Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Evansville is the third largest city in Indiana, set on a great horseshoe bend of the Ohio River at the state's southwestern tip, across from Kentucky. Founded in 1812 and named for Colonel Robert Evans, it grew into a busy river port and manufacturing city, and during World War II its shipyards and factories built hundreds of tank landing ships and thousands of P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes. Its riverfront and historic neighborhoods preserve handsome 19th-century architecture.
Today Evansville has about 115,000 residents and serves as the hub of the Tri-State area of Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. Riverside Drive offers a long promenade along the Ohio River, the historic Haynie's Corner Arts District is full of galleries, murals and restaurants, and the city is famous for its fall West Side Nut Club Fall Festival, one of the largest street festivals in the country, along with local specialties like brain sandwiches and fried biscuits.
Visitors can tour LST-325, a World War II tank landing ship docked on the riverfront and still able to sail, and explore the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science with its planetarium. Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden features the Amazonia rainforest exhibit, the Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve protects one of the largest stands of old-growth forest within a U.S. city, and the Reitz Home Museum is a lavish Victorian mansion. Nearby, the Angel Mounds State Historic Site preserves a large Mississippian town from around 1100 to 1450.
The USS LST Ship Memorial is LST-325, a World War II tank landing ship that took part in the Normandy invasion and is still able to sail. Docked on the Evansville riverfront, it offers guided and self-guided tours of the decks, crew quarters and tank deck. Allow about an hour and a half.
Angel Mounds State Historic Site preserves a large Mississippian town on the Ohio River, occupied roughly from 1000 to 1450. Visitors see earthen mounds, a reconstructed stockade and houses, and an interpretive center with artifacts. Walking trails cross the grounds, so wear comfortable shoes.
The Reitz Home Museum is an 1871 French Second Empire mansion built for lumber baron John Augustus Reitz. It is known for its parquet floors, painted ceilings, stained glass and original furniture. Guided tours run several days a week, and it sits in the Riverside historic district.
Willard Library, opened in 1885, is the oldest public library building in Indiana, built in Victorian Gothic style. It holds a well known genealogy and local history collection. It is also famous for the legend of the Grey Lady ghost, and the library has run online ghost cameras for years.
The Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science on the riverfront combines art galleries, a recreated 19th century street called Rivertown USA and science exhibits. The Koch Immersive Theater shows planetarium and dome films. Allow two hours, and check the theater schedule in advance.
The Children's Museum of Evansville, called cMoe, fills a historic downtown building with three floors of hands-on exhibits on science, health, art and pretend play. A toddler area serves the youngest visitors. It is a good indoor option on hot or rainy days, and is close to downtown restaurants.
The Evansville Riverfront is a long paved walkway along a wide bend of the Ohio River, with benches, sculptures and views of the river traffic. It links the museum, the LST ship and downtown hotels. It is especially nice at sunset, and it is part of the Pigeon Creek Greenway trail system.
Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve protects about 200 acres of old-growth forest inside the city, one of the largest urban old-growth forests in the country. Trails pass trees that are hundreds of years old. The nature center has exhibits and a viewing area, and it is a calm place for birdwatching.
Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden is one of the oldest zoos in Indiana, set on hilly wooded grounds. Its Amazonia exhibit shows rainforest animals indoors, and other areas include African and Asian animals. Paths are steep in places, so wear good shoes and bring a stroller suited to hills.
Haynie's Corner Arts District is a small historic neighborhood near downtown with galleries, artist studios, cafes and restaurants in older brick buildings around a central fountain. It hosts First Friday events and art fairs. Visit on an evening event to see the galleries open and the area at its liveliest.
The West Side Nut Club Fall Festival is a large week-long street festival held on Franklin Street each October, with more than 100 food booths run by local groups, rides, contests and entertainment. It is famous for unusual fair food. Weekday afternoons are less crowded than evenings.
Bosse Field, opened in 1915, is one of the oldest ballparks still used for professional baseball in the United States. Scenes for the film A League of Their Own were shot here. Today it is home to the Evansville Otters independent league team, and summer games are affordable and relaxed.
Top-rated local businesses in Evansville, with real reviews on WiserMap.
No reviews yet. Been to Evansville? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Evansville? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Tim Schapker, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: BakedintheHole, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Greg Hume, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Vasiliymeshko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Herb Roe, www.chromesun.com, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Bart Everson from New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Bart Everson from New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Mitch Luman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Chris M Morris, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Greeblie, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Evking22, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: JDUPONT8 (talk), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Rick Barth, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
