Indiana Region Guide

Southwest Indiana Guide

Evansville sits at the bend in the Ohio River, German heritage runs deep around Jasper and Ferdinand, and Santa Claus, Indiana is exactly as odd and wonderful as it sounds.

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The short answerUpdated Aug 6, 2026

Southwest Indiana hugs the Ohio River and the Wabash River, with Evansville as the natural base. From there it is an easy reach to Vincennes and its frontier history, the hilltop abbey near Ferdinand, and New Harmony's quiet streets. Holiday World gives families a full day on its own.

Anchor city
Evansville, the largest city in southern Indiana, in Vanderburgh County
Counties
Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey, Gibson, Knox, Daviess, Dubois, Pike
Known for
Ohio River towns, Evansville's riverfront, Holiday World in Santa Claus, historic New Harmony, Vincennes frontier history
Best season
Fall for the Evansville Fall Festival, summer for Holiday World

From Get Indiana

  1. Harmonie State Park: The Magic of Fireflies
  2. A Hidden Gem in Southern Indiana: The Carriage Inn
  3. Step Back in Time at Shubael Little Pioneer Village in Southern Indiana
  4. What's it like in Odon, Indiana?

Maintained by the Get Indiana team. Reviewed by Nate Spangle. How we use AI

Ohio River townsEvansville's riverfrontHoliday World in Santa Claushistoric New HarmonyVincennes frontier historyEvansvilleVincennesJasperPrincetonWashingtonBoonvilleSanta ClausThings to doFoodSmall towns

Things to Do in Southwest Indiana

More ideas

Riverfronts, Holiday World, the Vincennes historic sites, and New Harmony's gardens and trails can each anchor a day.

IN the Parks podcast cover art for Harmonie State Park, showing a large painted Say's Firefly sculpture hanging on a blue brick wall next to a placard about Indiana's state insect

Harmonie State Park: The Magic of Fireflies

Harmonie State Park in New Harmony, Indiana pairs utopian history with Say's Firefly, our state insect. Cabins, big trees, and the best time to spot fireflies.

Allison Martin

The History of Hoosier National Forest: Indiana’s Wild Comeback

The History of Hoosier National Forest: Indiana’s Wild Comeback

Hoosier National Forest was once depleted farmland. Here's how 200,000 acres in southern Indiana became the state's greatest conservation comeback story.

Taylor Huff

Cherry Blossom Season in Indiana: 4 Spots Worth the Drive Before the Petals Fall

Cherry Blossom Season in Indiana: 4 Spots Worth the Drive Before the Petals Fall

Find where cherry blossoms grow in Indiana, including Indianapolis and Carmel spots, peak bloom timing, and tips for catching the petals before they fall.

Jarred Porter

What’s it like in Santa Claus, Indiana?

What’s it like in Santa Claus, Indiana?

Santa Claus, Indiana is a real town, home to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, year-round Christmas shops, and a post office that answers letters to Santa.

Cheyne Reiter

Food Guides in Southwest Indiana

More food

Evansville carries the region's range, with a tri-state mix downtown. Smaller towns like Jasper add German-influenced cooking worth the drive.

A packed dining room at the Carriage Inn in Haubstadt, Indiana, with families gathered around tables set with fresh bread, drinks and homestyle comfort food.

A Hidden Gem in Southern Indiana: The Carriage Inn

Carriage Inn in Haubstadt, Indiana, is a nearly 50-year-old hidden gem serving family-style Midwestern comfort food inside a historic early-1900s carriage house.

Taylor Huff

Walls’ Drive-In: A Must-Stop Classic in Cannelton, Indiana

Walls’ Drive-In: A Must-Stop Classic in Cannelton, Indiana

Walls' Drive-In in Cannelton serves up square burgers, breaded tenderloins, and soft serve in a classic drive-in setting on the Ohio River. Worth the stop.

Taylor Huff

A Southern Indiana Classic: The Chicken Place in Ireland, IN

A Southern Indiana Classic: The Chicken Place in Ireland, IN

The Chicken Place in Ireland, Indiana near Jasper has served fried chicken from a secret 1948 family recipe for decades. See the menu, hours, and history.

Taylor Huff

Herrmann Brewthers Bierwerks: A Must-Visit Craft Brewery in Jasper, Indiana

Herrmann Brewthers Bierwerks: A Must-Visit Craft Brewery in Jasper, Indiana

Herrmann Brewthers Bierwerks in Jasper serves small-batch craft beer in a welcoming taproom. Discover why locals love this southern Indiana brewery.

Taylor Huff

Small Towns in Southwest Indiana

More towns

New Harmony, Jasper, and Vincennes each reward a stop, adding history, architecture, and quiet streets to a river-country trip.

Blue-and-gold Indiana historical marker titled Odon, Formerly Clarksburg beside a pond, noting the town was platted in 1846 and renamed Odon in 1881.

What's it like in Odon, Indiana?

