Low Down on "River City"

With a population of about 120,000 people, visitors to Evansville find it difficult to determine whether they are in a big town or a small city. Regardless the decision on this score, Evansville has a rich history and has much to offer the visitor.

This city was founded in 1812 as a ferry boat landing across the Ohio River. It became the terminus of the failed Wabash and Erie Canal (an attempt to link Lake Erie to the Ohio River) in 1853. The early 1900s saw an influx of German immigrants who helped to change the city from furniture and cigar manufacturing to a railroad (and eventually refrigerator and plastic) industry mainstay. Now, the riverfront is a major tourist area. There are two universities in town. Tourism is soaring because of the festivals and convention opportunities found in the city.

My wife and I spent a long weekend in Evansville on a business trip and found ourselves enmeshed into the culture of the community. The restaurants are varied and reflect the history of the area. Some of them have existed more than 100 years. Others reflect historical aspects of the community. The city has developed a wonderful complex for convention opportunities. And the riverfront still exists as an attraction for all tourists.

Quick Tips:

When traveling to Evansville, plan to spend some time (and money) at Casino Aztar, the first gaming casino in Indiana. Near that area, there is a New Orleans style piano bar. There are eateries and clubs of all types along Main Street. A wonderful German restaurant can be found in the western area of the town. People can view major college basketball games as they watch the Purple Aces of the University of Evansville. Festivals of some form can be found year-round in the area.

It does not matter the type of activity that you might desire, you can find your favorite attraction in town or nearby.

Best Way To Get Around:

Visitors can find their way to Evansville by traveling along Interstate 64 or along U.S. Highway 41. Inside the city a local bus sytem helps travelers to go from one location to another. In the downtown area, travel by taxi can take the traveler from location to location. Travelers even come to Evansville by river, as the Ohio River still serves as a major route of travel for some.

I believe that it is best to drive into the city. You can walk along Main Street and along the riverfront area, but most activities seem to be a good distance from each other.

When we travel, my wife and I enjoy dining at some of the restaurants with a local flavor. On our recent trip to Evansville we decided to eat at the Gerst Bavarian Haus, a German restaurant. The restaurant is located in the Heldt and Voelker Building, which was constructed in 1890. The building was a hardware store until 1997, when the owners of the famous Gerst Haus in Nashville, Tennessee, moved the restaurant from its location to Evansville (due to the construction of the Tennessee Titans football stadium). They moved into the closed hardware store and have begun a new chapter in their 100+ year history.

My wife and I were really hungry when we arrived at the restaurant. We found that it is difficult to find a place to eat on weekends in Evansville unless you arrive before 5pm. The line at the Gerst Haus was short, and we wanted to eat some of the traditional German food that can be found at the restaurant. After we were seated, we ordered a beer from the extensive list. There are more than 25 beers on tap, and more than 120 brands of bottled beer served at the Gerst Haus. My wife had a German heffeweis beer, while I ordered a Guinness. I had the Gerst Oyster Rolls as an appetizer. These have been the house specialty since 1890. Anna ordered the Schweine Scnitzel, while I enjoyed a Bavarian combination that included veal, pork, and beef. The meals were served with salads and side dishes. There was so much food that we could not eat all of it. The waitress was attentive to our needs and the food was delicious.

Thankfully we arrived when we did, as the waiting line for seating became more than one hour in length by the time we finished our meal. I did not see reservations for anyone, only names taken at the door. It is my understanding that this restaurant is just as busy daily for lunch and for dinner. The next time that we travel to Evansville, we will definitely return to the Gerst Haus.

While my wife and I were in the Evansville area, we decided to experience as much of the local cuisine that we could. On Saturday evening we decided to eat at The Log Inn, an establishment that has been serving since the 1840s. The advertisements for this restaurant state that the customer can dine in the original log room that served Abraham lincoln, in 1844. Obviously, we wanted to be a part of the history.

We drove down Highway 2 to Warrenton, about 10 miles outside of Evansville. The restaurant was located on the side of the road. The parking lot, although ample, was filled by 5:30pm. We had to wait in a line that extended halfway around the building just to place our names on a waiting list to be seated. Then, we had a wait of about 90 minutes. This restaurant is really popular!

