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.

I like this library . They have story time for my kids. I always find a seat to be able and read…read more The staff has been nice. There is a little pond to the side of the library. If you need to walk to stretch your legs or walk up , the pond has a gravel path which is great for a brisk walk.

Love finding hidden gems, and we truly enjoyed this one. We came early, and it was so peaceful and…read morequiet.

There may be no finer labyrinth in the state of Indiana than the New Harmony Labyrinth, also known…read moreas the Harmonist Labyrinth. For those unaware of New Harmony, it's a small historic town located on the Wabash River that is considered part of the Evansville metro area but is actually located in Posey County. New Harmony has always had strong religious roots, usually of a more alternative nature, and was originally known as Harmony due to being founded by George Rapp and the Harmony Society in 1814. The Harmonists largely existed in three areas - this location along with Economy, Pennsylvania and Harmony, Pennsylvania. In each location, they built churches, homes, businesses, and a labyrinth. It should be noted that the existing labyrinth in New Harmony is not the original from 1815, but instead a 1939 recreation. It is constructed out of natural materials based upon an architectural drawing that was available in the Harmony Society archives. There's an amazing grotto in the center of the labyrinth that is a recreation of an existing grotto that still exists in Economy, PA. The Harmony Society believed strongly in the symbolism of a labyrinth and felt it to be a central part of their philosophy, beliefs, and practices as a commune. Indeed, the Harmony Society believed very much in communal living. The New Harmony Labyrinth is open from sunrise to sunset every single day and is free to visit. The grotto, while at the center, can be accessed through a series of gates for those not wishing to actually do the labyrinth - I will confess I have a hard time imagining not doing the labyrinth prior to visiting the rather amazing grotto. For labyrinth lovers, it may be worth noting that this is one of two rather magnificent labyrinths in New Harmony. As you can tell from the included photos, the New Harmony Labyrinth is a hedge labyrinth that has been somewhat updated over the years while keeping the core of its design. While not quite as wheelchair friendly as I'd like (the path is somewhat narrow), I still consider it to be Indiana's finest labyrinth and the surrounding community in which it's located maintains its deeply spiritual roots. I don't get down to New Harmony nearly often as I'd like. It's a terrific day trip - probably about 2 1/2 hours from Indy, but there's easily enough to do in New Harmony to justify a day's trip. If you need creature comforts for shelter, you can always slip over to Evansville. However, there's options here in New Harmony and when I visit I'm always glad I did. While most of us will leave COVID-19 and want to spend time around people, for those who appreciate quiet, meditation, prayer, and solitude, the New Harmony Labyrinth is one of Indiana's best kept secrets.

Just updating some of my information and yes the staff was very respectful so yes I recommend this…read morebusiness

Korean War memorial located on the riverfront of downtown Evansville Indiana just off the banks of…read morethe Ohio river and adjacent to the visitors center. This is a pretty awesome and in depth Monument to the Korean War that includes some grave stones and a pretty nice statue. Sits right in front of a few other monuments on the banks of the river which makes this a very nice place to take in some nature and learn some history. Overall any monument or public art that can educate is a great thing. This monument and statue accomplish that feat. Very well done.

This is a great memorial right on the river. Definitely a good place to come and remember the…read moresacrifice of our soldiers.

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.

this will be a totally mixed review. i had a totally, totally bad experience signing up for a ghost…read moretour with a group of friends for my birthday (details later). the tour itself was really quite good. i suppose i should start off by saying that i love non-profits and particularly non-profits that deal with historic preservation. i volunteer at one frequently and wouldn't want to do anything to go against their mission. myself and three of my friends decided that we would all go on a ghost tour for my birthday. one of my friends is quite thoughtful and proactive and said that she would call in advance and get the reservations made. she also said that there was incentive in doing so because the tickets would be less expensive. she called two days ahead of time and left a message. i called the next day and didn't leave one. we never got a return call. on the day of the ghost tour (and my bday) i decided to pop into the office and ask if my friend was on the list yet. i said that i would purchase tickets if she wasn't. the lady in the office fumbled through the list and couldn't find my friend's name. the other lady found her name scrawled on a paper buried beneath a bunch of other papers and indicated that those were the people she hadn't yet had time to contact back. this normally wouldn't have been a problem, but i was also informed that all the tours except for the one at 9PM were all sold out. also, we were going to take two legs of the tour, and the 9PM tour was the last one. i kind of lost it. it was my bday. you're allowed to be a brat, right? anyways....i thought it was totally lame that we were being denied a place in the tour just because the lady working there hadn't followed a logical pecking order. i guess i freaked out sufficiently, and the lady was probably worried that i wouldn't stop....so she conceded to add three extra people to the 9 o'clock tour. i still hadn't confirmed with two of the three birthday celebraters if this would be ok...and i was worried because they had a small child at home, but it turns out those times were ok for them. the lady said 'it's only $9, and it goes to a good cause'....she didn't say $9 for each person and each tour. i suppose i could have scalped the tickets if my friends had not been able to go at that time. i'm glad that they were able to go, but this laissez-faire treatment i received over something that was illogical and rude on their part was completely infuriating. so...we went to the meetup spot for the 8 o'clock tour, and we were informed that they were running late. we went on the tour, and it was fun, but it ended too late to go on the 9 o'clock tour. fortunately the ladies back at the meetup spot were sensitive to our plight and very understanding. they refunded us for the tour we didn't get to take, as well as the additional $2 off each ticket that we were supposed to have received for calling in advance to make the reservation. i would never undermine a preservation non-profit, and i don't write a lot of negative reviews in general. i'm from the midwest where i was taught to not say anything if you can't say anything nice. i just wanted people to know what to expect when dealing with this particular organization. clearly it's a mixed bag!

Bright airy place with very comfortable seating. Plenty of computer terminals. This is a very…read morepleasant to read.