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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Texarkana
One night is enough: see the state-line downtown and museums, then use it as an I-30 or Amtrak stop between Dallas and Little Rock.
Texarkana is two cities in one: the west side sits in Texas, the east side in Arkansas, and State Line Avenue runs along the border. It is a small, spread-out stop on I-30 and the Amtrak Texas Eagle, worth a night for the border-line downtown, a couple of museums and barbecue, not a multi-day base.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–100 excl. bed · Mid $100–170 excl. bed · High $170+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Texarkana Texas Police (non-emergency) 903-798-3116 · Texarkana Arkansas Police (non-emergency) 870-773-2501
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–5 |
| Barbecue plate | $14–22 |
| Chicago-style pizza, per person | $12–20 |
| Museum entry | $5–10 |
| Rideshare across town | $12–20 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- TXK · Texarkana Regional Airport
- American Eagle flights from Dallas-Fort Worth; small terminal, car rentals on site, limited public transport
- SHV · Shreveport Regional Airport
- About 110 km south in Louisiana; served by more airlines — check routesAbout 68 mi south in Louisiana; served by more airlines — check routes
Typical fares
- Amtrak Texas Eagle, Dallas to Texarkana
- about $30–70, roughly 4 h
- Rideshare downtown to I-30 hotels
- $12–20
- T-Line city bus
- small fare, about hourly — check the timetable
Get around
A car is the practical choice: sights, hotels and food are spread along I-30 and Richmond Road. T-Line runs a small city bus network with roughly hourly departures — check the timetable before relying on it. Downtown is walkable once you park.
See and do
Known for
- State Line Avenue, on the Texas-Arkansas border
- Ace of Clubs House
- Museum of Regional History
- Perot Theatre
- Barbecue and Chicago-style pizza
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Daingerfield | US-67 south then TX-11, by car | About 1 h |
| Mount Pleasant, Texas | I-30 west, by car | About 1 h |
| Shreveport, Louisiana | I-49 south, by car | About 1 h 15 min |
| Hot Springs, Arkansas | I-30 east then US-70, by car | About 2 h 30 min |
Sleep
- I-30 and Richmond Road cluster
- Most hotels, plus Central Mall and chain restaurants; you need a car.
- Downtown / State Line Avenue
- Walk to the museums, Perot Theatre and restaurants; very few beds, mostly basic motels.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the restroom? |
| Can I pay by card? | Do you take cards? |
| The check, please | Check, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Almost all hotels sit by the interstate, far from downtown — plan a car or rideshare.
- The Texas side uses area code 903, the Arkansas side 870; local calls can cross a state line.
- Summer heat and humidity are real; carry water if you walk downtown.
- T-Line buses are infrequent — check the last departure before an evening out.
Texarkana is a normal small US city; the main cautions are driving at night on the interstates and leaving nothing visible in a parked car. Downtown is quiet after dark — stay in lit areas.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Texarkana yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- State Line Avenue, on the Texas-Arkansas border
- Ace of Clubs House
- Museum of Regional History
- Perot Theatre
- Barbecue and Chicago-style pizza
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Texarkana Regional Airport (TXK): flytxk.com/
- Perot Theatre: www.perottheatre.org/
- Amtrak — Texas Eagle: www.amtrak.com/texas-eagle-train
- Wikivoyage: Texarkana, revision 5281867 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5281867
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Texarkana
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Texarkana Texas Police (non-emergency)903-798-3116
- Texarkana Arkansas Police (non-emergency)870-773-2501
No embassies here; nearest consulates are in Dallas and Houston — check your country's list.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/texarkana). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.