Visit Hardinsburg Washington Indiana and the surrounding area to see the top sights. Discover American history in Hardinsburg, Indiana! Experience the Lincoln State Park and the historic place reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln's ancestors. Enjoy regional specialties in the local restaurant or during a farm-to-table meal.
Hardinsburg sights are for me less a tourist package, but rather a piece of forgotten Indiana history, which I like to discuss with a friend at a coffee in the old corner café. The city was created in 1838 by John Hardin, one of the first settlers, and has hardly ever accumulated any size, but a lot of character – a typical example of how a small place in the heart of Posey Township, Washington County, continues almost unnoticed for centuries. Honestly, the road that leads through the village here is not a highway, but State Road 57, and that is exactly what I love about getting there: a short trip from I‐69, a few kilometers through fields, and suddenly you are in the middle of the rural Indiana, which is hardly touched by the hectic of the city. I don't understand the hype around the big metropolises, but the rest here is really great – especially if you turn off a bit off the highways to Evansville or Louisville. The people here are friendly, though a bit reserved, and the old town hall from the 19th century. Century remembers that once a busy trading life pulsated here. So, if you want to experience the authentic Indiana, then let the Hardinsburg sights surprise you – they are not an Instagram filter, but pure, undisturbed history that is best explored on foot or by bike while smelling the scent of corn fields in the air.
I must confess that my favorite place in Hardinsburg Methodist Church is – not because it is architecturally a miracle work (the brick dome is rather sober), but because it beats the heart of the small community. When you pass by a sunny afternoon, you hear the quiet murmur of the church bell, which sounds almost like a loud “welcome back”. Parking is usually a Klacks, as long as you don't arrive on Sunday morning, then some old pick-up trucks are like an improvised museum in front of the entrance.
A short walk on, and you stumble over the Hardinsburg School-Building, a gnarly piece of history from 1915, which today serves as a community center. I took part in a summer camp there – the old wooden skeleton still snores when you walk over the corridors, and this reminds you that there used to fight children with chalk on boards instead of scrolling with smartphones. The courtyard is a popular meeting place for the kids from the area, and parking behind the building is almost always free, except when the annual “school-revival” takes place, then the field becomes a parking space for 30 cars.
If you're looking for something quieter, go to Hardinsburg Cemetery. Yes, a cemetery does not sound like a holiday destination, but here the history of the city literally lies in the earth. I once discovered an old gravestone that honors a former mayor who allegedly brought the first horse span over the Wabash. The terrain is well maintained, the grass is short cut, and you can stay there almost undisturbed a few minutes – as long as you don't miss the Sunday fair, then the terrain suddenly becomes a meeting point for the whole community.
A few steps further Hardinsburg Community Park, a small but fine piece of green that I like to use for a spontaneous picnic. The playground is not exactly a Disneyland, but the swing still works and the slide is still smooth enough to inspire the children (and the inner children of us adults). There is a small pavilion where there is a local folk band around in the summer – this is my personal definition of “Hardinsburg Sights” because here the real life pulsates, not only the dusty memories.
A little off, but still an integral part of the cityscape, this is Hardinsburg Historical Marker at the intersection of Main Street and County Road 200. The stone is simple, with a few lines about the foundation of the city in the early 19th. Century, and I have often met my friends there, who exchanged on the “lost” stories of the region. The trademark is a good spot for a quick photo, and parking is practically right in front of the corner – you just have to make sure not to drive into the narrow entrance of the adjacent camp.
Another slightly overlooked jewel is the old Hardinsburg Fire Department- Building that today serves as a museum for the local fire history. I found an old hose reel there that still smelled like gasoline – a small but impressive indication of how hard the volunteers worked here. The building is not always open, but if you are lucky, you can visit the small exhibition stand, and parking is usually not a problem as long as you are not there on the first Saturday of the month when the “Firefighter’s BBQ” takes place.
