Texarkana Adventure Guide

by | Feb 8, 2023 | Adventures, ArkLaTex Adventure

It’s time to plan some adventures.

Hey, hi! I’m Nichole. Adventures are a big part of our life and our homeschool and I’m thrilled to share this brand new, family-friendly, Texarkana adventure guide with you! I get questions every year about what to do with kids in the Texarkana area, and I have a long list of answers. I’ve put together a five day itinerary, all within Texarkana area. These activities will keep you busy for a week. Plus, at the end you’ll find a place to sign up for news about my brand new Ark-La-Tex adventure guide, coming soon. The upcoming ArkLaTex Adventure Guide by Coleyraeh is my ultimate guide to adventuring with kids within the four states area (Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma). Its going to be massive, and you’re not going to want to miss this! Plus, sign up for my FREE, printable checklist of ideas, “100+ Things to do with kids in the Ark-La-Tex.”

Texarkana family friendly adventure guide

Texarkana adventure guide: option one.

The outdoors are the focus for this first itinerary. Our family loves spending time outside all year round, and there are plenty of ways to explore the outdoors in Texarkana. For this adventure, you’ll want to pack a picnic lunch. Start your day on the patio at Local Habit coffee shop. Be sure to grab a photo at their mural on the patio. After that, you will head over to Bringle Lake East. You’ll want to be sure to pack your backpacks with your lunch or snacks, water, bug repellent, and sunscreen. Pro-tip: leave a towel in your car, plus a change of clothes and shoes just in case there’s extra muddy or wet adventures.

There are two options here: take the wider Bringle Nature Trail that heads back to the spillway, or, take the single track trails to find the gnome homes! It is about two miles from the parking lot to the spillway on the nature trail. The entrance to the single track bike trails are just behind the large map sign. Be sure to follow the directions for walkers and hikers, which is to take the path to the right first. You’ll see the sign for gnomington forest pretty soon, and keep your eyes out for more than five gnome homes on your way back to the spillway! Enjoy your lunch anywhere along the trail or at the Art Park by the spillway. Please be sure to clean up any trash you may bring with you. Here are 5 more things you can do at Bringle Lake.

Family friendly hiking trails.

Bringle Lake has lots of places to explore the outdoors. For a big hike, check out the Bringle Lake Full Loop. The full loop trail is 7 miles and goes around the entire lake, and connects with a sidewalk between the two entrances. It’s a great trail for hiking, running, or biking. There are also over ten miles of single track trails that wind through the east side of Bringle Lake, from moderate to advanced difficulty. Motorized bikes and vehicles are not allowed on the trails. Please respect the rules because the park is maintained by volunteers. They work hard to preserve the trails.

Other things to do at Bringle Lake Park.

There are playgrounds on both the East and the West side of the park. The two sides are connected with a beautiful boardwalk and paved walking path.

East Bringle:

  • Playground with lots of shade
  • Fishing pier
  • Picnic tables with water
  • Single track trails – with gnome homes to find
  • Nature trail
  • Paved trail
  • Geocache
  • Shorter path to the Art Park at the Spillway
  • Little Free Library

West Bringle:

  • Exercise park and trail
  • Sand volleyball court
  • Pavilion
  • Shaded playground
  • Boat ramp

Option two: Spring Lake Park.

Another great way to spend your day outdoors is to visit Spring Lake Park in central Texarkana, Texas. The largest park in Texarkana, it has 145 acres of space to play! There are a few things that set Spring Lake Park ahead of the rest. The first is an adaptive playground located near the lake. The second is a fitness court and workout area that’s available to everyone during the daylight hours. The fitness court is across the lake from the adaptive playground, but easily walkable by the paved trail. The paved and stroller friendly, Philip McDougal Trail is nearly two miles and circles the park. Spring Lake park also has multiple fishing piers, a creek, and a man-made waterfall where the spring bubbles up from underground.

Another way to play at Spring Lake park is to enjoy the 18 hole disc golf course. Disc golf is just like it sounds, it’s played like golf but with a frisbee or disc. It’s lots of fun for all ages. The U-disc app has a full map with descriptions for each hole. Disc golf is a great way to get outside and enjoy some fresh air and a little friendly competition. Other fun features of Spring Lake Park are multiple playgrounds, baseball fields, open areas to play, a seasonal splashpad, and a dog park. Finally, be sure to check the community calendar for seasonal events such as the Texarkana Wine Festival and movies in the park.

Texarkana Adventure Guide: A day downtown.

There are so many kid friendly places to explore in downtown Texarkana. Start your day at Alley Cats Coffee Bar. It’s a coffee shop that’s inside a renovated railway dining car! They have kid friendly drinks, along with coffee and tea. You can sit outside on the patio or enjoy the fun benches and chairs inside. After breakfast, go on a mural hunt through downtown Texarkana! Click through to that post for a scavenger hunt challenge that I made for Farmer’s Bank and Trust. There are new murals popping up in downtown Texarkana and taking selfies and photos with them is fun for everyone.

