As we near the end of winter, it’s time to look forward to springtime in Kentucky! And if you’re looking for a city with all the bells and whistles but with a friendly, small town vibe, Owensboro is the perfect place to travel for your upcoming Spring Break.
First off, spring in Owensboro is absolutely GORGEOUS. We have an entire season and area dedicated to the thousands of pink and white dogwood trees and vibrant azaleas that bloom throughout the month of April. You could literally spend an entire weekend exploring the dogwoods and azaleas that bloom throughout the city and county.
And speaking of flowers, Western Kentucky Botanical Garden is THE place to be this spring as the 12-acre facility blooms into a luscious garden filled with plants and flowers that represent all the colors of the rainbow, and then some. You can enjoy walking paths throughout the humongous garden, sit on a bench and watch the butterflies and admire all things naturistic and nurturing. Even better, WKBG offers free admission on the first Saturday of each month!
On April 8, head over to the Owensboro Museum of Science and History for their Total Solar Eclipse Experience! Thanks to a partnership between our museum and the Evansville Museum of Art, History and Science, you’ll be able to see the path of totality as you’re provided a 30-minute ride from Owensboro to Evansville to see the eclipse in all its glory. Bring a chair, a blanket and leave the rest to us to make this an experience you’ll never forget. You can get tickets for this event for $99 if you’re a member of the museum, or for $125 if you’re not a member. You’ll get a meal, snacks and you won’t have to worry about parking!
On March 28, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum is opening its largest and most interactive temporary exhibit to date–Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey. You can honor Garcia’s life and legacy in the best way by heading to Owensboro for a weekend-long celebration that includes live music from some of the greatest bluegrass musicians, an exclusive panel of people sharing their stories of and experiences with Garcia, and the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be one of the first people in the world to see a part of Garcia’s musical history that shaped his entire career.
And if you can’t make the Jerry Garcia event, you can still enjoy REAL Southern Gospel Weekend April 12 and 13, where you’ll get to see that southern gospel music is most definitely alive and well here in Kentucky.
And while you’re here in Owensboro, celebrate Spring Break the right way with a little bourbon! Take a tour of our world-class facility at Green River Distilling Company and learn the ins and outs of bourbon production from some of the best tour guides (and bourbon experts) in the entire state. This gorgeous venue has more than a century of history behind it, and you can even taste some of the bourbon that’s distilled here at the end of your tour.