This is a big deal for Owensboro.
Garden & Gun, one of the most respected magazines in the South, just featured Owensboro as one of the South’s best music towns. The article was written by Silas House, Kentucky’s former Poet Laureate and one of the most respected writers in the state.
That makes this even more meaningful.
House didn’t just mention Owensboro. He captured the heart of what makes this city special. He wrote about Friday After 5, ROMP Festival, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, our barbecue, our bourbon, our downtown music scene, and the energy along the Ohio River.
He also pointed to the deeper story. Owensboro’s connection to Rosine and Bill Monroe. The roots of bluegrass. The local musicians, restaurants, festivals, and gathering places that make this city feel real.
This is the kind of article that helps people see Owensboro the way we see it.
We are a music town. We are a food town. We are a bourbon town. We are a river town. And now that story is being told to a much bigger audience.
For tourism, this matters. It gives people another reason to visit Owensboro, stay overnight, walk downtown, hear live music, eat barbecue, enjoy bourbon, and experience a city that has something authentic to offer.
When Garden & Gun and Silas House tell people Owensboro is worth paying attention to, that is something we should be proud of.
Owensboro’s story is getting louder.
“Garden and Gun’s national spotlight, paired with a writer of Silas House’s caliber, is a major win for Owensboro”, said Mark Calitri, president, Visit Owensboro. “It shows our music, food, bourbon, bluegrass music, and riverfront story are getting noticed on a much bigger stage.”