Texarkana offers a range of experiences, including parks and trails, theater history, historic architecture, and exhibitions. If you’re looking for hotels in Texarkana, you can start by considering whether outdoor activities or cultural venues will play a bigger role in your stay. Local offerings provide specific points of reference—from trails with named starting and ending points to exhibitions and stage performances.
Parks and Trails in Texarkana
Spring Lake Park covers 145 acres and includes a spring-fed lake. The 1.75-mile Phillip McDougal Walking/Biking Trail runs through the entire park, giving you a clearly named route through the park landscape. The park is also home to the Rotary Splash Pad. Its seasonal operating schedule may vary; if the facility is important to your trip, check before your visit to make sure it will be open during your travel dates.
Bringle Lake Park East offers another specific point of reference for planning: the 8-acre park has a floating fishing pier. It is also the starting point for the Bringle Lake Boardwalk, which leads to Bringle Lake West Park. If you’re interested in trails, you can distinguish this route from descriptions of two other trails: a 10-foot-wide wilderness biking and hiking trail starts at Bringle Lake East and leads to the Waterworks Spillway; it is approximately 2 miles long. The Bringle Lake Wilderness Area also has a mountain biking trail that starts in Bringle Lake East Park and winds through the wilderness area.
Theater and Architecture
The Perot Theatre combines a history as a theater with specific performance venues: it was built as the Saenger Theatre in 1924 and reopened as the renovated Perot Theatre in 1980. Today, it is the main performance venue for the professional Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and hosts performances by the Texarkana Community Ballet. These two connections show that the building can be appreciated both for its history and for its stage program. If you want to attend a specific performance, check the dates in advance.
The Ace of Clubs House, by contrast, stands out for its architecture. Built by J. H. Draughan in 1884, the house has three groups of octagonal rooms that open onto a rotunda. Long rectangular rooms lie behind them. This description of the sequence of rooms offers a specific look at the building’s distinctive layout without requiring any general knowledge of architecture.
Exhibitions, Border Sites, and a Local Market
TRAHC offers free year-round exhibitions in its galleries. Two additional sites are connected to the state border: the Texarkana U.S. Post Office at 500 State Line is located in both Texas and Arkansas. Photographer’s Island offers the chance to take a photo while standing on the border between Texas and Arkansas. The Scott Joplin Mural depicts Scott Joplin’s life and achievements. Each site offers its own distinctive focus—with galleries, a unique connection to the border, or a mural about a particular person.
The Texarkana Texas Farmers’ Market may also factor into your choice of travel dates: it is a seasonal outdoor market featuring locally grown produce. Since the market schedule is seasonal, check the current dates before visiting. This will help you align your expectations for the market with your planned travel dates.
For the broader travel overview: Bowie.
