Evansville’s most overrated and
underrated attractions
By Jack Pyott, THG Features
The following was taken from the Evansville Convention &
Visitor’s Bureau website:
Exciting events and attractions. Quality full and limited service hotels.
Restaurants to suit any taste. Warm, friendly residents. Convenient location in
the heart of the Midwest. Evansville is a safe, secure city that provides the
ideal destination for your next day trip, weekend get-a-way, family
get-together, group tour, sporting event, small business meeting or large
convention.
Visit Evansville to experience the meaning of “Hoosier Hospitality!”
A convention bureau’s job is to
make a city seem appealing to prospective visitors. We at THG didn’t want to
take their word for it, so to see what locals really thought were the best
attractions in Evansville, we interviewed dozens of locals the past few months
and visited the city several times to find out if the hot spots live up to their
billing and what places might be overlooked. After compiling the necessary
information, we determined what Evansville’s most overrated and underrated
attractions are:
BARS
Overrated: The Fox and
the Hound
This seemed to be the upscale
place everyone was talking about to be with the “in” crowd. Sure the décor is
nice, but this place doesn’t give you a true taste of Evansville. Two many
pretty people in Abercrombie for our tastes.
Underrated: Sportsman’s
Billiards
A staple on Evansville’s
Westside for years, Sportsman’s has a great atmosphere, and is a place where the
regulars and newcomers just chill out and drink a few brewskis. The bartenders
here are great—especially Sarah Ko, who will brighten anyone’s day with a drink
and a smile.
RESTAURANTS
Overrated: Hacienda (3
locations)
If you are looking for authentic
Mexican food, don’t go here. This is the place where all the people who are
scared of Mexicans go to get their chips and salsa. The food isn’t bad, but is
nothing to write home about.
Underrated: Taste of
China (Westside, next to Wal-Mart)
Bar-none, the best Chinese food
in southern Indiana. We recommend the General Tso’s chicken, won-ton soup, and
egg roles. Tell owner Wai-Tok we sent you.
SPORTING EVENTS
Overrated: University of
Evansville Purple Aces Basketball
Sure, they are the only D-I team
within two hours of Evansville, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that they
play in the Missouri Valley Conference, where the best team is Creighton—where
in the hell is that?
Underrated: Reitz High
School Panthers Football
The best tradition of any team,
college or high school, in southern Indiana. They draw more fans to their games
(the stadium seats 12,000) than UE does for basketball, and are 32-7 in three
years under coach John Hart.
GAMBLING ESTABLISHMENTS
Overrated: Casino Aztar
Looks like just about any other
casino you have ever been to, except smaller since it is inside a boat. The
best thing about it is it pumps money into the city coffers and has made the
riverfront look a lot better.
Underrated: Ellis Park
Technically, this is in
Kentucky, but it counts as Evansville to us since it is on the Indiana side of
the U.S. HWY 41 bridges. A fun place to spend an afternoon—you can see real
gamblers cuss after each race as they lose their paycheck over the course of the
day. Nice atmosphere and good food.
SHOPPING
Overrated: Eastland Mall
Almost always busy, and there
isn’t anything really special about it. Like a thousand other malls in the U.S.
Underrated: Washington
Square Mall
You can always get a front row
parking spot here, and it is never busy. You also never have to wait in line
for anything in any of its remaining few stores. They have a Sears, which has
just about everything anyone would ever want, so why go anywhere else?
HOTELS
Overrated: Executive Inn
470 guest rooms and suites. Over
33,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space with full-service catering. Not
bad, but lacks character.
Underrated: Schmitt Motel
This Fares Avenue hideaway is
everything that the Executive Inn is not—cheap, cheap, cheap! It is near
Diamond Avenue and HWY 41, so it is in a great location. Costs about $20 a
night.
