There’s nothing quite like welcoming out-of-town visitors to Evansville, showing them our Hoosier hospitality, and promptly putting them back in the car and driving them out of town. That’s one way to read the results of this year’s Best of Evansville voting. (See the annual feature, “Best of the City,” beginning on page 40.) Asked to name the Best Place to Take Visitors or Out-of-Town Guests, Evansville Living readers chose … New Harmony. We can laugh at ourselves over that one, but we also can’t argue with the choice. New Harmony is a gem, and it’s about time more people appreciated just how special this historic Posey County town is. With its remarkable history as the site of two early utopian communities, beautiful architecture, gardens, galleries, shops, trails, and an atmosphere that encourages visitors to slow down, New Harmony makes a memorable introduction to the southwest corner of Indiana.
Of course, we’re not exactly bereft of things to show visitors closer to home. After New Harmony, the top vote-getter in the category of Best Place to Take Visitors or Out-of-Town Guests was the Ohio riverfront in Evansville and Newburgh. It’s hard to lay claim to being a river city without enjoying the river, and both communities give us plenty of ways to do just that. In Newburgh, walkers, runners, and cyclists take to the Rivertown Trail, a roughly 3.8-mile paved route that stretches through the historic Downtown on the riverfront. Along the way are sweeping views of the Ohio, the old and new locks and dams, the overlook, picturesque Water Street, and easy stops at Downtown restaurants and Honey Moon Coffee Co., not to mention plenty of places to watch river traffic roll by.
In Evansville, the riverfront has gained a significant collection of new attractions in recent years. The waterfall at Sunrise Pump Station turned a piece of city infrastructure into a riverfront destination, complete with an overlook, swings, seating, and a dramatic cascade carrying treated water into the Ohio. A new stretch of greenway ties the area to Mickey’s Kingdom Park, the sprawling all-abilities children’s playground, and the nearly 27,000-square-foot Sunset Skatepark, giving families, walkers, cyclists, and skaters even more reasons to head for the river. And then there’s the attraction that doesn’t require a playground, skateboard, or pair of running shoes: Take a seat on a bench along the riverfront esplanade to watch barges pass and catch a glorious Ohio River sunset…