Ok – the long waited review for Springhill Army Corps of Engineers campground – it was not fantastic. There were a few redeeming qualities – proximity to Ft Smith for one, a lot of green area for the dogs was another. This will actually be a short review of the campground, follow by our adventures in Fort Smith!

Be sure to check out our other campground reviews and travel exploits!

I am nowhere cool enough to receive any compensation for anything – so click away on any hyperlinks or don’t. I just put them there because some of these places were absolutely amazing.

The restrooms and an abundance of bugs

The restrooms were decidedly not our favorite part of the park. The lights made a constant buzzing sound, the humidity collected on the ceiling and walls and dripped constantly. The only thing missing were chains jangling from the ceiling and an Alien crawling down them. The showers were tight.

Ok, the showers were all right. I want to get something straight, I am really weird about bathrooms. We have a perfectly nice bathroom and shower in our trailer and we haven’t even used it yet – because – well, we’re (mostly me) weird. The showers at the campground were serviceable and clean, but really tight and dark. If I’d have touched the wall, then I have to boil that appendage.

We lit tiki torches and our cool solar powered torches that double as bug zappers. There were about 4 hours from about 4 PM until 8 PM where mosquitoes and large gnats had free reign of the campground.

The only playground areas were quite some distance from the campsite, and our set of sites looked directly across about 74 yards of water into some mansion backyards with their boats tied up. Also not our favorite.

It wasn’t all unpleasant; fantastic green areas!

We had a large green area for the dogs to unwind in. They truly enjoyed it. We too them for walks quite a bit and then had them tied out with us while we were outside.

The campground was close to the parts of Ft Smith we wanted to visit. That was great! we got to see several things and visit a lot of Ft Smith in the days we were there.

We saw the Visitor Center and were treated to a tour. Previous to becoming a Visitor Center it was a Bordello! There were some historical items and some reproductions inside.

Some of the historical items were the documents the ladies had to receive in order to work there – a clean bill of health!

Ft Smith Historical Site

I grew up a John Wayne fan. It was a little exciting seeing the premise for both True Grit and Rooster Cogburn. The Fort Smith Historic Site is very well maintained. There is free access to all of the grounds, and the first floor of the courtroom/jail/fort. If you wish to view a reproduction of the jail cells after Judge Parker moved them upstairs and into more sanitary conditions, and the courtroom, there is a fee.

The portion upstairs has some historical items and a recreation of the courtroom. Judge Parker presided here for quite some time before the town moved the courtroom to another building.

The opposite of the building was a recreation of the cells. Judge Parker, the “Hanging Judge” did not want people to languish in a poorly ventilated, ungovernable basement. He got the city to agree to the construction of more humane cells while the prisoners awaited trial.

After enjoying the grounds, courtroom, museum and commissary at the Fort, we walked over to the Historical Museum. It has a lot of artifacts and was air conditioned! There was a heat wave rolling through the area and the temperatures were exceeding 97 degrees.

Time for a fantastic lunch!

We walked from the Historical Museum and I just knew I had seen a restaurant with signage about smoke meats! We found it one short block away.

Neumeier’s Rib Room was fantastic! We snagged some jalapeno poppers and fried pickles for an appetizer, and I got a sampler. It had smoked sausage, thinly sliced smoked pork, a quarter chicken, and chopped brisket.

Some downtime and the necessities of living on the road

We had a down day, so we hatched a plan to take care of some things. We made a quick grocery list and gathered our laundry. Ash, Sierra and I headed into town.

We searched out someplace good to eat. It was pretty amazing. Fort Smith has some pretty awesome restaurants. We ended up at Calico County for breakfast. Hold up – you have to read this part. Instead of rolls or biscuits – they bring out warm, delicious cinnamon rolls!

We then went to find a laundry mat.

We got everything done, came back to the campground and relaxed for the rest of the day. The next day was a travel day and we wanted to leave early to beat the heat and get most of the way across Oklahoma!

As always, feel free to comment, like, follow – show your friends. That would be fantastic! Who knows we may be heading your way next!