,800-seat Municipal Auditorium and spaces in the MAD, including the First Financial Music Hall that can host 2,000 for concerts.
The city has around 400 guest rooms, including 80 rooms at The Haywood El Dorado, Tapestry Collection by Hilton and 32 suites at the recently renovated Union Square Guest Quarters, both downtown.
Hot Springs
HotSprings.org; @VisitHotSprings
Set in the Ouachita Mountains with easy access from Interstate 30 and Highway 70, Hot Springs offers beautiful views, a national park, and great convention service, says Tammy Clampet, director of sales for Visit Hot Springs.
“We also have the largest convention center in the state with 360,000 square feet of meeting space that includes 15 meeting rooms and 108,000 square feet of contiguous space,” she says. “Its close location to downtown allows attendees easy walkable access to dining, shopping, galleries, and museums. Combine all that with great value and great service, and it makes Hot Springs
a perfect destination.”
According to Clampet, the city has welcomed two new dining spots that use unique, local sources. “Origami Sake sources water exclusively from the Ouachita Mountains and rice grown right here in Arkansas to create some of the finest sake in the world,” Clampet notes. “Superior Bathhouse Brewery is the only operating brewery within the National Park System and now offers a new patio beside Arlington Park.” The brewery uses thermal spring water to brew its beer. Also new, 420Eats Food Truck Court features several food trucks, drinks, and live entertainment a block from the convention center.
Downtown’s Hot Springs National Park, which was land set aside for preservation by President Andrew Jackson in 1832 predating Yellowstone National Park, is just one of several neighborhoods in the city, Clampet says. “Hot Springs Northwoods Trails has multiuse trails and bikes to rent; Lake Hamilton has all sorts of lake experiences; and Midtown’s Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort offers thoroughbred racing from December through May, along with a newly expanded casino and dining experiences, including the new Mainline Sports Bar, a family-friendly sports-themed experience with Topgolf Swing Suites,” Clampet says. Oaklawn also has 200 guest rooms and 18,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Doubletree by Hilton Hot Springs, which overlooks Lake Hamilton, offers 142 guest rooms and 8,170 square feet of event space to accommodate
300 guests.
Additional convention hotels in the city include Hotel Hot Springs, with 196 guest rooms and 7,000 square feet of event space; the landmark Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa, with 500 guest rooms and 8,250 square feet of function space to accommodate 650 for dinners; and Embassy Suites by Hilton
Hotel & Spa, with 246 guest rooms and 3,400 square feet of event space. Other hotels include The Waters Hot Springs, Tapestry Collection by Hilton with 62 guest rooms, and the 98-room Courtyard by Marriott that can seat 100 for dinners.
Texarkana
Texarkana.org; @TexarkanaChamberofCommerce
Texarkana is located on the Texas border and has a twin city in the Lone Star State. It is home to the only post office in the country that straddles a border, sitting in two states with two separate zip codes. The historic building is made of pink Texas granite and white Arkansas limestone.
The city’s main event space is the Texarkana Convention Center, with 25,000 square feet of function space including a ballroom that can seat 1,000 dinner guests and a 5,600-square-foot outdoor patio. The center connects to a 154-room Hilton Garden Inn.
Texarkana is also near the borders of Louisiana and Oklahoma, and the Four States Fair and Rodeo is an annual April event celebrating this geographic feature. The fairgrounds host numerous events throughout the year and have several spaces, including the 6,500-capacity Entertainment Center, the Fine Arts Building that seats 350, and classroom space at the Ag Learning Center.
The Texarkana Regional Arts & Humanities Council offers event space for 150 guests at Cabe Hall at the Regional Arts Center, set inside a historic 1911 federal courthouse
