West Memphis AR sits in an area on the west bank of the Mississippi River that once included the towns of Hopefield, Bragg and Hulbert. The name "West Memphis" came into use in the early 1900s because lumber shipped from the Memphis market to foreign buyers brought higher prices. West Memphis AR began its growth spurt when the first rail bridge came in 1892 and the first automobile bridge came in 1917. Check out our Best Western hotel in West Memphis Ark.
Things to do in West Memphis
Dabbs Store
This is a 1912 commercial structure that was listed on the National Historic Register May 20, 1982.
1320 S. Avalon, West Memphis, AR
Fort Esperanza Trail
In 1797 the Spaniards built Fort Esperanza on existing mounds left by the Indians. In 1859 it was incorporated as Crittenden County's first settlement and renamed Hopefield. Hopefield was the eastern terminus for the first railroad in Arkansas. The town was washed away by the 1912 flooding of the Mississippi. The route leads to old Fort Esperanza/Hopewell area, now washed into the river.
Hog Pen, The
18-hole miniature golf course, driving range, video arcade, batting cages and go-kart track are all offered here. Call 870-735-4641 for more information.
Lawrie House
This 1939 Colonial Revival residence was listed on the National Historic Register March 28, 1996.
600 N. 7th Street, West Memphis, AR
Memphis and Arkansas Bridge
In 1949 this through-truss bridge using Warren truss with verticals construction, was built. It is listed on the National Historic Register and can be seen spanning the Mississippi River in downtown West Memphis.
Riverside Speedway Stock Car Racing
Stock car racing is offered May - September.
Southland Greyhound Park
This is the largest greyhound facility in the country that features year-round racing. The park recently opened a children's entertainment facility, "The Dog Pound," that is located away from betting facilities and features video games, an air hockey table, and picnic tables outside the arcade. Call 870-735-3670 for more information.
Sultana Disaster Marker
This monument commemorates what is considered to be the nation's worst maritime disaster. In 1865, the Sultana steamship exploded near Marion on the Mississippi River, killing 1,800 passengers. Most of the dead were Union soldiers who had been released from Confederate prisons and were en route home after the Civil War. The steamship, with a legal capacity of 376, was carrying 2300 people. The monument is located at the intersection of S. H. 77 and U. S. 64 (in front of the Marion City Hall).
Tilden Rodgers Park
Features a fishing lake with piers, playground equipment, tennis courts and picnic pavilion.
Trail of Tears
This route along U. S. 64 once served as the major artery of transportation between Memphis and Little Rock. Prior to becoming a paved route, various historic trails followed roughly similar routes in the region: the old trail serving Spanish Fort Esperanza east of present-day Marion, the Military Road providing a supply and troop movement route for armies of the Mexican and Civil Wars, and the Trail of Tears route, which relocated Cherokee Indians from the Eastern United States to Oklahoma.
Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge
This huge wetlands area includes the 600-acre Wapanocca Lake. The area is great for bird watching and fishing for panfish and bass. You will find a driving trail that provides a glimpse of what the Arkansas Delta was like in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Refuge is located four miles west of the Mississippi River and is protected from the river by the river levee. Functioning within the Lower Mississippi River Ecosystem, the refuge is managed for migrating and wintering waterfowl and for neo-tropical birds during their migration, as well as providing critical nesting habitat for those species. Located just 8-miles north of Marion.