wordy wednesday...owensboro, kentucky {november 8, 2023}

Owensboro, Kentucky. What was the pull to go there? I wrote about it in Monday's post, go do them, but it posted at 12:00 p.m. instead of 12:00 a.m. Oops. Long story short, I lived in Owensboro for a few years and I wanted to see my old Kentucky home.

Before going to Owensboro, I did some research to plan a day's adventure and found plenty to do, whether walking or driving. We booked a downtown hotel with a river view overlooking the Ohio River and Smothers Park. A barge travelled in the direction of Cincinnati for our first look from our small balcony.

After a 3 1/2 hour road trip we were ready to do some walking. Our first destination was Peter B. English Park. Owensboro was home to the former Ohio River Lock and Dam 46. Back in the '60s when we lived there, Mom and Dad would pile everyone in the family station and drive down to the river to watch the barges pass through the lock. Peter B. English was the last lock master of Lock and Dam 46. He served in that capacity from 1957 to 1973.

Leaving the park, we walked back through the neighborhood toward the hotel and then turned onto the riverfront path to Smothers Park. It's been a city park for a long time, went through a renovation and expansion as part of a multi-million dollar riverfront upgrade, and reopened in 2012. It has three fountains that do water shows, a cascading waterfall, porch swings overlooking the river, a beautiful playground, picnic tables, and so much more. It's a community gem.

We continued to the end of the park and walked back through town to the hotel. Plenty of street parking and murals to look at along the way. Owensboro is proudly known as the Bar-B-Q Capital of the World and the area is proud of its coal mining heritage.

We hopped in the car and made our way to the Green River Distilling Company for a tour of the distillery that makes "The Whiskey without Regrets." Our tour guide, Tim, was informative and entertaining, and loved his job. He took us to one of the rickhouses where the barrels of whiskey are aged. He explained that as whiskey ages, it evaporates, and that's what the angels get. 

DSP-KY-10: Distilled Spirits Permit-Kentucky-10. Started in 1885, Green River is the 10th oldest distillery licensed in Kentucky. It's very prestigious to have a low number. Their address also reflects this distinction: 10 Distillery Way.

After our bourbon tour and tasting we headed out to find the largest sassafras tree in the world. It's gotta be somewhere and here it is in Owensboro.

Owensboro claims to be the Bar-B-Q Capital of the World. My parents loved the Moonlight BBQ and they typically would go there with friends and on occasion take their four young children there. After we moved away, Dad discovered that Moonlight would ship its food and he was in heaven. Once a year, he ordered a gallon of burgoo and a half dozen jars of the Moonlight barbecue sauce. When we told our son that we were going to Owensboro, he requested a jar of the barbecue sauce. He remembered his grandpa using it when grilling ribs.

Our stomachs were full and we headed back to the hotel to take an evening stroll through Smothers Park. The bridge crossing the Ohio put on a light show while parents and their little goblins went from booth to booth on the Trail of Treats. T and I sat in a porch swings smiling at the families, listening to music, and watching a barge chug down the river.