After the mural exploration, it’s time to cool down for a little while. Did you know that downtown Texarkana has it’s own art gallery? Actually, there are two! Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council resides within the Regional Art Center on 4th street. The building itself is worth visiting! It’s a beautiful historic building with natural stone steps and a unique elevator. The exhibits rotate seasonally, and once per year they have a Juried Art exhibit with art made by local students. It’s a great way for kids to practice their art museum etiquette and a wonderful learning opportunity. Outside, at the art wall, you can see large scale paintings made by local elementary students. Make sure you check their Facebook page for events, like camps or drop in art events.

The second art gallery is the 1894 Market and Gallery and it features a charming red phonebooth outside for fun photo ops! They also host “First Friday” events during warm months with live music, vendors, and the downtown shops stay open late!

Downtown continued.

Getting hungry? There are a couple of restaurants downtown that are great for families. One of our most favorites is Pecan Point, a local brewery that has a little something for everyone. They have spacious booths and great coloring sheets. Other options include Hopkins Ice House, Zapatas, and TLC’s. TLC is locally famous for the delicious hamburgers and fries.

End your day with a little something sweet and stop by Graham Slam Bakery. Their case is always stocked with delicious cookies, cupcakes, macaroons and more! Don’t’ forget a photo op at their cute mural outside the shop! You can also spot a large scale “Colors of Life” mural by local artist Joseph Raymond nearby.

Other things to see downtown.

Downtown Texarkana also has lots of seasonal events, like the annual Dine on the Line event, Run the Line Half Marathon, Farmer’s Markets, and many other festivals and parades. Other things to see? The Four States Automobile Museum. Check out a show or see the symphony perform in the beautiful Perot Theater. Take in a show at the fantastic Silvermoon Children’s Theater. On the Arkansas side, watch an outdoor movie or enjoy a kid friendly festival at Crossties. While you’re at Crossties, check out the huge Budweiser Clydesdale mural. In the winter holiday season, Crossties has a walk through Christmas tree forest to enjoy. On the Texas side, visit the library, Kidtopia wooden playground, and the skate park just across from the library.

Additionally, the Texarkana Farmer’s market is not to be missed! In the spring, summer, and early fall the market has kid friendly activities sponsored by Fairy Tale Farm and Garden! They also have a holiday market. Need a bike tune up? Visit Berridge bikes for all your cycling needs. Lastly, whether your shopping for new countertops or not, take a walk through the showroom at Stone Studio for an art museum like experience.

Texarkana adventure guide: option three.

If the weather is not cooperating, there are ways to take your adventures inside. The Texas side of the city has a few places to play indoors. First, jump around and burn off some energy at iJump, the indoor trampoline park. They have a ninja course, climbing wall, multiple jumping areas, and an indoor playground. IJump has concessions available and plenty of seating for parents. You will need to purchase trampoline socks to use on your first visit, or, bring your own if you already have them. The schedule changes based on the season, check their Facebook page for current schedules and special offers.

The movie theater is nearby and almost in the same parking lot. Check the Cinemark website for movie times. In the summer months, the movie theater runs $5 movie specials of older movies, on weekday mornings. After your jump time or movie, head just up Richmond road to Taste and See to pick out some sweet treats like gelato or candy, plus they have coffee and tea! While the kids are occupied with ice cream in the seats outside, poke your head in Dreidel gift shop right next door. They are a local business with lots of unique gifts and baby items.

More indoor fun.

If your family loves to play board games, check out Meeple City in Texarkana. It’s a board game store that also hosts community gaming, both for fun and competitions. You can also stay and play games at Alley Cats Coffee downtown, and Local Habit in Nash. For more games and comics, go visit Excalibur Comics, Cards, and Games. Texarkana also has a Game Stop and a Game Exchange.

Looking for some creative fun? Shop the Target dollar spot for arts and craft kits. There is also a Michael’s Craft Store and they offer different classes, check the store website for details. Texarkana also has a Hobby Lobby. The Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council offers free drop in art classes throughout the year, plus summer camps and other classes. Lowe’s and Home Depot have hands on building projects on certain Saturday’s each month.

Texarkana adventure guide: option four.

Did you know Texarkana has a mall? The mall is a great stop for when it’s raining, too hot, or too cold. There are stores for all ages and a few department stores. The mall also has the area’s only indoor mini golf course, and it’s a glow in the dark course. The mini golf course is within the arcade. Right outside the arcade is an indoor, soft play area for young children. For older kids, the center of the mall has a large scale chess set that’s open for anyone to play. The food court offers some unique local restaurants, as well as a Chik-fil-a.

Texarkana adventure guide: option five.

It’s time to think outside the box. Here are some more family friendly ideas for spending your time in Texarkana, USA.

