Discover: Museums

Preserving the past is an important part of the community fabric in Texarkana. Following is an alphabetical listing of city museums and special buidings for exploration, entertainment, and enlightment.

Texarkana Area Museums Ace of Clubs House— 420 Pine St. in Texarkana, Texas. 903-793-4831. TexarkanaMuseums.org. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. with tours at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m. Admission: $5/person, 3 and under free. Historic Italianate Victorian home also called the Draughon-Moore Ace of Clubs House. Distinctive architecture with octagon-shaped wings and interesting lore and history. Reportedly, money to fund its construction was won in a poker game, and the shape of a playing-card club guided its design.

Ag Learning Center— 3700 E. 50th

St. in Texarkana, Ark. 870-774-6455. AgLearningCenter.com. Local agricultural learning center located at the Four States Fairgrounds. Center promotes dairy education and hosts school and other groups.

Discovery Place Interactive Museum— 215 Pine St. in Texarkana, Texas. 903-7934831. TexarkanaMuseums.org. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tesla coil shows at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Admission: $5/person, 3 and under free. This downtown Texarkana museum features interactive and handson tinkering exhibits, musical Tesla coils, science-themed exhibits. Hosts weekend Boredom Buster programs for youth.

Four States Auto Museum— 217 Laurel St. in Texarkana, Ark. 870-772-2886 or 903-8261250. FourStatesAutoMuseum.com. Hours: Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Antique cars and automobile memorabilia. Hosts the annual Spring Car Show every May and a Fall Car Show, plus other Cruise Night events.

Lindsey Railroad Museum— 202 E. Broad St. in Texarkana, Ark. 903-748-1235. LindsayRailroadMuseumInTexarkana.com. Museum showcases Texarkana’s tie to the railroad industry. Railroad memorabilia of all sorts; new floor plan includes a guided exhibit tour telling the story of Texarkana, its history and its railroad connection.

Museum of Regional History— 219 N. State Line Ave. in Texarkana, Texas. 903793-4831. TexarkanaMuseums.org. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $5/person, 3 and under free. Regional history museum run by the Texarkana Museums System features permanent and temporary exhibits that explore the city, regional and state history, including Caddo tribes who called this area home before European-American settlers arrived. Touring exhibits also come to the museum. Historical

archives are another resource.

P.J. Ahern Home— 403 Laurel St. in Texarkana, Ark. 903-793-4831. TexarkanaMuseums.org. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $5/person, 3 and under free. This downtown Classical Revival mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and hosts monthly events. It was the family home of an early retail giant in Texarkana and hosts monthly events.

Perot Leadership Museum— 1024 Tucker St. in Texarkana, Texas, on the Texarkana College campus. 903-823-3215. Hours: Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Located in the Palmer Memorial Library, the museum includes a replica Gabriel Ross Perot Cotton Sales Office exhibit and timeline mural highlighting events in the life of Texarkana native H. Ross Perot.

Perot Theatre— 221 Main St. in Texarkana, Texas. 903-792-4992. TRAHC.org. Hours: Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Called Texarkana’s “performing arts jewel,” the Perot isn’t a history museum, but it can be toured by visitors and is filled with history. The Italian Renaissance-style building with Grecian architecture and ornate decorations is home to various concerts and other sorts of entertainment, including theater. Opened in 1924 as the Saenger and later restored by the city of Texarkana, Texas. H. Ross Perot and his sister helped fund renovations in honor of their parents. Beautiful interior and historic past make it a downtown gem.

Regional Arts Center— 321 W. 4th St. in Texarkana, Texas. 903-792-8681. TRAHC.org. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Art museum features a revolving series of art exhibits with a focus on local and regional artists. Juried show draws national artists while the student juried show showcases regional young artists. Includes For Arts’ Sake gift shop and the ArtsSmart Gallery in the basement, as well as Cabe Hall on the second floor. Housed in a former Bowie County Courthouse.

Texarkana’s Old Town— 202 E. Broad St. in Texarkana, Ark. 903-748-1235. This replica of Broad Street circa 1890s creates a street scene as it might have looked then with 11 early stores. It’s available for touring by scheduled appointment. These stores include a saloon, photography studio, ladies dress shop, hardware store and more, all located on the second floor of the Lindsey Railroad Museum building. Depicts Texarkana at a time when it was still very much a railroad town.