A sum is only as great as its parts, and Evansville possesses a variety of neighborhoods — each with its own personality and unique, signature events — that help make our city one of a kind.
Riverside Historic District
A few blocks south of Downtown and the oxbow of the Ohio riverfront is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Evansville. The Riverside Historic District — added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 — features brick streets adorned with a swath of architectural tastes. Italianate, Colonial Revival, Renaissance Revival, Gothic, Victorian, and more styles envelop homes from the 1830s to 1930s. Walking tours — whether formal or informal — by the homes are common. One standout is the 1871 Reitz Home Museum, former residence of the Reitz family and the city’s best example of French Second Empire architecture.
Jacobsville
The Jacobsville neighborhood, just north of the city’s epicenter, features many of Evansville’s larger attractions, from the historic brick beauty of Bosse Field — home to the Evansville Otters — to the state-of-the-art Deaconess Aquatic Center. Both cross-street attractions act as the entrance to expansive Garvin Park, which hosts fishing and festivals during warm weather and Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights each winter. Jacobsville draws in families for events like the Northside Business Association Halloween and the North Main Street Christmas Parade. Protected biking and pedestrian paths line renovated North Main Street, the corridor connecting Downtown to the North Side.
Baptisttown
The area known as Baptisttown, situated in city’s center on the outskirts of Downtown, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. Anchored by the Evansville African American Museum, the neighborhood is steeped in historic events, architecture, and landmarks. The district stays bustling, with the popular Baptisttown Arts and Cultural Festival once a month throughout the summer, as well as a four-day Juneteenth Weekend celebration featuring special guest speakers, food trucks, and a block party. The museum pairs unique exhibits with numerous workshops and special events for the entire community.
Haynie’s Corner Arts District
Haynie’s Corner Arts District is Evansville’s only such designated area, with residents and other community members fully supporting musicians, writers, artists, and other creatives. First Fridays are held throughout the spring, summer, and fall, allowing artisans to sell their works while musicians perform on outdoor stages. Other cultural events are held throughout the year around the neighborhood fountain, with a backdrop that includes restaurants, bars, shops, a cigar bar, a brewing company, a bed and breakfast, and the historic Alhambra Theatre. Seasonal events such as the summer wiffleball league and pumpkin carving each fall have drawn participants from across the area.
Lamasco
Just to the west lies Lamasco, another older, blue-collar district, rife with historic and architecturally aesthetic buildings. It also has West Franklin Street, which every October hosts the well-known West Side Nut Club Fall Festival, the nation’s second-largest street fest. Visitors also come for the Franklin Street Bazaar for summer pop-ups and cookouts, a huge Easter egg hunt on the lawn of Mater Dei High School, and annual events, like a classic car show and gumbo cook-off, that are put on by the tight-knit neighborhood.
Lincolnshire Historic District
Situated on the city’s East Side is the Tudor-lined Lincolnshire Historic District, on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989. Featuring homes built primarily by the firm Anderson and Veatch in the 1920s and ’30s, two of the more well-known properties include the Neoclassical St. Benedict Cathedral and the Collegiate Gothic-style Benjamin Bosse High School, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024. Visitors can explore the properties during the Lincolnshire Front Porch Festival, a music event held each autumn featuring area musicians. Pop-up gatherings and food truck events occur at the “triangle,” a small green space carved by Southeast Boulevard between South Willow Road and Bayard Park Drive.
— Maggie Valenti contributed to this story.
