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Ferdinand State Forest

4.7 (3 reviews)

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Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial - Wonderful park!

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

(29 reviews)

Completely free to visit! There is a large parking lot at the Memorial Hall and also some parking…read morecloser to the living history farm. The Memorial Hall is a good place to start with a short educational video, some small exhibits, and the gift shop. The Memorial Visitor Center closes from 12-1 pm for lunch, so plan accordingly if you need to use the nice clean bathrooms or fill your water bottle. The park includes a pioneer cemetery, a living history farm, a memorial to the Lincoln family cabin, and some short trails. When we visited (late May) on a weekday morning, there were no historical interpreters at the living history farm, and the buildings were all locked. I'm not sure when the living history farm is functional, but it looks like it would be fun. I highly recommend the Trail of Twelve Stones, which leads you through the peaceful woods along a path which houses 12 stones from significant locations in Lincoln's life.

Abraham Lincoln is great and almost universally identified as the greatest president ever. I've…read morebeen to his birth site in Kentucky, His tomb, Presidential Library and home in Illinois and his memorial and place of death in Washington DC. This was basically my last spot in my pilgrimage to all things Lincoln. This was probably the least interesting of all the sites that I listed above, The visitor's center has a small gift shop, the usual National Park rangers to give you maps and knowledge and a theatre to watch a little film about the Honest One himself. From there you walk up to the Pioneer Cemetery where there is a memorial for Abe's mother Nancy who is buried somewhere near that spot. She died of milk sickness all because a cow ate a snakeroot plant! Thank God for modern medicine! Anyway from there you walk up to replica of the cabin they would have lived in and an active farm that looks as it would have when Lincoln was there. The last spot is a spring that the Lincoln's would have carried water from. All in all it was a mile walk each way. You can drive closer to some of these spots as well if you lack feet. All in all I'm glad the place exists but it's not a must do spot for the casual history buff.

Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve

Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve

(10 reviews)

This is a great asset to Evansville. This is one of the oldest old growth forests in an urban…read morecommunity. Great hiking trails along the Wabash and Erie Canal, a great nature center, and a maple syrup festival. I recommend getting the family membership.

There are two things we look for when we travel. 1) Brewhouses and 2) Parks. We found both in…read moreEvansville, and Wesselman Woods is an amazing place, even though our visit was cut short. It's a bit off the beaten path, as you have to go through a residential area and then past another park/sports complex, but it's worth the drive. The parking area is next to a community recycling center, which I think is appropriate because anything that's returned there isn't getting put in a landfill or thrown out into the wilderness. When you enter the park there is a heavily-treed path you follow to the Visitor's Center. For being located near a large city you'd think that the park would be pretty open...exposed....but that's not the case. This park is SO green and you can't even tell where the Visitor's Center is until you're almost directly in front of it. That Visitor's Center has quite a few displays (plant and animal) for you to peruse before you go out into the wilderness. The part I liked the best was the curved display that looked out onto an area that a variety of birds frequent, along with informational plaques. I could have spent hours in that room alone. The cost to walk the trails is $5 per person. We were advised that we should apply some mosquito repellent because it had rained pretty heavily during the previous couple of days and, as a result, the mosquitoes were pretty thick. Well, I'm here to tell you, "the mosquitoes were pretty thick" doesn't even come close to describing the density of the mosquito population that day. Nowhere Near. What started out as about a 1 1/2 to 2 mile walk turned into a quickly paced just-short-of-a-run 20 minute journey through what I'm going to call the Mosquito Jungle. These little buggers weren't just everywhere, they were EVERYWHERE, including places they shouldn't/didn't have the right /I never gave them permission for. It was crazy. We spent more time swatting these bastages than we did anything else. My wife and I took turns covering each other's back. While we DID apply more than enough repellent, these were the most defiant insects I'd ever seen. They were flocking to us like pre-pubescent teen to a Justin Bieber concert, and all we did was walk through the door. What we were able to see of the nature preserve was beautiful. The trails are very clearly marked and directional signs are never too far out of sight (which came in handy as we tried to frantically find out way back to non-mosquito-infected territory), and the trails themselves were very well maintained. The next time we're in Evansville we plan visiting again (hopefully NOT after a monsoon) so we can take our time to better enjoy the plant and wildlife without being attacked. It really is a beautiful place.

Jasper Riverwalk - Jasper City Mill

Jasper Riverwalk

(6 reviews)

It seems like there is a lot of construction around the area where 3rd Avenue crosses the Patoka…read moreRiver. The Riverwalk runs along the Patoka for quite a distance. I thought I would be able to find parking at the address assigned on Yelp, but that parking has signs posted that state the parking is for specific businesses only. Fortunately, I found a nice parking lot on the south side of the Patoka and one block west of 3rd Avenue. (Take Brucke Strasse west to Cemetery Drive and there will be shaded parking on both sides of the street.) This lot is really convenient for anyone who wants to check out the Jasper City Mill (when it is open) or the City's first handicap accessible playground (at least that is what the tombstone style marker claims.) Because of time constraints, I didn't try hiking the entire 2+ mile length, but was able to check out the downtown area. Next to the Mill, a bridge spans the Patoka with great views of the small dam/waterfall next to 3rd Avenue. It also offers views of the working side of the Mill. The trail goes east underneath 3rd Avenue to avoid the traffic and soon leads to an area called the Dave Buehler Plaza. Back near where I parked, the playground has equipment targeted towards smaller kids. There is also a fitness station with several pieces of workout equipment available. Note that during my visit, some construction cones were in the area, so be advised that at times, passage may be limited until the work is completed. Review #3190

There is nothing that I don't love about this part of Jasper! This riverwalk is absolutely…read moregorgeous and a perfect way to get out and get some running, walking, jogging or biking in after all and the meat and potatoes you consume! I wish this trail was closer to where I live because I would be on it every day! The Riverwalk "stretches 2.1 miles from the Ruxer Golf Course on South Clay Street, to 15th Street. It follows the Patoka River through scenic wooded areas and along farm fields." As you pass through the 2.1 mile route you take in the Jasper City Mill and bridge, a deeply wooded area where you'll find some fisherman throwing lines and some squirrels that aren't afraid to stay on the trail and eat the corn that passers-by leave for them. It makes for great photo ops! The trail can obviously get a bit hot and sweaty in the summer months in the unshaded, sunny portions but it's well worth the time! There's even an ice cream shack you can stop by to cool you off a bit and if the river is high enough, it's fun to just sit and listen to the running water. A truly beautiful place! Know before you go: No restrooms! However, the owner of the Mill lets me use his but I ALWAYS buy a little something when I do. Their old candies and cornmeal are my top favorites! A perfect place for my 300th review!!

Ferdinand State Forest - parks - Updated May 2026

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