  • Photo op on the state line downtown.
  • Eat local progressive lunch or dinner. Grab an appetizer at one restaurant, main meal somewhere else, and your dessert at a third local place.
  • Get together with friends and create a scavenger hunt to do at the mall.
  • Go thrift shopping at Goodwill or Salvation Army for the perfect outfit to wear to coffee, tea, lunch or dinner with friends.
  • Gather friends and make your own city wide scavenger hunt, working in teams.
  • Create a nature scavenger hunt for going hiking at any of the parks.
  • Practice your observation skills and go birdwatching at any of the parks.

Volunteering adventures in Texarkana.

Volunteering as a family is a great way to give back to the city and spend quality time together. A fun thing to do with children of all ages is to go through your books at home and donate the books you no longer need. The Texarkana area has multiple Little Free Libraries or the Friends of the Texarkana library to donate the books to. It’s fun to drive around the city, dropping some books off at each of the little free library locations. The food banks and homeless shelters, like Mission Texarkana, are always welcoming donations, give them a call to see what their current needs are.

For outdoor volunteering, try cleaning up trash on your next hike or park visit. If everyone carried out a bit of trash while out exploring, our parks would be cleaned up quickly. To help give back to our trails, consider volunteering on a trail building day or ask at Berridge Bikes how you can help maintain the trails as a family.

Even more outdoor adventures in Texarkana.

Texarkana, Arkansas has a great park called Bobby Ferguson. The park features a stocked lake, one mile walking trail, fishing piers, multiple playgrounds, two pavilions and bathrooms. It’s also a fun park to bike or run RC cars. Please be respectful of the wildlife and do not feed the ducks. The Texarkana, Arkansas recreation center has programming, from pickball to dancing, as well as free youth programs and open gym.

The south side of Texarkana, on the Texas side has Grady Wallace park. This park is home to the Texarkana soccer fields, more baseball fields, and open green space. There’s also a pond with a paved walking trail around it, a pavilion, multiple playgrounds, basketball court, picnic tables and restroom. The Southwest Center is a community focused recreation center that has indoor classes for things like basketball, pickleball and Fit4Mom, as well as outdoor tennis and pickleball courts. Also on the Texas side, Nix Creek trail is a 2.5 mile, paved trail near the center part of town. It’s great for biking, skating, rollerblading, walking, and running.

Fun Country Adventure Park.

This family friendly, outdoor adventure park is just north of Texarkana on Highway 71. It offers batting cages, go karts, mini golf, and a climbing wall. They are open for the public, just check their website for hours. Plus, they can do private parties and small group parties.

Outdoor sports in Texarkana.

Tennis courts:

  • Southwest Center – always open to the public.
  • Arkansas High School
  • Texas High School
  • Texarkana College Pinkerton Center – membership only.
  • Pleasant Grove High School
  • Liberty Eylau High school
  • Northridge Country Club – membership only.
  • Texarkana Country Club – membership only.

Basketball courts:

  • Bell Park
  • Grady Wallace Park
  • Bramble Park

Pools and water play:

Golf courses and driving ranges:

A few allergy, and kid friendly food options.

Texarkana has plenty of restaurants, with many types of food available. If you’re looking for gluten free options, there aren’t many but there are a few. Jason’s Deli, Ironwood Grill, Benchmark, Twisted Fork and Chik-Fil-A are your best options. There are not any vegan restaurants but most places at least offer a vegetarian option. Be Healthy by Bren is a great resource for healthy food options in the Texarkana area. Also check out Sullifarm for grass fed pork and excellent farm to table events. For groceries, the Walmart Neighborhood markets offer allergy friendly options and great alternatives. The Target is a good option as well. However, the best option for natural and allergy friendly foods is The Granary Health Market on New Boston Road. However, be aware, The Granary is not open on the weekends.

Do you have enough ideas yet?

I hope that this post helps you plan some family friendly adventures in the Texarkana area. Is there something I missed? Let me know by messaging me on Instagram or Facebook. You can also email me at coleyraeh@gmail.com. Do you want even more family friendly, fun things to do in the Ark-La-Tex area (including Oklahoma)? I have just the thing for you! Check out my FREE Ark-La-Tex Adventure Guide checklist! This printable PDF has a list of 100 adventures within Texarkana and beyond. Grab it on the link below. Be sure to save the PDF or print it off, so you can check off each adventure as you go!

Get the list!

Thank you.

Thank you so much reading this post. Did you find it to be helpful? Please feel free to share with your friends or family who are looking for family friendly activities in Texarkana. My name is Nichole, I’m the writer and content creator behind this website and my social media page Coleyraeh. I also serve on the Executive Team for Run Wild My Child, where I edit the Get Out Guides. I’m also a wife, and homeschooling mother to two who has called Texarkana home for the past nine years. Adventures are the hallmark of our homeschool and I’m so happy to share some of our shenanigans with you. Follow me on Instagram, where I share the most, or on Facebook. Thanks for reading, have a great day!

Photo by Three Moons Photography

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