Illustrations by Jamie Plain
Owensboro is a city rich in culture, history, and community spirit, offering countless opportunities for adventure and discovery. Whether you’re a lifelong resident or a first-time visitor, make 2025 the year you dive deeper into the charm and variety this city has to offer. From lively music festivals that celebrate Owensboro’s bluegrass roots to historic landmarks that tell the story of its past, there’s something here for everyone. Add to that the city’s serene parks, exciting events, and family-friendly activities, and you’ll find endless ways to explore and create lasting memories. Here’s about 50 things we put on the Owensboro Bucket List to inspire your journey.
Seasonal Events & Festivals
A reimagined version of the International Bar-B-Que Festival, BBQ and Barrels debuted in 2023 and took a step forward in 2024. In addition to celebrating Owensboro’s barbecue heritage, the festival brings in dozens of distillers to honor Kentucky’s love for bourbon. Held in early May, there are also plenty of vendors, music, and activities for attendees of all ages.
Friday After 5 offers free summer concerts and lively gatherings for the whole family, starting in May. The event has undergone some changes over the last few years but appears to be on an upward swing. Free to attend, the series includes live bands across a handful of stages along the Owensboro riverfront.
Live on the Banks is another free concert series that runs each may through September. The event showcases a variety of music groups from across the region every Saturday night on the Overlook Stage, appropriately named for overlooking the Ohio River.
Griffith Avenue turns into a mecca for local music each summer with Porchfest. Held in early June, homes along Griffith transform their front porches into stages for all manner of acts, with audiences sprawling across the lawns to take it all in. The event is free, and attendees can simply walk from house to house to catch as many performances as they wish.
The ROMP Festival combines bluegrass music and camping for an unforgettable experience. Held annually in June, the four-day musical festival includes concerts, jam sessions, workshops, food trucks, and more.
Celebrate Independence Day with fireworks and festivities during the All-American 4th of July. Fireworks are launched simultaneously from a handful of sites across the city, with the most picturesque being from a barge on the Ohio River.
A longstanding tradition, the Owensboro Dust Bowl is an outdoor basketball tournament that goes beyond the court. The weeklong event unites the community through basketball, food, music, and good vibes at Kendall-Perkins Park at the start of each July.
In the middle of July, the Daviess County Fair brings traditional fair games, rides, and fun to the community. In addition to nightly special events including motocross, monster trucks, and truck and tractor pulls, the fair includes horse and pony rides, livestock shows, music, and more.
The Owensboro Multicultural Festival highlights the city’s diversity with cultural performances and cuisine each August. The event educates the community through dancing, music, ethnic fashions, food, arts, and more.
It’s not often you can enjoy a free performance by an award-winning symphony, but that’s just what the annual Concert on the Lawn offers at the end of August. Grab a blanket or lawn chair and just take in the music as the sun sets for one of the more unique concerts you can experience.
Want a double dose of the Symphony? Catch them again on the Symphony Stroll in September. Enjoy a relaxing evening along the Owensboro riverfront while listening to live performances by the Symphony’s talented ensembles.
Voices of Elmwood is held each year from mid-September through October, giving a glimpse into Owensboro’s history. Attendees are taken on a trailer ride throughout Rosehill-Elmwood Cemetery, making stops to listen to local actors in period costumes presenting the stories of selected individuals buried there.
Don your favorite costume and head downtown for the City of Owensboro’s Trail of Treats in late October. Thousands of people young and old flock downtown, filling their bags of candy as they trick-or-treat from the dozens of vendors on site. There are also typically appearances by special guests such as superheroes and princesses.
The Harvest Festival is a relatively new event. After Reid’s Orchard stopped hosting the Apple Festival, the Daviess County Lions Club picked up the pieces and created the Harvest Festival in 2023. Held in October, the event includes a carnival, food, vendors, and music.
For those who enjoy Christmas and the holidays, there’s no shortage of activities to choose from. It all kicks off with the Owensboro-Daviess County Christmas Parade, held each year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The parade has gained new life over the last few years, bringing joy to the thousands of people that line 2nd Street to see the event.
If you’re looking for a spectacle of lights, Christmas at Panther Creek transforms the park into a magical drive-through holiday light display. There’s a small per-car entry fee.
To check out free displays, one of Owensboro’s favorite traditions is Holiday in the Park at Legion, where decorations are put up all along the walking path. There’s also a massive display in the Stonegate neighborhood, where you can either drive through or walk along the sidewalks to take in the full spectacle put on entirely by the community.
Another option is the annual Forest Festival of Trees at the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, featuring nearly two dozen monumental Christmas trees designed to interpret the exhibit put on each year.
From mid-April through early November at the Owensboro Regional Farmers’ Market, you can find fresh produce and several other manner of crafts and locally made products. The market is open every Saturday morning throughout the season, along with Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons for the summer months.
Category bonus: The Owensboro Air Show is a can’t-miss event, regardless of the performance lineup. However, there won’t be an Air Show in 2025. You’ll have to add that to your bucket list when it returns in 2026!
Sports & Recreation/Outdoor Leisure
With seven golf courses in Owensboro, there’s plenty of options to hit the links. Panther Creek, Windridge, and Hillcrest (9 holes) are a bit shorter and may appeal more to novices golfers, with more places to account for that slice you can’t get rid of. Ben Hawes and The Pearl Club are spread out, featuring more picturesque, albeit more challenging, course layouts. The Owensboro Country Club is private, but there are opportunities to play the championship-level course, either as a member’s guest or during one of the many scrambles held there.
