The Museum of Regional History, housed in the oldest brick building in Texarkana, has a special exhibit dedicated to native son Scott Joplin, pioneer of ragtime music, as well as displays of local history and a research library. Built in 1885, the nearby Ace of Clubs House, a huge Italianate mansion with three octagonal wings connected to a rectangular wing, is meant to evoke the look of the game-winning card. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the home, which is open for tours on Saturday and on other days by appointment, features a spiral staircase and a 20-foot tower. The mansion's rooms, decorated with furnishings typical of each decade of the home’s existence, convey a “walk through history.” The Patrick J. Ahearn House -- open to groups by appointment only -- has its original 1906 combination gas and electric light fixtures and period furnishings.
Holiday Springs Water Park has kiddie pools, a sand castle play area, slides, a wave pool and a lazy river. While the attractions at the water park are primarily designed to appeal to children, there is an adult pool, and cabanas are available for rent. Musical Tesla coils, a variation on Nikola Tesla’s solid state coils, are the high point of the Discovery Place Children's Museum, an interactive display space for youngsters. The museum, housed in a refurbished downtown retail space, has science exhibits, a restored general store and a 1920s kitchen. It also features a separate play space for children under four years of age.
The 29,260-acre lake at Millwood State Park, located about 30 miles north of Texarkana, is a frequent stop on bass fishing tournament tours. A marina rents motorized boats, canoes, kayaks, pontoon boats and water bikes. The park has birding and biking trails, as well as a 115-site campground with primitive and full hookup campsites. Historic Washington State Park, 30 miles northeast of Texarkana, has 30 restored 19th century buildings; guides in period dress demonstrate life in the 1800s. A tavern built in 1832 is open for lunch, serving Southern fare. The park is also the repository for the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives, an important resource for genealogists.
The annual Four States Fair and Rodeo, held in September, combines the attractions of a typical state fair -- agricultural exhibits, competitions and a midway -- with the thrills of rodeo barrel racing and roping. Organized in 1945, the fair draws visitors from Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. The Four States Auto Museum celebrates classic cars with an annual one-day car show in May, while from April through October, antique cars cruise the streets on the third Friday of every month. Railfest, a one-day event held in downtown Texarkana in May, celebrates the building of the railroad that sparked the founding of the city. The festival has live music, a beauty pageant, train rides and a barbecue cook-off.
