An historic northeast Texas point of entry, Texarkana remains a preeminent portal
(Photo by Park Street)
By Marty Lange Long a fun, familiar gateway to the Lone Star State,
Texarkana partners a fascinating history with multiple modern attractions to
make a distinctive destination. Though metro Texarkana overlaps the border of
Texas and Arkansas, nearby Louisiana and Oklahoma create a geographic,
jigsaw-puzzled, four corners. Elements as disparate as Native American trails,
the nearby Red River, railroads (check out old Union Station), cotton and all
things commerce shaped this two-towns-for-the-price-of-one. No other twin cities
compare with this particular pair. The convergence is unmistakably Texarkana,
and as the water tower proudly proclaims: Twice as Nice.
 This is the place where composer Scott Joplin was raised. A
colorful mural honors Joplin near the corner of Third and Main.
Music fills the air here, and has for generations. Arts
impresario Nita Fran Hutcheson of the Italian Renaissance-style Perot Theatre
(opened as the Saenger in 1924 and renovated in 1979-80) recalls an impressive
number of appearances by stars such as Harry Belafonte, Cary Grant, Misha
Dichter and the Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Academy of St. Martin in the
Fields Chamber Ensemble. The building dates to the heyday of vaudeville, while
it continues to stage modern musical and theatrical acts of all genres.
On the Arkansas side of town, the historic Municipal
Auditorium (now a City Hall/Fire Station) once hosted the likes of Elvis
Presley and Johnny Cash in their primes. It’s part of the “Texarkana USA
Driving Tour.” Pick up a CD guide at the Chamber of Commerce office at 819
North State Line Avenue. The easy driving tour, taken at your own speed,
includes the State Line Federal Courthouse/Post Office, the Museum of Regional
History (with a piano that Scott Joplin played), the Perot Theatre, the Joplin
mural, and the Regional Arts Center (marvel at the beautiful arched windows and
working antique elevator). There’s also the Discovery Place Children’s Museum,
the shamrock-configured, 1885 Draughon-Moore Ace of Clubs House (make time for
curator Melissa Nesbitt’s informative tour and see 500 pairs of Olivia Moore’s
shoes from Neiman Marcus!), numerous additional noteworthy historic homes and
churches, the Tex-Ark Antique Auto Museum, and more.
From the January 2010 issue.
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