Surrounded by nature and with a rich legacy as the gateway to the American West, Fort Smith also has a reputation for its public art, says Amy Jones, director of sales for Experience Fort Smith. “We have an ever-increasing number of incredible public art pieces. 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,” Jones says.
“Additionally, we are incredibly easy to get to by road with convenient interstate access, and our Fort Smith Regional Airport (FSM) has daily jet service from Dallas/Fort Worth,” she adds.
In Fort Smith, planners will find more than 2,750 guest rooms and space to accommodate large events, with a new Element by Marriott set to open later this summer. The Fort Smith Convention Center has a column-free, 40,000-square-foot exhibit hall, eight breakout rooms, two rotundas, and a 1,331-seat theater. Connected to the convention center, Wyndham Fort Smith has 255 guest rooms offering river or skyline views, and 15,800 square feet of column-free function space, plus additional ballroom and meeting rooms.
Adjacent to the convention center, 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 in town includes TempleLive, which seats 1,200 people theater style and has four meeting rooms and three banquet spaces; the 138-room Courtyard by Marriott, with four meeting rooms; and facilities at Kay Rodgers Park, with a 24,000-square-foot Expo Center and three meeting rooms.
Recently completed and now fully opened, the National U.S. Marshals Museum honors the federal law-enforcement system in place since 1789 and its role in Fort Smith and throughout the West. The museum offers an atrium, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Arkansas River, and 14,000 square feet of event space.
