Marshals, mi xao and Miss Laura's: Is Fort Smith cool? (2024)

Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism

Anyone who wrote Fort Smith’s obituary when the city’s manufacturing jobs dwindled about 15 years ago should think again. Despite living in the shadow of its trendier neighbors to the north (we see you, Bentonville), Arkansas’s frontier town and third-largest city had so much happening on a Saturday in May that I was left wondering “Is Fort Smith cool?” On a warm Saturday, the downtown area brimmed with people thanks to an enormous motorcycle rally that brought boatloads of bikes and lots of leather. The bikers (all amiable, defying stereotypes) walked along the downtown streets, packed a patio for live music and visited local historic sites. I did likewise, and after a day exploring Fort Smith’s frontier history and eclectic dining scene, left with regrets that I didn’t have more time to see all The Fort had to offer.

Belle Starr Antiques and Vintage Market
410 N. B St.

Maybe it was the large colorful mural of frontier lawman Bass Reeves on the side of the building — one of many artsy murals in town — but something compelled me, on impulse, to pull into this antiques market named for a famous female outlaw who hung out with the likes of Jesse James. Inside, I found some relics that piqued my interest (old signs for beer and gas stations) and some that didn’t (a painting of a rooster). I perused the vinyl records looking for a Jimmy Buffett album for my Parrothead wife but didn’t find one. An old album of Arkansas native Glen Campbell’s watched over me as I shuffled through the old records. On my way out, two employees told me a little about the gun-wielding Starr and said she happened to be the mother of Pearl Starr, a local prostitute who worked at a former brothel nearby.

Griffin Coop

Miss Laura’s Visitor Center
2 N. B St.

In my estimation, Miss Laura’s Social Club is the most interesting place in the state’s most interesting city. In the early 1900s, Fort Smith had a Red-Light District where prostitution was legal and regulated, and where employees were required to obtain business permits to allow them to ply their trade. Today, Miss Laura’s is open for tours and serves as the city’s visitor center. My tour guide, a very knowledgeable woman named Jacqulyn West, said her child tells others that their mother works in a brothel — and, of course, does not provide any additional context. Kudos to the kid for having a good sense of humor. West described Fort Smith’s bordello past in great detail and said the town had about seven legal brothels at one time. Miss Laura’s was the highest-end bordello of the bunch, though, and customers needed a formal recommendation to become a patron. Miss Laura’s operated as a brothel from 1904 to 1948, although prostitution was technically outlawed in the city in 1924. The house operated with nine rooms, 10 if you count the madam’s, and the ladies lived in the house fulltime — as opposed to other houses, where employees likely worked in shifts. Over the years the house fell into disrepair but a short-lived restaurant venture, also called Miss Laura’s Social club, gave it the TLC it needed to bring it back to life. The house has several rooms decorated as they would have been during the brothel’s heyday. Items on display include a condom case that would have carried reusable condoms (yep, you read that correctly), sold as a contraband contraceptive; condoms were not legal for family planning purposes at the time. Some of the rooms upstairs are used as offices today, which seems like a missed opportunity to tell more of the story of the only Arkansas bordello on the National Register of Historic Places. West said a gift shop is on the cusp of opening.

Griffin Coop

Vinnie’s Pies
200 N. 13th St.

As many customers of Miss Laura’s undoubtedly did, I worked up quite an appetite at the brothel. I wound my way through some temporary street closures, eventually landing at a New York-style pizzeria called Vinnie’s Pies. Available for sale by the slice were pepperoni, buffalo chicken, spicy Sicilian and several others. I settled on four slices and some garlic knots, more than enough for two people. Most of the slices were in the big triangular New York pizza style that requires the eater to fold it to get it from plate to mouth. One of the slices was a thicker Sicilian style, cut into a rectangular shape. The joint was relaxed and unpretentious, with a vintage NBA Jam arcade game — the sort of place you’d go for a family night, an after-work hang with co-workers or an end-of-season trophy presentation for a ball team.

