5 minute read
Lifestyle: Outing To Owensboro
AN AUTUMN OUTING TO OWENSBORO
Visit Owensboro, Kentucky and you will find The Bluegrass Capital of the World. The Western Gate of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Legendary Barbecue. Award winning parks, restaurants, performing arts, and fine arts. Fall festivals…all this and so much more! Just a two-hour drive from Louisville, Owensboro is a community of 60,000, big enough to offer plenty of excitement while keeping a warm and friendly small town vibe. You can plan your day with a little help from the friendly folks at Visit Owensboro, visitowensboro.com, or get a head start with some of our suggestions below.
It’s Fall, Y’all, and The Cottage Farm Stand & Baking Company looks forward to bringing visitors in for a season of fun activities. The Cottage is a charming breakfast and lunch spot in western Owensboro, located in a 100-year-old restored home on the Knight family’s 300-acre farm. Menu offerings and gift shop items are farm-to-table and feature locally sourced ingredients, from roasted coffee beans and honey from the Knight’s own hives, to produce from nearby farms. Specialty coffee drinks, signature mini muffins of assorted varieties, and the original Owensburger are favorites among the locals, but the menu is large and varied with plenty to satisfy any craving. Owner Marlene Knight is the visionary behind The Cottage. Sunflower fields in summer bring in visitors for free photo ops and $1 sunflower stems of your choosing. Come in the fall and enjoy pumpkin picking, as well as a corn maze and special seasonal foods. The highlight of the upcoming season is the 3rd Annual Pumpkin and Pickle Festival held on October 21-22 with entertainment, vendors, food trucks, and fall activities for the whole family. cottagefarmstand.com
Smothers Park and Lazy Dayz Children’s Playground are at the heart of the beautiful riverfront in downtown Owensboro. The waterfront park, which spans a spacious 6 blocks, features three stunning fountains, a cascading waterfall flowing into the Ohio River, swinging metal benches, an open air pavilion, and the world-renowned Lazy Dayz Children’s Playground and Spray Park. The playground is completely handicap-accessible and was named “Best Playground in the World” by Landscape Architects in 2015. owensboroparks.org/parks/smothers-park
The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum brings in visitors from all over the world to experience the history and rich culture of Bluegrass music. Relocated 4 years ago to its current riverside location, the museum houses curated exhibits on all things Bluegrass, invites guests into the Pickin’ Parlor to try out instruments, and stages live shows in its indoor and outdoor concert venues. bluegrasshall.org
Owensboro is also home to ROMPFEST, a four-day Bluegrass music festival held in June at beautiful Yellow Creek Park. Past headliners have included Bluegrass legends such as Alison Krauss, Steve Martin, Old Crow Medicine Show, Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs and more. rompfest.com
Western Kentucky Botanical Gardens is open year-round. Born from a vision in the 1990s by the local Master Gardeners and brought to fruition with donated acreage owned by Dr. Bill and Susie Tyler, the gardens opened to visitors in 2002. The Tylers’ most recent donation, the historic 1840s Weatherberry Home, serves as the Welcome Center. Its wide front porch (complete with rocking chairs) makes for a welcoming entrance into the gardens. Guests are invited to wander both on and off paths and explore the koi pond, greenhouse, meditation center, as well as the many established garden areas. Through an ongoing capital campaign, WKBG has been able to enhance its Children’s Garden with a meandering path featuring 12 glass ribbons to memorialize the 12 most diagnosed cancers of 2021. A highlight of the path is a beautiful butterfly feature which has become a symbol of the gardens. wkbg.org
Green River Distillery is The Western Gate of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Founded in 1885 and still located on its original site, Green River is the 10th oldest distillery licensed in Kentucky. The distillery survived an early 1900s fire and prohibition to become known as “the whiskey without regrets.” Visitors are offered a variety of experiences, including a distillery tour, a sit and sip tasting room, a behind the scenes rack house tour (including tastings directly from the barrel, known as barrel thieving), and a hands-on cocktail class where guests learn how to make two specialty cocktails. greenriverwhiskey.com
Along with bluegrass and bourbon, Owensboro is well known for its barbecue, proudly boasting the title, Best BBQ in the World. Old Hickory Bar-B-Que, a family owned restaurant since 1918, is a local favorite offering traditional barbecue fare such as chicken, turkey, pork, beef, mutton, and ribs for dine in, take out, and drive-thru. Old Hickory also offers custom cooking; bring in your own meat and they will barbecue for you using their own award winning methods. oldhickorybar-b-q.com
Story and Photos by Patti Hartog
Today's Transitions / Fall 2023
