About 30 miles south of two-state Texarkana, a stone marker locates the spot where visitors with enough agility can stand simultaneously in three states: Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.
Where Arkansas’ Lafayette County meets Texas’ Cass County and Louisiana’s Caddo Parish, a colorful billboard erected last year by nearby residents proclaims, “Welcome to Three States.”
The much older stone, engraved with the three state names, is located where Texas 77 becomes Louisiana 1. It stands at the base of a tree that has partly grown around it. The junction can be reached from the nearest Arkansas community, Ravanna, 4 miles to the north.
Texarkana attractions abound in Arkansas and Texas
Visitors can snap their pictures at Texarkana’s prime selfie site from a pedestrian island in the middle of State Line Avenue, with one of America’s most photographed post offices as the backdrop.
They’ll be posing outside America’s only federal building that straddles two states. Arkansas lies to the east of the dividing line with Texas to the west, as pointed out on a photogenic sign. The symmetrical Beaux-Arts structure also houses a separate U.S. district court for each state.
Arkansas’ Texarkana, headquarters city for Southwest Arkansas Electric Cooperative, promotes its attractions and activities on OurTexarkana.com. The site’s heading, “A Side of Goodness,” leads into this inviting message: “When you’re in Texarkana, Arkansas, you’re destined to find something special! From our small-town charm and Southern hospitality to our locally crafted food, museums, local art galleries and water park, there’s a whole world to explore and experience.”
Tale of two cities
Touting their close kinship, separated by State Line Avenue, the two cities offer combined visitor information through Texarkana USA Chamber of Commerce (texarkana.org). The slogan on the shared site is “Twice as Nice.”
Both cities’ mayors took part in the dedication of a colorful mural picturing silent-movie star Corinne Griffith, known in the 1920s as “The Orchid Lady of the Screen.” Although she was born on the Texas side of Texarkana, the mural — sponsored by Dr Pepper — is located in Arkansas at Olive and Broad streets.
That location is part of the Rail Yard Entertainment District, a downtown Texarkana, Arkansas, enclave where visitors ages 21 and older can carry alcoholic beverages outdoors in approved open containers.
One of the district’s popular eateries is Hopkins Icehouse 301 Wood St. (hopkinsicehouse.com), operating in a former feed store that was remodeled in 2007. It offers pet-friendly patio seating, with brunch menus on weekends.
Near one edge of the entertainment district, The Gallery at 1894, 105 Olive St. (1894citymarket.com/1894-art-gallery.html), shows work by more than 100 painters, sculptors and crafts artisans from Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.
Home to dozens of artists’ studios, it occupies part of a 130-year-old grocery warehouse restored as the City Market (1894citymarket.com).
Four States Auto Museum, 217 Laurel St. (fourstatesautomuseum.org), displays two dozen vintage vehicles, most of them on loan from private owners. Memorabilia includes auto advertisements of old. One from 1940 is headlined, “We’ve Been a Ford Family for Years … More Than 30 Years, in Fact.”
The Automobile Age was dawning when the P.J. Ahern Home was built by an Arkansas businessman in 1906 at 403 Laurel St. The Classical Revival mansion, owned by his descendants, is operated by the Texarkana Museum System (texarkanamuseum.org). It can be rented for private events.
One of Texarkana’s most imposing public buildings is the century-old Arkansas Municipal Auditorium, Third and Walnut streets (ourtexarkana.com/attractions). During its heyday in the mid-20th century, it hosted performers, including Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Conway Twitty and Johnny Cash.
Four States Fair Grounds, 3700 E. 50th St (fourstatesfair.com), is the venue each spring for the 10-day Four States Fair & Rodeo. Coming up at the site on Oct. 12 is the Spurs and Cleats 2024 Season Showdown of bull riding and freestyle bullfighting.
For Texarkana visitors with enough time, these attractions on the Texas side of State Line Avenue are well worth a stop: Perot Theatre, 221 Main St.; Museum of Regional History, 219 N. State Line Ave.; Ace of Clubs House, 420 Pine St.; and the Scott Joplin Mural, 311 Main St.
The lively Joplin mural (mainstreettexarkana.org/scott-joplin-tour.html) is among dozens of examples of public art in Texarkana. It is also the first stop on a self-guided driving tour of 10 Texas and Arkansas locations related to “The King of Ragtime,” who was born in or near Texarkana in 1868.