Odon, Indiana is a historic Daviess County town in southern Indiana's Amish country, home to the Old Settlers Festival, a Lincoln statue, and small-town eats.

Cheyne Reiter

What’s it like in Boonville, Indiana?

What’s it like in Boonville, Indiana?

Boonville is where Abraham Lincoln learned the law, and this Warrick County seat still delivers with a historic downtown square, Scales Lake, and great eats.

Cheyne Reiter

What’s it like in Princeton, Indiana?

What’s it like in Princeton, Indiana?

Discover Princeton, Indiana, home to WNBA star Jackie Young, Gil Hodges Field, Lyles Station, and the best local eats in Gibson County.

Cheyne Reiter

The George Rogers Clark Memorial in Indiana. A classical style building with pillars sits on a grassy area under a cloudy sky.

What’s it like in Vincennes, Indiana?

Discover Vincennes, Indiana's oldest city. Explore rich Revolutionary War history, downtown Main Street shops, and legendary local restaurants.

Cheyne Reiter

Browse all Southwest Indiana coverage

Search or filter the full regional archive by topic. The guides above stay curated; this is the complete feed.

The pale yellow two-story house on South Runnymeade Avenue in Evansville, Indiana used for exterior shots of the Conner family home on Roseanne, with fallen autumn leaves across the front lawn

The Famous Roseanne House in Evansville, Indiana

Taylor Huff

IN the Parks podcast cover art for Harmonie State Park, showing a large painted Say's Firefly sculpture hanging on a blue brick wall next to a placard about Indiana's state insect

Harmonie State Park: The Magic of Fireflies

Allison Martin

Blue-and-gold Indiana historical marker titled Odon, Formerly Clarksburg beside a pond, noting the town was platted in 1846 and renamed Odon in 1881.

What's it like in Odon, Indiana?

Cheyne Reiter

A packed dining room at the Carriage Inn in Haubstadt, Indiana, with families gathered around tables set with fresh bread, drinks and homestyle comfort food.

A Hidden Gem in Southern Indiana: The Carriage Inn

Taylor Huff

What’s it like in Boonville, Indiana?

What’s it like in Boonville, Indiana?

Cheyne Reiter

Walls’ Drive-In: A Must-Stop Classic in Cannelton, Indiana

Walls’ Drive-In: A Must-Stop Classic in Cannelton, Indiana

Taylor Huff

The History of Hoosier National Forest: Indiana’s Wild Comeback

The History of Hoosier National Forest: Indiana’s Wild Comeback

Taylor Huff

How Indiana Vocational Technical College Became Ivy Tech

How Indiana Vocational Technical College Became Ivy Tech

Jarred Porter

Cherry Blossom Season in Indiana: 4 Spots Worth the Drive Before the Petals Fall

Cherry Blossom Season in Indiana: 4 Spots Worth the Drive Before the Petals Fall

Jarred Porter

Hoosiers to Watch in the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four

Hoosiers to Watch in the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four

Cheyne Reiter

A Southern Indiana Classic: The Chicken Place in Ireland, IN

A Southern Indiana Classic: The Chicken Place in Ireland, IN

Taylor Huff

Top 4 Family Easter Activities in Southern Indiana for 2026

Top 4 Family Easter Activities in Southern Indiana

Taylor Huff

Herrmann Brewthers Bierwerks: A Must-Visit Craft Brewery in Jasper, Indiana

Herrmann Brewthers Bierwerks: A Must-Visit Craft Brewery in Jasper, Indiana

Taylor Huff

What’s it like in Princeton, Indiana?

What’s it like in Princeton, Indiana?

Cheyne Reiter

15+ Must-Do New Year's Eve Celebrations in Southern Indiana

15+ Must-Do New Year's Eve Celebrations in Southern Indiana

Taylor Huff

What’s it like in Santa Claus, Indiana?

What’s it like in Santa Claus, Indiana?

Cheyne Reiter

Bill Bobe’s Pizzeria: A Vincennes Tradition Hand-Tossed with Love for Over 70 Years

Bill Bobe’s Pizzeria: A Vincennes Tradition Hand-Tossed with Love for Over 70 Years

Taylor Huff

The George Rogers Clark Memorial in Indiana. A classical style building with pillars sits on a grassy area under a cloudy sky.

What’s it like in Vincennes, Indiana?

Cheyne Reiter

Step Back in Time at Shubael Little Pioneer Village in Southern Indiana

Step Back in Time at Shubael Little Pioneer Village in Southern Indiana

Taylor Huff

A Local’s Guide to Dubois County: Where to Stay, Eat & Explore

A Local’s Guide to Dubois County: Where to Stay, Eat & Explore

Cheyne Reiter

Questions

Common questions about Southwest Indiana

Written to answer the thing you actually searched for, not to pad the page.

Get Indiana covers Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey, Gibson, Knox, Daviess, Dubois and Pike counties as Southwest Indiana. Evansville, in Vanderburgh County, is the largest city in the region and the natural base.
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