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Visitor Center

The Arkansas River Visitor Center is located off U.S. State Highway 7 south on Lock & Dam Road at the Russellville Project Office in Russellville, Arkansas. This location is the midpoint of the 450-mile McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.

The theme of the Visitor Center is "Renaissance of a River". Interpretive exhibits tell the story of the development of the River Valley from the time when Native Americans were the sole occupants of this area to the present. It also offers wildlife exhibits, a locking through simulator, and some hands-on exhibits.

This facility was designed to acquaint visitors with the Arkansas River and its man-made transformation into a safe, useful, and productive waterway. The Visitor Center was dedicated August 20, 1985. The keynote speaker was U.S. Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt of Harrison, Arkansas. Visitors from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and many foreign countries toured the center’s exhibit area in just the first six months of operation.

The Arkansas River Visitor Center is open:

8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday – Friday, year-round

10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, Memorial Day – Labor Day, and

10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day. CLOSED all other Federal Holidays.

Updated/Reviewed: 1 May 2009