The bustle of December holidays is over, and a new year is here. But even though the weather is cooler and the days still short, that doesn’t mean they can’t be packed with activities.
Here are some Southern Indiana highlights, from hiking to theater:
Outdoors
Southern Indiana is home to miles of hiking and multi-use trails, from the bikeable Ohio River Greenway that runs through Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany to forest passages such as Knobstone Trail, boasted as the state’s longest natural footpath. It has a trailhead at Deam Lake in Borden.
Mt. St. Francis Center for Spirituality in Floyd County offers more than 400 acres of trails, with some spots to stop and meditate.
There’s also Charlestown State Park which includes the remnants of the early 20th century amusement park Rose Island, and Clark State Forest, the oldest in Indiana.
Anna Rosales-Crone, communications manager at SoIN Tourism, said two of the area’s newer trails could appeal to people of different levels.
A short trail in Origin Park's Buttonbush Woods, just off the Ohio River Greenway, allows travelers to step into nature without a big commitment.
“So [it] could be really nice for people with little ones, if they’re looking for something that’s shorter,” she said.
For more adventurous hikers, the roughly 10-mile section of the Monon South Trail between Borden and New Pekin is now open.
It passes through areas including agricultural land and downtown Borden, “so you can have a little bite to eat and then continue on the trail,” Rosales-Crone said.
Falls of the Ohio State Park also has indoor and outdoor activities, and Rosales-Crone said people can bundle up any time the water is low enough to go see the largest exposed Devonian fossil beds on the planet.
Indoor fun
Rosales-Crone acknowledged not everyone is a huge fan of winter weather.
For colder, rainy or snowy days or to burn off some energy indoors, she recommended Clarksville’s Xtremenasium Trampoline Park & Ninja Challenge Park and Clarksville Strike and & Spare.
Recbar 812 in New Albany boasts classic arcade and pinball games, food and rotating beer taps.
Derby Dinner Playhouse is an oft-recommended spot, with shows this winter including “The Bunco Squad Rolls Again,” “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and “A Year With Frog and Toad.”
Derby Dinner’s children’s musical theater is recommended for ages 3-12.
“That's a really nice way, if you have little ones, to get them introduced to the theater in a family-friendly setting,” she said.
The Louisville Orchestra will highlight classical composers at the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center at IU Southeast Jan. 9 and Feb. 6, and the IU Southeast Theater program’s performance of “Clue: The Musical” runs April 10-19.
Derby Dinner Playhouse and the Louisville Orchestra provide support to Louisville Public Media.
Other indoor opportunities include the The Floyd County Carnegie Library, Howard Steamboat Museum, Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site and the Town Clock Church of New Albany. Friends of the Town Clock Church posts information about periodic tours on Facebook.
The Jeffersonville NoCo Arts and Cultural District is home to attractions including Maker13, the Clark County Museum, Vintage Fire Museum and NoCo Arts Center.
Dining
Southern Indiana’s dining scene can satisfy winter cravings and more.
“You can get the comfort food…home cooking that you're used to finding in Southern Indiana, the fried chicken, the dumplings, but you can also get a lot of international cuisine in our downtown areas,” Rosales-Crone said.
Mesa, A Live Dining Show, offers guests immersive, multi-course meals made by top chefs in the region.
“They get a chance to dine up close with these chefs and ask questions,” she said. “And if you're somebody who likes to cook, you could even get a few tips.”
Exploring with digital passports
SoIN Tourism also offers three free digital passports that offer thematic guides for different attractions in the area. One suggests scenic parts of the area for travelers, and another highlights public art.
”That’s a really great way to add a little bit of color this time of year when it's a little gray,” she said.
Another digital passport shares some of Southern Indiana’s more unusual spots.
Rosales-Crone said the passports are good for new residents and visitors, or those “who just want to kind of explore things that they may have missed in their own backyard.”
She said it’s worth it to get out and explore.
“SoIN has a lot of unique and quirky places to enjoy, things that you wouldn't expect,” she said. “We’re a very unexpected destination. I mean, who would have thought that the best candy store in the country is just across the river in Southern Indiana?”
Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.
This story was updated to include a map.
