Posted in Arkansas November 02, 2016 by J.B. Weisenfels

There’s A Magical Trolley Ride In Arkansas That Most People Don’t Know About

You don’t have to go very far to find a magical trolley ride, because the city of Fort Smith has an entire museum devoted to trolleys and other means of public transportation. The Fort Smith Trolley Museum is run by the Fort Smith Streetcar Restoration Association, an organization devoted to preserving and restoring electric streetcars and railroad equipment and educating the public about that equipment. The best part is that you can actually ride on a trolley to see what all the fuss is about, and nothing will make you feel like you’re traveling back in time quite like riding on an old-timey trolley car.

The Fort Smith Trolley Museum is located at 100 South Fourth Street in Fort Smith. You can find directions here.

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/

Fort Smith preserves the trolley tradition in part because before everything was paved, downtown Fort Smith looked like this:

The museum is all about education, and you’ll find a number of historic trolleys and train cars there.

Fort Smith Light and Traction Company Car No. 224 is one of only four streetcars on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been in operation in downtown Fort Smith since 1991. You can still ride on it today.

Hot Springs Street Railway Car #50 is the other functioning trolley you can ride at the museum.

No matter which trolley you choose, you’re sure to have a great time.

The interiors of these restored trolleys are as cozy as they can be.

The trolley route will take you through one of Fort Smith’s most picturesque little parks, Ross Pendergraft Park.

The staff is more than happy to teach you about the history of electric streetcars.

If you go during one of Fort Smith’s many historical events, you may even run into a cowboy or two.

There’s never a bad time to ride a Fort Smith trolley through the downtown area.

After all, what could be more magical than a streetcar that transports you through time?

To read about why Fort Smith is one of Arkansas’s most underrated cities, click here. For more historical stuff to do in the area, check out this article.