The Best Things To Do In Southern Indiana

We just got back from a really fun family trip to Southern Indiana. The
Clark-Floyd Counties Convention & Tourism Bureau (better known as SoIn Tourism) hosted us for a two-day trip to kick off our fall break last week. We did a little play, a little learning and a lot of eating!

The Best Things To Do In Southern Indiana

Down on the line of Indiana and Kentucky, things get a little blurry of what state you’re in. All I know is it’s extremely charming and I am excited to go back to explore more! We went to Louisville a couple years ago and was pleasantly surprised at the number of things to do for families with young kids. The Indiana side is no different!

Hotel Stay at Home2 Suites

We arrived in Clarksville Louisville North Indiana where we checked into Home2 Suites and are now Hilton converts! We loved the space our double queen studio provided for our little family. Not only was there a kitchenette and a large bathroom, but they had a curtain separating the beds and the sitting area. This provided a super fun toy for Lilly to play peek-a-boo and also worked well for us three girls when we were ready for bed but Jeffrey wanted to stay up. I highly recommend staying at Home2 Suites by Hilton the next time you travel. Also, their breakfast buffet is delicious and the staff could not have been sweeter.

Expelling Energy and Refueling

Trampoline parks are our jam. We love checking out all the newest features everyone is adding. Xtremenasium has a great mixture of things for all ages. With VR in their upstairs area and dodgeball, rock climbing, a ninja course and tons of trampoline space to bounce around, they’ve got it all! It was the perfect stop after a day of driving in the car!

After jumping we headed to dinner at Bubba’s 33. Both Jeffrey and I were pleasantly surprised by how great their food is. We have one 15 minutes from our home but had never tried it. My husband commented that we’ll have to go there for our next family dinner night out because the food choices were abundant, it was loud enough for kids to be kids and the price point was great.

Soph’s pizza was excellent, Jeffrey’s burger was amazing and my grilled chicken salad didn’t even need dressing, it was so good. In true Bergman fashion, we packed up half our food so we could split a dessert. The Turtle Mud Pie is an Oreo® cookie pie crust filled with salted caramel, vanilla ice cream and pecans then drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce.

Historic (and adorable) Jeffersonville

I just want to preface this by saying how I’m coming back to Jeffersonville for the sheer charm of the town and the people we met. Jeffersonville Main Street, Inc. is the non-profit revitalization organization for Jeffersonville, IN and they’ve done an amazing job keeping the charm while also making it a fun place for community with all the cute activities they have year-round. Jeff Fest sounds especially appealing to me!

Parlour Pizza

Where I live, north of Indianapolis, there seems to be a pizza place on every corner but none of them have excited me like Parlour! The atmosphere blew us away right off the bat being located in a historic home that’s been revitalized to this community meeting space that also happens to serve pizza and pints. Parlour gives so many reasons for me to drive the 3+ hours south to Jeffersonville.

We grabbed a seat on the patio, which is, in my opinion, the best in the area. There’s a great view of the walking bridge and passerby’s biking along the street. They’ve also got, hands down, the best breadsticks I’ve ever encountered. The crust on the pizza and breadsticks are fluffy and have the perfect amount of chew with still having flavor. I’ve now overshared about Parlour and my love for this pizza joint but it was high on my list for our trip!

Schimpff’s Confectionary

The Schimpff family has been making candy in Jeffersonville since 1871. Their history of how they came to America and started their business is fascinating and even more fascinating was how they physically made the candy! We have history of chocolate makers in my ancestry so I was especially interested in this tour.

Jill and Warren Schimpff, current owners of the confectionary, give a candy-making demonstration that is both interesting and hilarious. I had a great time with the candy making demonstration as well as picking out hand made chocolates with my family.

Falls of Ohio

Did you know that the midwest used to be underwater before dinosaurs roamed the Earth? The Falls of the Ohio State Park and its Interpretive Center are the crossroads of ancient lives and future hopes. The park features the largest exposed Devonian fossil bed in the world and is part of a 1,404-acre National Wildlife Conservation Area. We were able to explore the Interpretive Center learning through hands-on methods and videos before heading outside to find fossils embedded in the rocks along the Ohio River.

The Falls of Ohio park also has programs for the public that may be as short as one hour or as long as three days. They include special events, hikes, and educational programs. Free to Falls of the Ohio Foundation members, a variety of programs are offered that explore the park’s themes: geology, history, and wildlife.

Big 4 Station Park

Talk about a cool park! Indiana and Kentucky are joined by a mile-long walking bridge that starts with a beautiful park called Big 4 Station. This park is the perfect spot to ride your bike, roller-blade or take a walk with your family. With tons of amenities like bathrooms, picnic tables, parking, and a playground it makes the perfect spot to check out a local Jeffersonville event.

We also drove over the Ohio River to the Kentucky border to rent a surrey bike from Wheels of Fun (also on the canal downtown Indy) that our whole family fit in. I hadn’t realized we couldn’t ride it on the walking path that connects to Indiana so we headed on their suggested trail to the same playground we visited while watching Thunder Over Kentucky. Sophia said her favorite part of the entire trip was the popsicle she got to eat while riding on the front of the ‘scary bike’. My girl has the biggest sweet tooth and finds great joy in things that make Mommy nervous.

Our deepest gratitude goes out to our friends at SoIn for planning such a fun getaway for our family. We enjoyed Southern Indiana immensely and are excited to return. If you’ve been to ‘Kentuckiana’, what were some of your favorite spots?

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