For its more than 44,000 residents, Henderson County offers an impressive robust array of recreation options.
John James Audubon State Park is the recreational gem, featuring hundreds of wooded acres, miles of trails, a fishing lake, tennis courts, picnic areas, cabins, a golf course, and a museum with original wildlife art and artifacts from the ornithologist who the park is named for.
The City operates more than two dozen parks and facilities supporting picnicking, boating, hiking, playground play, tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, pickleball, weightlifting, and group gatherings. Give the disc golf course a spin, hit the court Downtown at the Doc Hosbach Tennis Complex, or stroll along the 2.5-mile picturesque River Walk. The city’s Atkinson Pool features an L-shaped main pool, a wading pool, a mushroom waterfall, a water slide, and more. The city also operates two spray parks, including the Riverfront Water Feature.
The newest of the city’s sports facilities is the Deaconess Henderson Sportsplex, which features four fully turfed and lighted 200-foot baseball/softball diamonds that draw regional tournaments, plus three multipurpose fields. The city also has developed a parks master plan with recommendations for improvements over the next decade.
The county offers three rural parks, including the 500-plus-acre Sandy Lee Watkins Park and community green spaces in Baskett Park and Charles Alexander Park. The Donald “Hugh” McCormick Henderson County Fairgrounds, near the junction of Interstate 69 and the Audubon Parkway, hosts the county fair each July.
The Henderson County Family YMCA serves all ages with facilities such as a multiple-room fitness center, gyms, indoor tennis/pickleball courts, lap pool, warm water therapy pool, racquetball courts, and more. Its programs range from group and virtual exercise classes to coaching and training, youth camps, swimming lessons, and child care.
There are numerous boating and fishing opportunities on the Ohio and Green rivers and various public lakes, and the sloughs of rural Henderson County provide some of the best waterfowl hunting in the country. Meanwhile, Blue Moon Stables west of Geneva offers horseback riding lessons and other equine experiences.
Youth sports leagues include PCMA baseball, softball, ABA basketball, the Henderson Soccer Club, and soccer, basketball, archery, and swim teams via the YMCA.
In addition to a host of school athletic teams, each summer the Henderson Flash features college baseball players competing against regional teams using wooden bats, as professional players do.
Golf lovers can tee off at three public courses, including The Bridges, Bent Creek, and Audubon Park, plus a private course at Henderson Country Club. Over at the Scott Audas Jiu Jitsu Academy, children and adults can take jiu jitsu classes in the Japanese martial art.
At the remodeled Echo Lanes, bowlers can take part in both open and league play, while Showplace Cinemas Henderson offers first-run movies across eight screens for cinephiles.
Besides its large collection of mainstream books, Henderson County Public Library has both children’s and teen libraries, a makerspace, computer lab, genealogy and local history services and resources, passport services, a specialty tool-lending service, meeting rooms, and an art gallery.
Senior citizens center The Gathering Place offers bingo, billiards, card games, an exercise room and classes, dances, the annual Senior Games, and other activities and special events in addition to a hot lunch each weekday.