Last but not least, if you feel like having enough of the fixed points, make a detour to the small piece of Wabash River, which flows just outside Hardinsburg. The river is not wide enough for large boats, but it offers a quiet place to fishing or just to sit and watch the passing ducks. I have often sorted my thoughts there, while the sun slowly went down – a perfect conclusion for a day full of ‘Hardinsburg sights’ that could have more charm than any tourist brochure.
The first stop I put to every visitor is the imposing Washington County Courthouse in the neighboring city of Washington – a building that looks like an Italian architect in the 19th century. century had a bad day and yet decided to keep the whole thing. The red-white façade with its oversized columns almost seems strangely oversized for what is inside a rather vivid courthouse. I once observed a trial where the judge spent more time cleaning his glasses than talking – a real showdown between bureaucracy and boredom. Parking is usually a Klack, except on Friday night when local politicians stop their “city and country tour” and suddenly every parking lot is occupied by a convoy.
Just a few blocks away, the Washington County Historical Museum, which is located in the old prison cell of the courthouse, is a perfect example of how Indiana recycles old walls instead of demolishing them. There are exhibition pieces that breathe more dust than history, but I swear the old Revolver-Exponat has fascinated me more than any modern art installation. Once I tried to enter the “Ghost Prison” only to be sent away by a murrical master of the house with a broom – no joke, he seriously asked me if I wanted to “visit” or “rob” the museum.
A short trip to the south leads to Patoka Lake, a 7 000-acre reservoir, which houses more boats than people. I spent a weekend with my friend who claimed that he was a "audited angler" and at the end only three small ash landed. The water is clear enough to see the ground, and the shore offers enough picnic places to start an improvised barbecue – as long as you are not there on Saturday night, then parking becomes a small adventure because the families with their caravans occupy the entire shore.
If you're looking for colors in the autumn, Brown County State Park is what you need – Indiana's largest state park, famous for its glowing foliage and the endless hiking trails that lead you through dense forests that look like they were stolen from a Disney movie. I once tried to climb the “mountain of dreams” there, just to realize that he is actually a gentle hill that you could lift with a stroller. Nevertheless, the view from the summit is so beautiful that I almost forgot that I had forgotten my hiking boots and had to go on barefoot.
A few miles further lies Shades State Park, a place that listens more to “hidden paradise” than to “park”. The sandstone rocks that project out of the ground here are perfect for climbers who like to find a bit of danger, and for me who prefers to stumble a bit than to hurt himself. I remember a day when I explored the “Raven Rock Trail” with a group of friends and suddenly landed a squirrel on my backpack – a short moment of reverence, followed by loud laughter, because we all thought the animal wanted to punish us for entering his Reviere.
A little less spectacular, but for this much more local, is the Big Walnut Creek, which swells comfortably through the fields around Hardinsburg. I rented a kayak there and tried to enjoy the calm flow, only to be almost pushed by a passing tractor. The water is flat enough that you can almost always see the reason when paddling, and the shore offers numerous places where you can unpack a picnic – provided you have no fear of the occasional ducks that steal the food.
Another highlight I don't want to hide is the Washington County Fairgrounds. The annual trade fair in July is a spectacle of carousels, cattle upgrades and a lot of people who believe that “grain on the grill” is a culinary highlight. I once tried a piece of apple cake that was so dry that I almost felt biting in the desert. Nevertheless, the atmosphere is incomparable – a mix of nostalgia and the smell of popcorn, which immediately sets you back to childhood.
So next time you think about what you could do in the vicinity of Hardinsburg, Posey Township, Washington, Indiana, remember: Hardinsburg Attractions not only are the small, inconspicuous corners, but also the great, slightly overlooked highlights that will make the heart of this rural Indiana beat – all with a pinch of cynicism that makes the whole thing really spicy.
Find more vacation destinations near Hardinsburg Washington Indiana using our map.
Villages, towns, districts, places and Vacation destinations you should visit.
©copyright by POI-Travel.de
info@poi-travel.de
