A visit to the Fort Smith National Historic Site begins at the Visitor Center, located in the former barracks/courthouse/jail buildings. Plan on spending at least 45 minutes touring the exhibits on the military, Trail of Tears, and federal court. 

On the grounds of the park you can see the site of the first fort, the Trail of Tears Overlook on the Arkansas River, the Commissary building, and reconstructed gallows.  Paved, handicap accessible paths makes walking to the sites easy, but plan on spending up to an hour to tour the grounds of the park.