SoIN Tourism Executive Director Jim Epperson expects projects opening in Jeffersonville and Clarksville to bolster tourism in the region in the coming years.
That includes The Vista, a 14,000 square foot event center at Origin Park, which is slated to be finished in spring. The revenue will help sustain operations at the park’s more than 400 acres.
“We just kept getting kind of blown away by the new things that are coming online or they're being talked about or people are investing [in,]” he said in December.
Epperson said he expects it to be popular for weddings and corporate events.
SoIN Tourism is also working with Clarksville officials on potential plans for a conference center after a 2023 feasibility study identified South Clarksville as the best location.
Bill Weyland, founder of the firm tapped by its owner to redevelop the former Colgate site, said in August plans there could include a hotel, restaurants and a convention center.
“If that works out, well, that could be a faster process than a new-build conference center,” Epperson said.
Another big thing in the works is the new aquatic center at Jeffersonville High School. That’s expected to be finished in fall and will feature 50-meter swim lanes and hold around 1,000 spectators.
He said Greater Clark County Schools has already fielded calls on events.
“When those phone calls start coming in, and you start sitting down with people and just one after another,” he said. “It seems like we're coming up on a transition time as a region.”
Epperson said tourism in Southern Indiana has returned to normal, following a post-COVID-19 surge that lasted a few years. He expects growth in 2026 to be similar to last year.
When tourism grows, that feeds into money into the local economy, like retail restaurants and hotels.
“And that’s going to drive new supply,” he said.
Access to the Ohio River Greenway and proximity to Louisville are already a draw, he said. So are the downtown areas, including Clarksville’s up-and-coming space.
“Surprising downtowns, like what we have that punch way above our weight class, given the size of our population, are just cool places to hang out,” he said.
Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.
