While on family Urban Hike in Evansville, IN about a block from the Old Evansville Courthouse we…read morefound this lovely Old Coliseum. The building is amazing. It was locked up and for sale. I am hoping that someone saved the building and is using it for something for the community. History of the building: The Coliseum was erected as a tribute to the men of Vanderburgh County who fought in the American Civil War and Spanish-American War. After several old buildings were torn down, the cornerstone of the 66,000-square-foot facility was laid May 9, 1916. Construction concluded in March 1917 and the Coliseum was formally dedicated April 18, 1917 right around the time the United States was joining World War I. The original construction cost $180,000. The neoclassical coliseum was designed by Shopbell & Company and provided the community with its first modern facility for conventions and other public gatherings. The ceremonial aspect of the building was heightened by placing the structure directly on an axis with Fourth Street. Rockport native George H. Honig created two heroic monuments that flank the entrance. The Spirit of 1865, on the left, represents victory for the Union. The Spirit of 1916, on the right, shows the reflective elderly veterans of the Civil War Once considered the premier location for events in Evansville, the Coliseum was seen as dated and small when Roberts Municipal Stadium was built in the mid 1950s. When a push for "urban renewal" involving demolitions occurred in the city, the Coliseum was threatened. A "Save the Coliseum" campaign was developed and the same organization that helped save the Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse stepped in. In 1919 a 4,000 pipe concert organ was installed as a memorial to Prof. Milton Z. Tinker, for years supervisor of music in the local public schools. At the time of its installation it was among the largest municipal pipe organs in the world. In 2013, the University of Evansville purchased the pipe organ, dismantled it, and put it into storage. The University hopes to restore it to full operating condition sometime in the future.

While we were also visiting Evansville during our Urban hike, we found this Historical Jail and…read moreResidence located across the 4th Street from the Old Evansville Courthouse. The building is gorgeous as well and has a long history; History: jail Evansville is rich in exquisite examples of 19th century American Architecture. The Vanderburgh County Jail and Sheriff's Residence at 208 N.W. Fourth Street is an excellent example from this period. This castle-like fort, designed by architect Henry Walters, was modeled after the Castle of Lichtenstein in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Therefore, the structure is familiar to Evansville's German-born residents. This Gothic-inspired building was originally crafted from stone, which simplified its construction a good deal. Evansville's natural environment has rich subsoil, which combined with abundant rainfall and high mean temperatures, yields an abundance of stone, sand, and fine clay for bricks. Evansville's prime location along the Ohio River also allowed a direct shipment route for imported stone products. In addition, natural deposits of coal and iron in the area provided inexpensive means of operating brick kilns and iron foundries. The building itself is designed to invoke fear in the observer. Its exterior consists of step-gables, projecting turrets, crenelated roof lines, simulated portcullis, and a central keep, or rounded tower. The entrance presents pointed arches to lengthen the appearance of this part of the building. All of these elements add to the castle-like appearance of the structure. The Vanderburgh County Jail is also connected to the former Courthouse, which lies across the street, via an underground dungeon-like tunnel. During the time of the jail's use, the tunnel served as a passageway to transport prisoners to and from court. Presently, however, no nervous inmates are forced to make the tedious walk down the tunnel, nor are they required to sleep in the jail's less than spacious cells. The building now houses commercial offices. However, one cell still remains to allow modern visitors to take a look and imagine what life may have been like in the old Vanderburgh County Jail. The building was closed when we were there but it is FREE to walk around and take photos.

Sculpture of Evansville Indiana native William l brooks located inside of the old national event…read moreplaza in downtown Evansville Indiana. Pretty small sculpture with a placard that sits in the lobby. Upon a Google search I wasn't able to return much info but according to the sculpture he was known as mr Evansville and a one time mayor candidate. So I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume mr brooks was probably a massive donor to the building This sculpture resides in. Overall it's always cool to visit towns and see public art or sculptures that pay homage to the areas locals. Always nice to learn a bit more about other people and places throughout history.

Time capsule located just off the riverfront in downtown Evansville Indiana. The time capsule was…read moreburied in June 1979 and is set to be open on July 4th 2176. This easy to miss capsule is sitting on the grassy area right outside of Evansville four freedoms monument. I have no idea what was buried in this capsule in 1979 but I am curious. And unless some type of miracle happens I'll be long gone before they open this capsule up in the year 2176. So if Yelp is still a thing in the year 2176 and this capsule catches some news headlines, I'm going to ask the people of the future to update this Yelp page with some cool pics.