Test your shooting skills at the Mattingly Target Shooting Range. The facility only allows shotguns (no ranges for pistols, archery, or rifles), and offer skeet, trap, and a 14-station sporting clays course with opportunities for beginners and advanced shooters.
The 14,000-square-foot Travis Aubrey Skatepark includes 35 elements to ride using skateboards, skates, and bikes.
Rudy Mine Trails provides a hidden escape for hikers and mountain bikers of all skill levels, with both double track and single track options.
Windy Hollow Campground and Diamond Lake Resort offer swimming, fishing, and camping with modern campsites and scenic view for a memorable family getaway.
The Windy Hollow Speedway and the ⅛-mile Windy Hollow Dragway deliver fast-paced stock car racing and drag racing along with several other dirt track events, including monster trucks.
The Edge Ice Center is open year round and offers public skating, skate rentals, learn-to-skate classes, skate sharpening, and a full concession and pro shop. You can also catch youth hockey games, as the Owensboro Rampage play home contests there.
There are ample opportunities to have a fun day out at one of the numerous parks across Owensboro-Daviess County. Smothers Park offers expansive playgrounds and stunning walking paths perfect for family outings, all with a view overlooking the Ohio River.
Ben Hawes, Yellow Creek, and Panther Creek are ideal for hiking, biking, fishing, or playing a round of disc golf.
Legion, Dugan Best, and Kendall-Perkins offer a space to relax, enjoy time with the kids, or play pickup games of futsal or basketball.
You can also catch some soccer at the large complexes at Horse Fork Creek or Thompson-Berry, football at Waymond Morris Park, or baseball and softball at Jack C. Fisher Park.
Take a stroll through the Western Kentucky Botanical Garden, walking the paved pathways as you take in the natural landscapes, flora, and nature-inspired sculptures.
For a more educational look at plants and wildlife, visit the Joe Ford Nature Center, a 15-acre woodland turned into an outdoor classroom.
Meanwhile, Adkisson Greenbelt Park invites walkers and bikers to explore its scenic trail system, which spans 16.5 miles and links neighborhoods, business districts, parks, and schools.
Arts & Culture
The Theatre Workshop of Owensboro brings local talent to life through captivating plays and performances. With roots dating back to 1956, TWO showcases contemporary and classic plays as well as musicals at two historic venues. TWO also stages art exhibits and workshops to keep theatre alive in the local community.
Another opportunity to catch high-quality plays is with Encore Musicals. Founded in 2017 by a group of former Back Alley Musicals performers who wanted to continue bringing high-quality theater to Owensboro after Back Alley’s closure, Encore typically puts on three to four shows per year.
The Owensboro Symphony delights audiences with world-class concerts throughout the year. Most known for their incredible renditions of classic pieces, the Symphony offers a handful of unique events for audiences of all ages.
To round out the full performing arts experience locally, give the Owensboro Dance Theatre a try. The company puts on “The Nutcracker” each December, and each February they host the Dance Battle Extravaganza, bringing together the energy of a professional jazz dance company and over 140 local community members for a family-friendly dance competition in support of the arts.
The Owensboro Art Guild showcases creative works from talented local artists. They put on a Plein Air event at the Botanical Garden in June and a Fine Art Festival in July, along with hosting several workshops and smaller events throughout the year.
The Owensboro Museum of Science and History showcases a handful of permanent exhibits across its two floors. The museum also has an area for children to play and learn simultaneously with STEM-based objects, and there are several family friendly learning events at the venue year round.
The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, Kentucky’s second-largest art museum, offers a look at cultures across the world. It has a permanent gallery with more than 4,000 pieces, also offering exhibits that change every 3 months.
Observe all the pieces of the RIVERARTES collection, an outdoor sculpture project managed by the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art. The roughly dozen monumental works of outdoor art in bronze, stone, aluminum, steel, and glass are installed in downtown Owensboro.
The RiverPark Center hosts a variety of plays, concerts, and community events year-round. You can catch everything from a Broadway musical and locally run art festivals.
The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum celebrates the legacy and heritage of bluegrass music. The venue brings newcomers and Hall of Farmers alike for music performances, also offering exhibits that draws visitors from across the world.
Unique Experiences
If you want your four-legged friend to tag along for the day, head to Castlen Dog Park. Located inside Legion Park and spanning nearly 2 acres, it offers a chance to allow dogs to play together while you get in some light exercise.
If you love a good ghost story, join host David Wolfe as he guides you on the Haunts of Owensboro Ghost Walking Tour. The roughly 1.5-hour tour takes guests through downtown Owensboro with stops at some of the “most haunted” places in the city.
Visit the largest sassafras tree in the United States and, likely, the world. The sassafras has been a historic landmark in Daviess County since 1883 and measures more than 100 feet tall with a circumference of 16 feet. It’s believed to be 250-300 years old.
Tour the 26-acre Green River Distillery to get a behind-the-scenes look at how Kentucky bourbon is made — and you’ll also get to sample some of the products. Green River covers every aspect of whiskey production, from grain, to mash, to barrel.
The Great Race is perhaps the most unique car race in the country, featuring cars that you’d almost exclusively only be able to otherwise find in a museum. After serving as the starting point in 2024, Owensboro will be one of the stops along the route on June 24 in the 2025 race. OL
