Any good list of things to do in Fort Smith will include the U.S. Marshals Museum — one of the best tourist sites in Arkansas. For going on 235 years now, marshals have chased and apprehended fugitives — and we all love it when the good guys get the bad guys, right?

Travel from the lawless Wild West to scenes of marshals slapping shackles on 1900s crooks. See vivid images you may recognize from 21st-century threats, too, and you’ll get perspective on the marshals’ work in current times.

The likes of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the South’s own Bass Reeves have taken up the “Justice, Integrity, Service” motto and work of the U.S. Marshals. Tough times called for tough men (and women) — and they still do.

“You can run, but you’re just going to go to jail tired.” 

— Deputy U.S. Marshal Kevin Connolly, CARFTF (Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force)

 You’ll enjoy the United States Marshals Museum if you like:

  • History (duh)
  • The battle of good vs. evil
  • Fun, interactive learning
  • Guns and gold
  • Real-life tales from real people
  • Interactive simulators (bring your running shoes)

Does that cover everyone? I’d surely think so.

There are plenty of tourism, travel, and business websites from within Fort Smith and beyond that detail exhibits at the museum, a crown jewel for downtown Fort Smith. But I have an idea of what you want to know right off the bat:

  • Is this a good travel adventure for the whole family?
  • Are there secrets revealed within the U.S. Marshals Museum?
  • What do U.S. marshals do, anyway?
  • Where are the bathrooms? (Hey … when ya gotta go, ya gotta go)

Let’s explore.

Everyone Wins with Interactive Exhibits for Kids and Adults Alike

Seasoned families that travel know it’s almost impossible to please everyone. The kids want to stare at their devices, moms and dads want to enjoy the sights, and Grandma just needs to sit down for a minute.

Once again, the U.S. marshals have “got their man.” That is, the U.S. Marshals Museum has accomplished this difficult feat. No matter their ages, youth will be intrigued by exhibits like The Saloon, where a virtual bartender talks about characters of Wild West times across from an interactive digital poker trivia game.

The virtual bartender welcomes curious visitors in the saloon portion of the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

BELLY UP TO THE BAR: The replica saloon and its virtual bartender welcome visitors in one portion of the United States Marshals Museum near downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Something that impresses me on behalf of children at the U.S. Marshals Museum is the focus on education. Young visitors can participate in the Jr. Marshal Program, for example, by filling out a booklet as they tour each gallery. They then earn their Jr. Marshal badge lapel pin. 

I’m not a kid anymore (chronologically, anyway), but that’s pretty cool!

Those who prefer physical activity with their history will find the interactive exhibit in the Modern Marshals gallery a real highlight. When I visited, I saw both a tween and a mom standing at the exhibit’s two training stations, following instructions on the vertical touchscreens. This gives visitors a chance to try to run after fugitives and navigate simulated scenarios that marshals might face.

It is also similar to the real-life Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where marshals learn. 

Interactive stations at the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, let visitors "train" and test their skills as U.S. marshals do.

GET INTO IT: Younger or older, most visitors to the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, can try these interactive stations to test their physical skills and other vital traits that marshals need to do their work. Never fear — there are benches nearby for those of us who need to rest while the more active members of the group test their athleticism.

Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of U.S. Marshals Revealed 

The U.S. Marshals have plenty of secrets that neither you nor I will ever know. Still, there is intrigue everywhere in this national museum.

Near The Saloon and a Bass Reeves exhibit, a prison ledger from 1898-99 reveals arrests by U.S. marshals and outcomes for accused criminals in the Northern District Indian Territory of the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the country.

One “Grayson, James,” listed as white and age 54, was arrested for larceny by deputy Davis, and his case was considered by commissioner Capicoco on March 10, 1898. Grayson was ordered to pay bond on June 5, according to entries in the ledger.

His fate was much less ominous than that recorded for Joe Gillis, white and 22, who was brought in May 12, 1898, on a murder charge. And what was the penalty, listed for July 14? “Death,” says the ledger, with the word written in red ink that almost shouts itself from the page of otherwise black-hued words.

