When it comes to entertainment, Evansville sure knows how to have a good time. From sports and nature trails to performing arts, the Tri-State offers enjoyable entertainment for all ages. Though the pandemic has prevented many of these venues and organizations from showcasing their full talents, you can still find ways to enjoy the some of the city’s lively attractions.
Sports
Take me out to the ballgame! Enjoy a summer evening of hits and throws at America’s third oldest ballpark, Bosse Field, where you can watch the home team Evansville Otters take on their Frontier League rivals. Visit the Ford Center for numerous sporting events, including Evansville Thunderbolts hockey team and University of Evansville basketball games. It’s also a venue for music concerts throughout the year. Want to see some of Evansville’s younger athletes play? The Deaconess Sports Complex, located at 6800 N. Green River Road, is an eight-field complex that hosts local softball and baseball games as well as out-of-state tournaments.
Music
The sounds of the city are no greater than in the historic Victory Theatre. The theater is home to the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, the largest arts employer in the region with 80 full-time musicians from diverse backgrounds. It also hosts local ballet and modern dance companies, theater companies, and touring productions. Victory Theatre is the premier location for performing arts events in Evansville along with the aforementioned Ford Center and Old National Event Plaza. For those with more modern tastes, many local bars and restaurants hosts bands and musicians from around the region — Lamasco Bar, Bokeh Lounge, Backstage Bar & Grill and many others welcome music lovers for dinner, drinks, and good tunes.
Theater
While Victory Theatre is the city’s top-tier venue for music and performing arts, the performers themselves belong to some spectacular arts organizations. The Evansville Civic Theater is a nonprofit arts organization that provides an outlet for self-expression and education through high quality entertainment. The Civic Theater also is home to the Nextwave Education Program, providing theater classes for children, teens, and adults; and the Civic Theatre Underground, which offers performances of plays that are lesser-known or edgier plays. You can also support STAGEtwo Productions, another nonprofit organization that works on local productions and community service. Likewise, the performing arts theaters at the University of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana make the city of Evansville a hotbed of theater in the region.
Outdoors
Did you know there was a 200-acre forest right in the middle of Evansville? How about 35-acres of wetlands on the West Side of town? Take in the beauty at Wesselman Woods or Howell Wetlands and enjoy some outdoor exercise. You can also indulge in other nature sites in the Tri-State like Blue Grass Fish and Wildlife Area in northern Warrick County or John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, Kentucky. A beautiful hike can offer as much entertainment as it does exercise!
New Harmony
One of the Tri-State’s most historic towns, New Harmony, Indiana, features a whole weekend’s worth of entertainment with its historic buildings, galleries, gardens, and other attractions bringing in visitors from all over the country. Browse through pieces at the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, The Hoosier Salon, or Mason-Nordgauer Fine Arts Gallery. Learn about the history of the Harmonists through tours and information from the Atheneum Visitors Center or Working Men’s Institute. Take in the beautiful of southwestern Indiana through a stroll in the Harmonist Labyrinth or at Harmonie State Park. Though it may be small, the artistic destination has plenty to showcase to visitors new and old!