The wait was worthwhile, though. Once we entered the building, our thoughts were transported to the mid-1800s. The decor of the interior showed the logs that give this establishment its name. The walls were lined with trophy animal souvenirs. Finally we were seated. Those with groups of three or more were served family style. Others were served a la Carte. The family meal included the half fried chicken meal (for which the restaurant is famed), a choice of either roast beef or ham, and several vegetables (including mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans or green peas, carrots, squash caserole, and tomatoes). There was also a serving of a delicious fresh-baked bread. A non-alcoholic drink was included in the meal. Beer, wine, and cocktails were available on request for a modest additional price. I eagerly dug into the food as soon as it arrived, as my appetite had really become quite strong by the time we were finally seated. When we were finally finished with our meal, we were offered dessert. Even though I had been extremely hungry, I had filled myself with so much food that I could eat no more.

I have mixed feelings about the Log Inn. The idea of eating in the same location that once served Abraham Lincoln appeals to my love of history. However, as I age, I find myself less tolerant of waiting more than a few minutes for a meal. Those wishing to experience this place need to arrive early so as to get the best opportunity to be seated promptly. Otherwise, they need to be prepared for a long wait.

During a trip to Evansville that my wife and I took for our business, we were informed of a restaurant that had been open for only one month. We were told that the restaurant, Stoll’s Restaurant, was run by Amish people and served food prepared in the Amish manner. Such an opportunity could not be passed easily, so we drove about 10 miles north of Evansville to eat at the restaurant.

Apparently, one month in business had already earned Stoll’s a reputation for delicious food and good service. We parked in an over-crowded lot and stood in a line just to place our names on the waiting list. The hostess informed us that there would be a wait of about one hour for a seat. I would normally have become impatient with the wait, but there was a wonderful gift shop in the building that had many Amish-crafted items available for purchase. Anna and I ambled through the gift shop looking at the quilts, candles, jars of jelly, wooden art pieces, and other crafts. We spent about $50 buying things that caught our interest. By the time that I took these items to the car and returned inside, we only had a short wait for the table to become available.

We noticed other customers in the restaurant who had the appearance of complete satisfaction on their faces and knew that we had made a wise decision in coming to Stoll’s. The waitress arrived and took our order. She was dressed in the same manner that Kirstie Alley was dressed in the movie For Richer or Poorer (I cannot remember the name of the garment). We were offered our choice of a salad bar or an order from the menu. The salad bar had fresh homemade salads made in the restaurant and a choice of soups: beef noodle, ham and bean, beef vegetable, tomato and macaroni, vegetarian vegetable, chili, chicken noodle, tomato, and chicken and rice. The menu included selections of chicken, beef, fish, or ham. I chose the country ham with two vegetables. Anna wanted the soup and salad bar. Both selections were wise because I was soon brought a plate of meat and vegetables that could be considered some of the best that I ever was given. What a great feast we had!

Fresh pies and cakes were offered to us for dessert, but I could only down a strong cup of coffee to calm my over-stuffed stomach. Wow! It seems that I overeat when I go out to restaurants like this. Regardless, we left Stoll’s very happily filled. After the great meal and wonderful souvenirs that we purchased, it was easy to understand why the waiting line existed.

Does the Universe abound with countless other planets teeming with life? Are we on the edge of a new era, soon to discover life elsewhere in the universe? Will at least one of those countless planets provide some hint that we share the vastness of space with other life?

These are the big questions which have preoccupied scientists and philosophers and backyard sky watchers when we peer up at the twinkling stars overhead. During the trip my wife and I took to Evansville we were able to view the newest sky show available in the planetarium at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science. Using the star projector, special effects and computer animation, the show, "In Search of New Worlds," helps answer those questions. When viewing the show, we saw a comprehensive presentation that looked at the search for extrasolar planets. This 30-minute planetarium program examines events that have changed our understanding of the size and content of our solar system. The cost of the program was $3.

Also, while we were in the museum we were able to view the Evansville Museum Transportation Center. This portion of the museum had a cost of $2 (children under 12 were free). Through the use of historic vehicles, vignettes and dioramas, this part of the museum offered a view of transportation in Southern Indiana in the latter part of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. We joined other visitors who entered River/Rail Hall, which is divided into four distinct areas. In one of these areas, early river travel and the arrival of the iron horse to the Tri-State area has been interpreted. Highlights of this exhibit include an interactive pilot house of a riverboat, where we were able to turn the wheel and sound the whistle as we viewed a photomural of Evansville’s late 19th century waterfront; a CD-ROM program that put us in charge of a train; and a turn-of-the-century waiting room that invited visitors to step outside and board the Museum’s historic railroad.

We ran out of time for further exploration of this fantastic new addition to the Evansville area, so we were unable to see the many other exhibits. We hope to return in the near future so that we can look further at the art and history of the area.