Fort Smith, AR

Fort Smith, AR

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Fort Smith, Arkansas, has a fascinating history as a frontier military post, a gateway during Indian removal, and later as the seat of federal law on the edge of the “Wild West.” Fort Smith truly is where America’s frontier, wartime upheaval, federal law enforcement, and Native American history converge.

Today, Fort Smith is a cool blend of small-city charm and growing vibrancy. With about 90,500 people (a slight increase since 2020) it’s the third-largest city in Arkansas and anchors a metro area of nearly 300,000 across Arkansas and Oklahoma. Fort Smith feels lively—rooted in its frontier history, with a growing arts and food scene, solid economy, friendly neighborhoods, and a nice base for both families and young professionals. It’s a spot where history and opportunity sit side by side.

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Eufaula, OK

Eufaula, OK

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Lake Eufaula was named after the nearby town of Eufaula, Oklahoma, which itself was named for the Eufaula tribe, a Muscogee (Creek) Native American group. “Eufaula”: Comes from the Muscogee (Creek) language, and while the exact meaning is debated, it is often believed to mean “they separated here and went to other places” or something similar, referencing tribal divisions.

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Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma City, OK

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Park Review – Roadrunner RV Park

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Location: On the south side of Oklahoma City along I-35.
Type: Commercial Park
Check-in/Check-out times: 1:00/12:00
Site Quality / Amenities: Roads are asphalt, and sites are concrete with grass between each site. Each site is 50/30A with full hookups. WiFi and cable is included. There is a clubhouse and laundry facilities on-site. Also available are storm shelters for the occasional tornado.
Access: When coming from the south take exit 123A to avoid exiting right at the entrance to the park. From the north side you can take exit 123A as well.
Cellular/WiFi: Cellular and Starlink was good with no obstructions. We didn’t test the WiFi.
Restaurants: We ate at Cava Mediterranean restaurant which was good as well as BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse both on the north side where Anna’s sister and brother in law live.
Nearby parks: We didn’t investigate any parks nearby but there aren’t a lot of options.
What we liked: Paved roads and pads are great in the rainy season.
What we didn’t like: There was some road noise from the Interstate as well as due to nearby trains. There is also a fairly large homeless population in the area but we never saw them enter the RV park.
Verdict: We would stay here again.

Wichita Falls, TX

Wichita Falls, TX

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Park Review – Crossroads Luxury RV Park

Site 503

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Location: On US-287 (Northwest Loop) on the north side of Wichita Falls.
Type: Commercial
Check-in/Check-out times: 1:00/11:00
Site Quality / Amenities: At the time of our visit, this park was new and not yet fully operational. At that time it would be hard to call it a luxury park. Roads and pads are concrete. Each site has a concrete patio along with a picnic table. There is a large dog park as well as a club house and pool. The club house apparently serves mixed drinks some times but they never did the 5 days we were there. It also includes a laundry room and an exercise room. The pool was also not yet open as they were waiting for approval from the city.
Access: Even though it’s at the crossroads of US-287 and Interstate 44 it can be slightly challenging to get to as there are a lot of roads converging and quite a few large businesses.
Staff: The staff were friendly and basically consisted of a front desk person and a couple who live on site and basically do everything.
Cellular/WiFi: Starlink had an unobstructed view of the sky so speeds were good. T-Mobile had 5 bars and achieved nearly 1 Gbps down and 80 Mbps up. The park had WiFi but we didn’t use it.
Restaurants: We tried Cracker Barrel due to it’s close proximity and honestly it was not a good experience. The chicken fried steak I had seemed to be semi warm from a microwave. The catfish was only slightly better but mostly tasteless. We decided the chain is really going down hill fast after visiting several other locations and I think we’ll pass on them for a while. They’ll either improve or go out of business. We also went to Texas Roadhouse and it was very good – both service and food. It also ended up being less expensive than CB.
Nearby parks: We didn’t investigate any nearby parks.
What we liked: The park is all concrete – roads and pads which was nice during the rain we got. Overall the park has lots of possibilities as they finish it out. Sheppard Air Force base is close by so we got to see a lot of T-38C Talon jets practicing which was very cool but added to the noise (see below).
What we didn’t like: Most sites aren’t very level, requiring leveling blocks on one side the ground the wheels. Grass has been planted but in many places there are more weeds than grass. The park is right on two highways and near railroad tracks which normally doesn’t bother us but here it was quite noisy day and night. Also new for us was that there was a underground petroleum pipeline going through the park and right by our site.
Verdict: We would stay here again, for a short stay although at least for now it’s hard to call this a “Luxury” park.

Quanah, TX

Quanah, TX

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The nearest town to the State Park is Quanah, Texas. Quanah is a small city in north west-central Texas with a rich and layered history tied to Native American heritage, the expansion of the railroads, and the growth of the Texas ranching industry.

Quanah Parker, for whom the city is named, was the last chief of the Comanche Nation and the son of Comanche chief Peta Nocona and Cynthia Ann Parker, a white settler who had been kidnapped as a child and assimilated into the tribe. Quanah became a symbol of adaptation and leadership during a difficult transition period when Native American tribes were being relocated to reservations.

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