Owensboro Entertainment for Kids and Families
As guests of Visit Owensboro, we explored for a weekend and found that not only is Owensboro and affordable place to visit, it’s packed with fun.
Here are some things our writers had to say:
Smothers Park is absolutely amazing. The playground is huge, good for all ages, it was super clean, felt very safe, and entertained my kids for HOURS. The splash pad was just flat and basic, but with different timing of the sprays of water which kept my kids entertained. The restrooms were clean and well stocked, which is hard with a splashpad involved! The cafe had a great selection of inexpensive treats, the water fountains were beautiful and fun to stick our feet in. There was a ton of riverside seating, and their Free Friday Festival was AMAZING! The only complaints I had for the waterfront area, was a lack of shaded seating during the day, and the multiple ways for little kids to “escape” the playground. It’s so big, if you feel like you need to keep an eye on your kid, you’d better bring help. ~Caryn
Smothers Park was our favorite! That playground was huge! My girls loved all the bridges and trees including in the playground. I thought the water spray area was rather small compared to the rest of the playground, but it was still enough to get wet and cool down a bit. I was concerned with how easy it was to get out of the playground on the side by the road. I think some kind of fence and gates at the entrances may be a good idea. I thought it was very clean and well maintained. I also liked that they had a concession area! ~Kimberly
The waterfront is incredible! We loved the swings and how clean everything was – including the bathrooms. Smothers Park was awesome as well! My 9, 8 and 5 year olds ALL loved it – there was something for every age. The more challenging obstacles made me nervous with my youngest one so I watched him more than my other two. We were also impressed with how reasonable the prices were at the concessions stand.
My kids also loved the trolley through downtown and near the park and although we rode it a few times, it never lost its charm. And it’s also FREE – huge bonus! ~Dana
Smothers Park was by far my kid’s favorite part of the beautiful riverfront. They quickly joined up in games of “Tag” and such with other children, and never ran out of new places to hide and explore. They, being 10 and 7, didn’t care so much for the little splash pad, as it was a bit basic and more geared towards the little ones, but certainly had no problems making use of it to cool off from all the running!! ~Karen
We really enjoyed the playground. It was huge and had a lot of options for play. It is very large and I can imagine could be hard to keep track of kids at times, especially when it gets crowded. I loved the big trees that were a part of the play ground. It was also very clean (including the bathrooms) which makes this Mom happy. ~Kelly
Smothers park was amazing. Other parks seem small and boring compared to it! There was definitely something for a wide range of ages! ~Lauren
Friday After Five was a nice family event. I think it may get a little less kid friendly the later it gets, but we had a great time checking out all the old cars, getting Kona Ice (of course), playing cornhole and listening to the five different bands. It was also great people-watching! It’s spread all along the riverfront, so it can get taxing – especially for little legs after a long day. ~Dana
Friday After Five was my husband’s favorite portion of our weekend visit. He loved the ambiance, the bands, pop-up bars, and just the general feel of the public having a good time. I too enjoyed myself, and we are planning to go back again, just as a couple. Our kids did enjoy themselves, but were tired out a bit early and lost interest in “sitting and relaxing” to just enjoy the music and atmosphere. They did like the street fair (*magician act), food trucks, balloon artists and such, just were done with the whole scene a little early. ~Karen
The Holiday Inn felt very new and clean, the staff were very helpful and kind, and the room had a Keurig coffee maker with K-cups, mini fridge, and microwave, plus extra toiletries if you needed. The indoor pool and hot tub were clean, and the hotel had a beautiful riverfront view from some of the rooms and the restaurant. ~Caryn
The Holiday Inn provided a perfect spot for our family, and having the corner suite with a wall-to-wall view of the riverfront from our bedroom was beautiful, especially in the evening!! The staff was also very friendly and helpful!! **Full disclosure, we were confused as to wear to catch the Trolley, and I also had to ask for a toothbrush as I had packed the whole families’ except for mom’s! ~Karen
Any hotel is an adventure for my kids, but they especially loved the balconies in the suite! The indoor pool and hot tub were a nice addition and the outdoor seating area was lovely. Service was gracious and kind – I could tell that everyone I encountered wanted to be there. ~Dana
The Museum of Science and History
The Museum of Science and History (just $3 admission) has added some new features since our last trip there. Some of the areas will probably always be the same, but my kids still enjoyed it. I think the admission fee is definitely worth the enjoyment and time my kids can play there.
The town of Owensboro itself is very cute. The buildings on the main streets look well kept, there are a ton of cute restaurants and shops, and I think it is only going to grow as more hotels are built and people realize what a gem Owensboro is to visit! ~Caryn
The Museum of Science really caught my son’s attention with the cave tour. He was fascinated with it, and also liked a lot of the other exhibits throughout. My daughter also enjoyed. Worth going once. ~Karen
The Museum was pretty neat. There were lots of different hands on activities to keep the kids of all ages engaged. Loved the little tunnel that went outside the window on the second floor! The cave was also really fun for the kids to crawl through! ~Kimberly
We also loved the museum of history and science. We spent most of our time exploring all the different science activities. Most kids probably didn’t realize how much science they were doing and that they were learning while having fun! ~Lauren
We all really enjoyed the Museum of Science and History. The visit makes for lots of teaching moments, but in a very fun and hands-on way. My five year old was OBSESSED with all the buttons, levers, drums, pipes, and anything else he could DO. The play area upstairs is better suited for smaller kiddos but there were still plenty of other things to keep my older kids interested. ~Dana