Fall Festivals Coming Soon!

Glowing fall foliage fills Spencer County's historic parks providing a stunning backdrop for our festive autumn events.

History comes alive here, where Abraham Lincoln once lived with his pioneer family. The former Lincoln family farm is now home to Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial and Lincoln State Park. Both include hiking trails with countless scenic vistas to capture the beauty of the fall season.

Visitors also can travel back in time by joining in an authentic Native American Pow Wow at Rockport City Park or touring a Civil War Encampment at the Colonel William Jones Home.

Fabulous food, creative crafts and games for the whole family can be found at the many fall festivals hosted by Spencer County's friendly communities.

The Dale Fall Festival will kick off the fall season in Spencer County Sept. 7-9. You won't want to miss the hog wrestling, but if you'd rather chow down on a pig than wrestle one, you'll want one of the festivals famous pork chop dinners. Other festival highlights include rides, games, live entertainment and a parade Saturday, Sept. 9, at 2 p.m.

Click here for a complete listing of upcoming Fall Festivals! To request a copy of our Experience Fall in Spencer County brochure, email tourinfo@psci.net.

Welcome Lincoln Commission!

History will come to life this week for members of the Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission as they tour Spencer County's Lincoln sites.

Established last year by the Indiana state legislature, the Commission's purpose is to bring attention to the role Indiana played in Lincoln's life. The 200th birthday of the nation's 16th President Abraham Lincoln will be celebrated Feb. 12, 2009. Lincoln spent 14 formative years in Spencer County, living here from age 7 to 21.

On Thursday, Aug. 31, the Commission will tour Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, Colonel Jones Home, Lincoln State Park and Lincoln Amphitheatre. The commission will hold a meeting Friday, Sept. 1, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial's Visitors Center.

The Spencer County Visitors Bureau assisted in making arrangements for the group's visit.

Voyage Takes Top Honors

Holiday World's Voyage roller coaster is the Best New Ride of 2006. This top honor was announced this afternoon by Amusement Today magazine, which presented the results of its annual survey of the "best of the best" in the amusement park industry during the Golden Ticket Awards ceremony, hosted this year by Holiday World.

A second Golden Ticket Award, Best New Waterpark Ride, was presented to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari's president, Will Koch, for Splashin' Safari's new Bahari River.

The Golden Ticket Awards named Holiday World & Splashin' Safari the #1 Friendliest Park for the ninth consecutive year and #1 Cleanest Park for the seventh year in a row, outranking such parks as Disney World, Kings Island, Busch Gardens, and Cedar Point.

Holiday World will be open Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 2-4, as well as Saturdays throughout the month of September.

Lake Rudolph to Expand

Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort is one of Spencer County's most popular places to stay. With an expansion project now underway, the resort will be able to accomodate even more visitors next summer.

Construction crews are now clearing a path that will soon lead to additional rental King Size RVs. These King size Rental RV's sleep up to 8 people and include a king size bed in the master bedroom, two bathrooms, a refrigerator, stove, microwave and air conditioning! Now that's camping in style!

The resort also recently added more Wi-Fi Hot Spots where campers can access the internet for free on their laptops. Other campground features include a gigantic pool called Blitzen Bay, a fishing lake with paddleboats, mini golf, camp store, game room and even a laundromat. For more information, people may call 1-877-4RUDOLPH.

Find Us at the Fair!

The Staff of the Spencer County Visitors Bureau will take part in Visit Indiana Day at the Indiana State Fair Friday, Aug. 18.

We will be spreading the word about Spencer County's Legendary Places and Legendary Faces. Visitors to the state fair can register to win a Spencer County Experience, including a two-night stay at Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort and two tickets to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

More than 60 visitors bureaus and tourist attractions from around the state will have informational booths at the event, sponsored by the Indiana Office of Tourism Development.

We'll see you at the fair!

Happy Birthday Holiday World!

For 60 years now, millions have come to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari to find family fun.

The park's founder, Evansville, Indiana, industrialist Louis J. Koch must have known something about family fun, with nine children of his own to entertain!

The nation's first theme park celebrated its 60th birthday this week on Thursday, Aug. 3.

Opening in 1946 as Santa Claus Land the park was home to a toy shop, themed children's rides and of course Santa was there too.
In 1984, Santa Claus Land grew to include Halloween and 4th of July sections, and the park's name was changed to Holiday World. Larger rides were added; in all, Holiday World features 100 acres of rides, shows, games, and attractions.

This year, to celebrate its 60th anniversary, a new holiday was added. The new Thanksgiving section includes section includes a recording-breaking new wooden coaster, The Voyage; plus Gobbler Getaway, an interactive turkey-themed dark ride; the new Bahari River in Splashin' Safari, and more.

For more information about Holiday World & Splashin Safari, please visit http://www.holidayworld.com.