Owensboro Museum of Science & History

This museum has a lot of empty space and the exhibits are haphazard with no continuity. It really needs a make over. Main exhibits are about WWI, local racing history, and natural history. 

 

The kid's area of the second floor is new and very well done with many hands-on activities.

The museum is accessible. Many of the hands on exhibits can be experienced from a seated position.  During our visit the main entrance wasn't open due to street construction so we had to use a rear entrance. This involved several elevators and passing through areas not normally used. 

RVs can be parked on the surrounding streets. It may be difficult to find spaces during the week. Museum  37.77482, -87.1102

Western Kentucky Botanical Gardens

At just 8.5 acres, this is a tiny garden. The garden path is only 1/4 mile long so we walked/rolled along it from both directions. Since the garden is relatively new there are still many plans for expanding it. A recent acquisition is the historic 1840 WeatherBerry house which is used as a welcome center and can be rented for special occasions. 

The welcome center and garden path is accessible. The pond and a few other gardens that are off the path are not accessible due to lumpy, grassy ground.

Short RVs will fit in the lot if backed up over the grass. It may be possible to park larger RVs in the overflow parking. Garden  37.77502, -87.14507

Owensboro Museum of Fine Art

Two exhibits in the small museum are permanent - the Decorative Arts Wing which features five period rooms with furnishing and decorative art from five centuries and the Stained Glass Gallery which has 16 magnificent stain glass windows donated by by the Catholic Diocese of Owensboro. The windows were originally installed in St. Joseph Church that was built in 1880 and demolished in 1989. The stain glass windows are so tall that they extend above the first floor. 

Other exhibits when we visited included religious art and Native American art. There's a small area for kids with interactive exhibits. 

The museum is accessible. 

The parking lot is small but short RVs will fit if parked through the spaces or backed up over the grass. There's only on entrance/exit so keep this in mind before pulling into the lot. Museum  37.7671, -87.1117

 

Mahr Park Arboretum

The arboretum is just a small part of the park. It also has paved trails, a community garden, picnic pavilions, a playground, and lake access. 

Our goal was to walk/roll along the 2.5 mile paved trail but we didn't make it very far because it was very hot and the trail is very hilly. The trail is accessible but due to the hills wheelchair users may need assistance. One section of the trail (about 1/3 mile) is just a wide shoulder along the park road with no separation from traffic. Signs identifying the trees along the section of the trail that we tried are too far away to read. A water fountain near the community garden is too high to access from a seated position. The other trails are grassy and not accessible.

                            

                                   

We'd been hearing about the double brood of cicadas due to arrive in the spring and we found them here. It was a bit deafening! Growing up in Pennsylvania we're accustomed to the rhythmic high pitched sound of cicadas but the red eyed cicada this year have a continuous whine almost like a siren. Fortunately the noise stops at night.

We parked near the dock where there are several long bus spaces. An accessible kayak launch is located at the dock. Park  37.3508, -87.51516

Fort Massac Visitor Center

The fort area has a long history starting in the 1540s when Hernando DeSoto and his soldiers  built a fortification to protect against attacks by the local Native Americans who understandably were not friendly. During the French and Indian War the French built Fort De L’Ascension. Fort De L’Ascension was abandoned in 1763 and burnt down by the Chickasaws. After the Revolutionary War, the fort was rebuilt by the US military. It provided protection for twenty years before being dismantled for timber. The last time soldiers were stationed on the grounds was during the Civil War when it was used as a training camp. 

In 2002 a replica of the 1802 American fort was constructed. The buildings need structural repairs and are not open but visitors can view them from the path. Continue on the path for a view of the river with evidence of the latest flood. The small visitor center has very good exhibits.

The visitor center is accessible. The paved path to the fort and river view is accessible with one damaged area that hasn't been repaired yet. The paved path to the outline of the 1757 French Fort and the statue of George Rodgers Clark is accessible until it reaches the grass. 

There are three large parking lots where any vehicle will fit.  Fort  37.14475, -88.71198

 

Harrah's Casino Metropolis

This was a riverboat casino but the laws were changed several times and now casinos in Illinois are permitted to be built on land. Riverboats tend to be cramped so this change is good for visitors using wheelchairs.

The parking lot is large and level. Parking close to the river will give you a view of the barges on the river and the trains on the bridge. We parked far away because of a horrible stench of dead fish. A local man told us the smell was common in the spring when the river ran high and fast, and the fish were battered as they went over the dams. No need to check in.

The Superman statue and the Super Museum are an easy 1/3 mile walk up Ferry Street. It's slightly uphill so wheelchair users may need assistance but the sidewalk and curb cuts are in good condition. Casino  37.14754, -88.7358

 

Super Museum

All Superman fans know that he lived in Metropolis, however, little Metropolis, Illinois is hardly the large, prosperous city pictured in the comic books and movies but it is the perfect spot for Jim Hambrick enormous collection of Superman memorabilia. Hambrick's collection started with a Superman lunch box that his mother gave him for his fifth birthday. His collection now has over 70,000 items with original movie props and costumes plus almost every type of toy ever produced. 

The gift shop is packed with all kinds of stuff so that you can start your own collection!.

There's also a huge bronze Superman statue across the street.

The museum is mostly accessible. It meanders and there are a few narrow spots where large wheelchairs may not fit. One small room has a step up.

Parking is available on the street. Museum  37.15244, -88.73243