Griffin Coop

La Nueva Michoacana
1820 S. C St.

The digital menu in this vibrant Mexican ice cream shop whizzes by way too fast to fully consider your options, so I ordered the Krazy Pineapple ($10) and watched with amazement as the woman behind the counter loaded more and more items into a hollowed-out pineapple half. The younger woman at the register told me not to worry about the dark red stuff being brushed onto the fruits and candies in the pineapple, assuring me it was not spicy. (Later, I’d conclude that spicy is in the palate of the beholder; order accordingly.) The pineapple monstrosity had gummy bears, a rolled-up tape candy that might have been tamarind-flavored, savory chips, pineapple chunks, crunchy nuts and much more. I didn’t love it, but I’m definitely glad I tried it. I also had a delightful strawberry-coconut-kiwi popsicle (about $3.50) from a freezer stocked with a wide assortment of popsicles and flavors.

U.S. Marshals Museum
789 Riverfront Drive

After lunch, my next stop was Fort Smith’s main attraction: the Marshals Museum, which is situated downtown on a picturesque bank of the Arkansas River. The museum, which opened last year, seemed to take forever to build after the Feds selected Fort Smith as the museum site in 2007. The patience and persistence paid off, though. The large lobby with its high ceiling and natural light, is polished and inviting. On the day I visited, admission was free (it’s normally $15 for adults) and the lobby was filled with antique motorcycles, presumably part of a contest. I headed over to the gallery to check out the exhibits, which tell the story of the marshals from their formation in the country’s early days to their role protecting people during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. There are references to the marshals’ (regrettable) requirement to assist slave owners in tracking down fugitive slaves but also a nod to Frederick Douglass, who became the first Black federal marshal. There are interactive exhibits and a wall dedicated to the marshals’ depictions in popular culture as well as some of the marshals’ notable work in Arkansas. I came away wishing I had dedicated more time to the museum; a nerd like myself could have easily spent more than an hour going through all the history and exhibits. If you linger longer than I did and need a rest before heading out, the museum also has a cafe with plenty of seating.

Green Papaya
4412 Grand Ave.

Discovering that Pad Thai Cuisine, my top choice among Fort Smith’s Southeast Asian restaurants, was closed for Lao New Year, I headed to Green Papaya, where the speakers played instrumental versions of familiar songs (“How Do I Live” by Lee Ann Rimes, for example) and a fish tank adorned the back wall. Looking to try a Vietnamese dish other than pho, I landed on the mi xao tofu (stir-fried egg noodles with tofu and vegetables for $10.95) and cha gio (two fried egg rolls for $3.95). I might stick with the pho next time; the noodle dish was a little greasy for my liking. Penciled in for my next visit: a restaurant called Noodles and Crawfish.

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More to see in Fort Smith

The Bakery District
70 S. Seventh St.

This transformed former bakery includes food vendors, an indie book shop, a bar, a co-working space and regular events like yoga and trivia.

Ed Walker’s drive-in & restaurant
1500 Towson Ave.

As famous for its hefty French dip sandwiches as it is for being one of the last relics in the country where you can get carhop service for beer, Ed Walker’s is must-do retro.

Temple Live
200 N. 11th St.

This former Masonic Temple has been converted into a concert venue that will host shows by The Wallflowers, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, John Michael Montgomery and more this fall.

Fort Smith Regional Art Museum
1601 Rogers Ave.

RAM, which offers free admission, has a permanent collection, exhibitions, classes for adults and kids, and lectures.

Fort Smith National Historic Site
301 Parker Ave.

Run by the National Park Service, this site tells the story of Fort Smith’s role on the frontier of the Wild Wild West.

Chaffee Crossing Area
7500 Fort Chaffee Blvd.

This new development includes a bar in a former shipping container, a distillery and whiskey tasting room, and an Italian restaurant specializing in Napolitano-style pizza.

Peacemaker Festival
121 Riverfront Drive

This annual music festival on the Arkansas River will be held Oct. 11-12 with headliners 49 Winchester and Morgan Wade.