The United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, has an 1898-99 U.S. Marshals prison ledger from the federal court district that included Indian Territory on display courtesy of the Western History Collections of the University of Oklahoma.

LISTS OF LAWBREAKERS: An 1898-99 U.S. Marshals prison ledger from the federal court district that included Indian Territory gives a glimpse of offenses such as larceny, kidnapping, and even murder. The United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, has the ledger courtesy of the Western History Collections of the University of Oklahoma.

Although not “secrets” per se, the U.S. Marshals Museum near downtown Fort Smith does reveal “Marshals by the Numbers,” including:

  • 94: the number of federal court districts and, therefore, the number of U.S. marshals.
  • 3,561: as of 2022, the number of deputy marshals and criminal investigators for the U.S. Marshals.
  • 2,700: the approximate number of federal judges protected by marshals.

Must-See Collections Spotlight the Work of the U.S. Marshals

Interactive exhibits are plentiful in the U.S. Marshals Museum, and they give downtown Fort Smith visitors a more up-close-and-personal look at the wide range of work that these law enforcers do: protecting witnesses, supporting the federal court system in many capacities, and a whole lot more.

The collections in the museum include badges and guns used by marshals throughout the decades. Get a close look at the Colt single-action Army revolver that Bass Reeves carried, for example. View the eyeglasses and necktie that Henry “Bud” Carlson was wearing in 1985 when he was attacked by a prisoner being transported.

Safety and security connected to federal trials are more complex duties that U.S. marshals face. An exhibit of weapons fabricated by prisoners and seized by marshals caught my eye. 

One "shiv” was made of a thick wire and was at least 12 inches long.

The massive foyer of the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, is an appropriately cavernous space that reflects the large law enforcement role that marshals play for the nation.

OPEN SPACES: The impressive foyer of the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, allows the entrance (left), the exterior (center), the cafe (right), and the galleries (behind the photographer) to meet under the star symbol of the marshals.

Accommodations and Accessibility at the U.S. Marshals Museum

Travel tasks always include locating convenient and clean bathrooms. The U.S. Marshals Museum building has those facilities just beside the main entrance, which also happens to be, on the other side, handy to the main galleries and exhibits, too. We all know from years of experience that finding the bathroom can be a big deal for everyone from parents with little ones to folks with bladders more than 40 years old.

Multiple spots within the U.S. Marshals Museum offer movie theater-like setups with history for the viewing and, naturally, seats for the sitting. Actually, I noticed benches throughout the exhibits for anyone who wants to stop and “take a load off.” There are wheelchairs to borrow and no stairs in sight, a relief for those who are more limited in their mobility.

Curbless drive-up access to the entrance is the first sign of excellent handicap accessible features at the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

EASY PEASY: The entrance of the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, near downtown Fort Smith offers direct drive-up and drop-off access to the front door without so much as a curb to navigate, a courtesy for those who aren’t as mobile as others that continues inside the modern facility.

The museum offers a bit of food and drink for visitors with its cafe. The Outpost is the name of the facility’s in-house gift shop, located next to the main entrance/exit.

Don’t forget to explore the grounds of the U.S. Marshals Museum, located right on the banks of the Arkansas River and north of downtown Fort Smith. The outside museum highlight here is the bronze monument titled “The Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma "Lighthorse” by Cherokee artist Daniel HorseChief.

Info to Go: Museum Parking, Hours, and Admission

The parking is easy to access and relatively plentiful at the United States Marshals Museum. The site is a bit “out in the open” currently so most folks will need to drive to get there.

As Fort Smith grows, though, you can bet there will be more fun stuff to find within easy walking distance.

I hope you’ll stop by and spend some time to enjoy this impressive museum! It’s a real Fort Smith gem.

Flags for the United States, the State of Arkansas, and the United States Marshals Museum fly as a trio at the entrance of the museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

WAVING HELLO AND GOODBYE: The U.S., State of Arkansas, and United States Marshals Museum flags overlook downtown Fort Smith. They greet visitors and bid them farewell, too, at the museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas.