Visit to the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith

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Disclosure: I was provided hosted tickets in exchange for helping to promote the opening of the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

If you are planning a visit into western Arkansas or simply want to explore something new in Arkansas, the new United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith is a must! My family attended the opening-day ribbon cutting, and we were able to explore this incredibly well-planned museum. Read on for our thoughts on the interactive exhibits, and why we think this is a family-friendly venue.

entry to an exhibit at the United States Marshals Museum

Granted, I didn’t know a whole lot about the U.S. Marshals history before visiting the museum. But I guess that is the point of visiting a museum – to learn new things! And not only did we learn about the history of the U.S. marshals, but we also learned about the passion of the people behind this museum and the preparations for the museum itself.

We learned of all the ways the Federal Marshals have been serving and bettering our country since 1789 – when President George Washington first created the U.S. Marshals Service.

Fun fact: there is a room in the museum named the 1789 room! How cool is that?

Top 5 Things I Learned About the U.S. Marshals Museum Project

The project is complete in 2023, after 16 years in the making. Fort Smith was designated as the location for the one-of-a-kind U.S. Marshals Museum in 2007 by the director of the U.S. Marshals Service at that time.
Fort Smith was the chosen location given that more U.S. Marshals and Deputy Marshals died in this area during the Frontier than at any other place or time in history.
The building has 53,000 square feet of indoor space. Construction was started years ago, and museum curation was started by staff a good while ago, as well.
The 50 million dollar investment for the museum comes from fundraising and generous donations of many different independent donors, foundations, and companies.
More than 16 acres of land along the Arkansas River was donated by a single family in Fort Smith for the site of the museum. This is a fitting location given that the Arkansas River was an active location for Federal Marshals at one time.

After learning all of this information about the history of the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, it was even more exciting to explore the location and see how everything has come to fruition!

The Beautiful Surroundings of the U.S. Marshals Museum

From the outside, you can tell the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith is meant to impress with its modern architecture and picturesque placement along the Arkansas River. The building itself boasts a modern star design – symbolic of the star badge worn by U.S. Marshals.

From the symbolic sculptures, the landscaping grass, and the peacefulness of the river, the museum is grand from the outside in!

sign for United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas

The Impressive Interiors of the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith

On the inside, you walk into an incredible atrium with a 40-foot star-engraved ceiling which draws the eyes up – also a nod to the star badge worn by U.S. Marshals.

atrium in star in ceiling at U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas

From the atrium, veer left to see the Hall of Honor which honors the legacy of more than 350 U.S. Marshals who lost their lives in the line of duty. This sparse area keeps the focus on a beautiful gold wall, tiled with curved bricks bearing the names of remembered U.S. Marshals.

While we were there on opening day, there were actors on hand portraying real-life Federal Marshals. Below is actor Ernest Marsh portraying legendary Bass Reeves, the first black Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi River.

actor Ernest Marsh portraying Bass Reeves at opening day activities

My husband commented that the museum felt much bigger on the inside than he had expected. It definitely is quite spacious and well laid out. When we arrived, we were given a map so we could understand the layout of the exhibits and areas.

Best Age for Visitors of the U.S. Marshals Museum

The interactive displays at the U.S. Marshals Museum are great for young and old visitors. And on opening day when we attended, there was a good number of guests from all age groups. From the interactive “How to Catch a Fugitive” game to the interactive court room exhibit, there is something for everyone!

I don’t think my daughters ever did catch the fugitive, but they sure gave it a try!

two girls trying to catch a fugitive interactive game at United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas

There is an interactive card game in the saloon as well as a small prison where your family can take prison selfies. It is clear that many things about the museum were developed with both historical learning and engagement in mind.

saloon at United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas

two little girls in jail at United States Marshals Museum exhibit

Insightful and Thought-Provoking Exhibits

There are many powerful displays at the U.S. Marshals Museum. As you walk past displays and information describing the federal Marshals’ role in the era of desegregation, you can just picture these fierce Marshals walking brave little Ruby Bridges to class on her first scary day in her new school. Likewise, you can picture the Marshals escorting a determined James Meredith to his first day of classes at University of Mississippi in 1962. And you come away feeling proud of the bravery shown by all involved.

girl looks at James Meredith museum exhibit

And sometimes you learn that there are truly evil people in this world – beyond anything you may have ever imagined. My sweet girl – eight-years-old – stood at the Oklahoma City bombing exhibit a long time, reading and taking in the meaning of that newspaper article, her eyes constantly circling back to the photo of the baby. Both girls had so many questions about what they learned here. And rightfully so. Who isn’t confused by the inexcusable actions behind that day?

little girl reads about the Oklahoma City Bombing at United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas

I remember being a teenager when the Oklahoma City bombing news coverage blasted our TVs. It was scary and puzzling to watch as a 15-year-old. And now seeing the old relics and newspaper articles all these years later still leaves me just as puzzled as I was then. But this exhibit brings more focus to the heroic actions of the law enforcement teams. It’s a much more tolerable feeling when your take away from a scary moment in history is that good really does triumph evil.

Our Favorite Exhibits

My daughters’ favorite exhibits were the campfire, in which you can learn the history and stories behind the U.S. Marshals in the United States, and the interactive saloon.

a campfire scene at U.S. Marshals Museum in Arkansas

My favorite is the area focused on the Civil Rights era and the Suffrage movement.

woman looks at large mural of Susan B. Anthony

And my husband appeared drawn to the exhibits focused on the Marshals mindset.

Snack Bar at the U.S. Marshals Museum

If you want to take a little break during your museum tour, you can head down to the snack bar which is positioned just off of the lobby area. We moms know that snacks are key when it comes to a smooth family outing! In the snack bar, you can find popcorn, cold drinks, chips, candy, and other snacks. Since my girls are starving at any given moment of the day, we found ourselves in the snack bar after a couple of hours in the museum.

people in line at snack bar at U.S. Marshals museum

Gift Shop at U.S. Marshals Museum

The gift shop at the U.S. Marshals Museum, appropriately called The Outpost, is full of themed gifts and souvenirs. We found books about many of the topics covered inside the museum – desegregation, James Meredith, the history of the U.S. Marshals, frontier-themed items, etc.

stacks of An American Insurrection - books about James Meredith

Some historical-focused children’s books also exist in the store – such as Little Golden Books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln. There is even a little pet section! Your doggie can sport a U.S. Marshals star badge!

Events Hosted at the Site

From what I can gather, the museum is going to be a fantastic site for hosting occasional community events. For example, during our visit we learned the museum would be hosting a July 4th extravaganza a few days later.

As I followed along on social media later that week, I really wished we could have stayed in Fort Smith a few days longer so we could have attended. The event looked fantastic with kid-friendly activities such as patriotic star art designs for kids’ hair, fireworks, and more!

Facility Rentals at the U.S. Marshals Museum

Being the party and event-loving person that I am, I was excited to learn you can rent the U.S. Marshals Museum for private events like weddings, high school reunions, cocktail parties, etc. Not only is there a small conference room, a few mid-sized rooms, and a large event room that can be rented for meetings and workshops, but even the amazing atrium can be rented out for large events! This would be a super cool facility for a special event.

Resources for Teachers at U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith

As a public school educator, I would not be doing my fair diligence if I failed to mention the free resources for teachers provided by the U.S. Marshals Museum! On the online learning section of the website, teachers can find free digital resources about to download. I have looked through some of these and they are very thorough, likely to make wonderful supplemental resources for secondary history and civics classes. Physical copies of these same materials can be purchased in the museum gift shop.

Well, I hope your interest is piqued enough to take a visit to the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas! You can find out information about ticket prices and hours at the United States Marshals Museum website.

Stay tuned for another post on our favorite places to eat and visit while in Fort Smith!