Things to Do in Texarkana

Texarkana isn't a city that pushes you in any one direction. It lays out in front of you a walkable downtown, a working theater from 1924, high-quality museums, and a state line that runs right through the middle of it all—adding to the city’s unmistakable character. What you do, when you do it, and the pace you do it at: it’s all entirely up to you.

Stand in Two States at Once

The single most photographed thing in Texarkana is the U.S. Post Office & Courthouse on State Line Avenue. It’s a 1932-33 Beaux Arts-styled building that has a base built from Texas’ pink granite and walls from Arkansas limestone. Literally half of the building is in Texas and the other half is in Arkansas.

At the front of the building is Photographers Island, where visitors line up for the double-dip photo-op. And yes, there’s a big sign in the background, in case your friends don’t believe you. Don’t forget to tell them the building is the only U.S. post office that operates in two states.

See a Show at the Perot Theatre

If your theater hosted the likes of Elvis and Johnny Cash, it’s officially been christened as a national treasure. Such is the case for The Perot Theatre in Texarkana, which opened in the 1920s and still hosts a full season of events today. Texarkana Symphony Orchestra concerts, Broadway tours, ballet, stand-up, and the occasional legacy act round out the calendar from fall through spring.

The house holds 1,400 seats under Italian Renaissance detailing, all restored in the 1980s by Ross Perot, the theater’s namesake, when he decided his hometown deserved to keep its theater. A little tip: buy tickets in advance, as small-market shows can sell out faster than you'd expect.

Spend an Afternoon in the Arts

We all know the best way to get to know a city is on foot. Downtown Texarkana, in particular, rewards a slow walk. The 1894 Gallery inside the old City Market Building shows work from more than ninety regional artists across two floors, with floating walls that let you see pieces from every angle. TRAHC operates two more venues nearby: the Regional Arts Center (a repurposed 1909 federal courthouse that now hosts free exhibitions) and TRAHC ArtSpace on Pine, which handles community programming and rotating shows. Between them, plan on at least a dozen murals along the walking route. Scott Joplin, Dr Pepper, and Joseph Raymond's 125-foot "Colors of Life" are the ones locals point out first.

Cruise Through the Four States Auto Museum

An old service station in the middle of downtown, now filled with cars from a hundred years of American driving. The Four States Auto Museum leans into rotating exhibits rather than a fixed collection, so what's on the floor depends on when you visit. You could find pre-war Fords, muscle cars, or a deep dive into a particular decade. Period signage, gas pumps, and ephemera fill the walls between the vehicles. Even if you’re not a car person, the sheer number of colorful, stylish old vehicles remind one how much car manufacturers—and their customers—valued the art of standing out.   

Tour a House Built on a Card Game

The Ace of Clubs Historical Home is the kind of building you won’t soon forget. James H. Draughon put it up in 1885, allegedly with poker winnings. According to legend, his winning card was the ace of clubs, so he built his house in that shape. Three octagonal wings and a rectangular one, joined at the center, form a literal playing-card silhouette from above. The interior is Italianate Victorian, which you can see for yourself, as the building is now preserved as a museum and is a National Register property. The P.J. Ahern Home, a 1906 Classical Revival across town, is worth pairing with it if you have the time.

Get the Scoop on the Regional Story

The Museum of Regional History sits inside the oldest brick building in the city and tells the regional story. That includes Caddo pottery, Spanish and French exploration, the railroad boom that put Texarkana on the map, civil rights history, and World War II. It's also the designated welcome center for the district, so you can pick up brochures and get pointed toward whatever else you missed. Not a bad idea to make this your first stop.

Shop Local, Eat Well, and Bring Home Some Books

The retail side of downtown is smaller boutiques and independent bookstores rather than chain storefronts. Moonstone & Moss and Crystal Moon handle the boutique clothing and gift side. Bookhound and The Stained Page cover the reading crowd (the latter doubling as a coffee shop). Vintage and antique hunters should set sights on the shops inside the 1894 City Market. And if your timing lines up, the monthly 1894 Second Saturday Trade Days brings in farmers, pickers, craftspeople, and artists for a bigger open-air market on the same block.

Venture Beyond the City

The city's outdoor scene starts about fifteen minutes from the courthouse. Wright Patman Lake is the big one: a 20,000-acre reservoir south of town with fishing, boating, and camping year-round. Spring Lake Park is closer in, better for a shorter visit, and works well for kids. Bringle Lake offers quieter paddling water and bank fishing without the crowds. Big Dam Waterpark is the antidote for the summer heat. For a bigger day, Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas—the only public diamond mine in the world open to the public—is about ninety minutes east. Yes, you can keep what you find. But, you know, you heard about the place from us and there’s treasure hunter etiquette to think about…