Given that I have reviewed several places within New Harmony, it's likely no secret that I love…read morethis little town of around 700 people located in deep Southwest Indiana. It's not often that you get an entire town that's a historic landmark, but that's the case with New Harmony. It was settled in 1814 as a spiritual sanctuary for the Harmonie Society. In 1825, it became a haven for scientists and scholars led by Robert Owen. That spirituality radiates still in New Harmony. The area is also famously welcoming to artists and creatives including several properties known as retreat spaces. For such a small town, New Harmony has art galleries, museum exhibits, summer theatre, historic properties, a winter concert series, festivals, shopping/dining, Harmonie State Park (actually just south), and the town is surprisingly walkable (or wheelable in my case). The town is located on the Wabash River. It's still an area known for its reformers, artists, educators, and scientists. It's in a weird location (at least to me) and is closer to St. Louis and Louisville (2 hours) than Indy (3 hours). With at least a couple labyrinths, this really is a place for those who want to dial down. Yes, there are things to do. Yes, there are restaurants. I know of a coffee roaster (Black Lodge), a couple bars, a handful of local restaurants (I'm not remembering any chains, though they're not too far away), some B&Bs/guest houses/camping (again, I can't think of a chain hotel/motel but they are close), and a downtown area with shopping. Oh wait. There is the New Harmony Inn - a more traditional hotel, though even they also offer guest houses. I don't believe they're part of a chain. There's a Marathon gas station. That's a chain. Ha! Seriously, this is a quiet and meditative town. It's not "sleepy." The people are friendly and warm. It's just a lovely little area that I wish was closer so I could visit more often. It's not perfectly accessible for sure - there are historic buildings with steps and occasional brick sidewalks that are doable but difficult. However, every time I've been here people have gone out of the way to be accommodating and hospitable.

One my favorite places in the entire country. New Harmony is well worth a visit during the summer…read moreor fall. It's charming and beautiful. A wonderful respite from the fast paced life.

New Harmony, Indiana is a small town of about 700 people in Posey County. It continues to be one of…read moremy favorite towns to visit. Working Men's Institute was established in 1838 as part of Robert Owen's utopian experiment that had its roots in New Harmony. It's a history library and music founded by geologist/philanthropist William Maclure and is the oldest continuously operating public library in Indiana. It continues to function in many of the ways it was established - the basic philosophy behind it was that men and women are essentially rational individuals who can bring about lasting social harmony if properly taught and encouraged. It would end up being a popular concept. At one point, every county in Indiana had a Working Men's Institute (along with 16 in Illinois). This one was the first, and it's the only one remaining. Being a historic building, accessibility is surprisingly strong and there is an elevator. The museum is quite cool, and the library is also surprisingly impressive. There's one display on the staircase, thus it's not accessible (also quite small). It's worth noting that the library is considered a public library for Posey County - it has books, periodicals, electronic resources, rare volumes, genealogical records and more. The second floor is ultimately the coolest for me as someone who is fascinated by the Harmonist and Owenite periods in New Harmony. There are also Native American artifacts and natural history items. Ultimately, this certainly isn't a destination spot or even a day trip (probably takes about 2-1/2 to 3 hours to get here from Indy. It is usually three for me, but that includes stops. However, if you're in this area it's part of New Harmony worth checking out. I'd probably go a four-star, however, I'm impressed enough with the efforts to improve accessibility that I'm forking over the fifth star.

My three boys (ages 7, 10 & 13) and I went today on recommendation by The Old Rooming House owner…read moreJim Stinson. We absolutely loved it! There was so much to see that we were there nearly an hour! Highly recommend!

While Tony, Noel and I was Urban Hiking in Evansville we happened upon this gorgeous German…read moreArchitectural Gem. It is absolutely gorgeous. History: The Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse, often simply called the "Old Courthouse," was once the center of Vanderburgh County, Indiana government. Construction started in the spring of 1888 and was completed in November 1890. The building was ready to be occupied by the county government in early 1891.[2] It sits in the heart of downtown Evansville. The building was designed by architect Henry W. Wolters of Louisville, Kentucky and constructed by the Charles Pearce & Company of Indianapolis. The 19th century German Beaux-Arts architecture masterpiece cost $379,450 to buildCost Comparison: A $379,450 capital expense in 1890 would be roughly equivalent to $76,000,000 in 2011 If you are ever in the area you have to go check this out..put it in your GPS: 201 NW 4th St Ste 102, Evansville, IN 47708..It is a gorgeous building to be checked out.

One of the stops I had planned on our get away to Evansville was to view the architecture of the…read moreOld Courthouse in downtown. Well worth the visit. The building has a great presence in the town. It is massive and the pink marble, wood working and iron works are all phenomenal. It was designed by Henry Wolters of Louisville, Kentucky and occupies a full city block in downtown Evansville and at its tallest point, 216 feet, the courthouse's bell tower dominates the skyline of Downtown Evansville. Both Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy gave speeches from the courthouse steps and it cost approximately $380,000 to construct in the last 1890's. In the late 1960's county government offices were moved and the building was almost torn down. However it has been revitalized and well worth the effort and cost to renovate. Well worth a trip to pursue the three story building and the impressive metal, wood, and marble artistry. Currently occupied by local businesses it is open to the public for self guided tours during normal business hours. we spoke to a woman coming out of her office on the third floor who provided us with a brochure of information on the history of the building. Great find.

Archway over main is as the name suggest a giant archway that serves as the entrance point to…read moredowntown Evansville popular and Brick laid Main Street. On my recent trip to Evansville the arch was decorated in basketballs. But looking at pics it seems like they do a few different decoration themes throughout time. At the peak of the arch it reads "Evansville river city". Being as Ohio river is about a block away I'm assuming that is the river city reference. Overall pretty cool decorative arch that serves as perfect entrance to the really near Main Street area of downtown Evansville.