We often went to Southern Indiana to visit the casinos. We enjoy playing at different casinos and often take road trips to find them. Three of the four casinos in Southern Indiana are owned by companies with casinos in Las Vegas, so with our player’s cards we got offers for Las Vegas. Of course, we also find other interesting things and places while we are driving to the different casinos. And we’re often surprised at all the great things you can find in the small towns. Here are some of the places we visited while also hitting the casinos there.
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Lawrenceburg, IN
Our first stop was the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, IN. As we pulled up, the hotel had a charming, old-fashioned feel, giving the area a small-town vibe. It is connected to the Lawrenceburg Event Center, where you can get concert and event tickets using your player’s club card. The event center hosts a variety of activities, making it a lively spot for both locals and tourists.
Lawrenceburg itself is full of surprises. Nestled along the Ohio River it’s known as the Whiskey City thanks to its history with Seagram’s distillery, which is still operational, though no longer owned by Seagram’s. The town boasts several parks. Civic Park is a few steps from the river features a grandstand and splash park. Arch Street Park has a new Inclusive Playground. There are two other parks oriented towards family with playgrounds and benches. My personal favorite is Newton Park, where you can stroll along a walking path by the river, relax on the park benches, admire the beautiful fountain and check out a Civil War cannon. Recently they added two chess and checker game tables for more outdoor fun.
Downtown Lawrenceburg great shopping and dining options. One of our favorites is Acapulco’s. We always enjoy their great Mexican cuisine. For history buffs, you can visit Vance Tousey House. Vance is considered the founder of Lawrenceburg. Also check out the Angevine Cabin. This is a cabin from some early pioneers who settled in Lawrenceburg. The Dearborn County Historical Society offers even more insight to the town’s past. If you visit in winter hit the ski slopes at Perfect North Slopes. There is also a speedway at the fairgrounds which has a 3/8th mile high banked clay oval track. This town is definitely packed with lots fun thing to explore.
Rising Sun, IN
Just 10 miles from Lawrenceburg is Rising Sun, IN with a scenic drive along the Ohio River. The views are spectacular and very soothing. We headed to Rising Star Casino, located on a three-level riverboat. There are over 1100 slot machines and a couple restaurants and bars. The casino has expanded to include more shops and restaurants on land. During the Christmas season, they set up with reindeer and a meet Santa workshop outside and then decorate the front section of the casino with charming Christmas displays making it our favorite time of year to visit.
The town of Rising Sun is a small town with quaint stores and restaurants on Main Street. Riverfront Park is a place to enjoy music and picnic with family. Denver Sierman Park has hiking trails and a pond. For golf lovers, there are two golf courses and one of them is at the casino. If you enjoy learning about and visiting animals, check out the wolves and other animals at Red Wolf Sanctuary.
Florence, IN
Next, we made our way to Belterra Casino and Resort in Florence, IN. Tip: Don’t trust your GPS. It may lead you through a lot of winding, confusing country roads and is much longer. We found going the highway, is not only faster, but less confusing. As you head down the highway you pass through Kentucky to get back to Indiana, but you will also pass the Kentucky speedway for any of those Nascar enthusiasts. The exit for Belterra is the same exit used for the speedway. It’s easy to follow the signs once you get off the exit.
There really isn’t a town to speak of in Florence. It is more the casino and great golf course that makes this notable. For us just driving here was worth it just to see the Kentucky Speedway.
Elizabeth, IN
Heading towards Louisville, KY you will see a lot of signs for whiskey distilleries and vineyards. If you have time, stop and explore some of these great spots. Louisville has so much to offer, but that’s a story for another time. As thrifting enthusiasts, we always stop at the Goodwill bins in Clarksville, IN. They are a short side trip on the way to Elizabeth. The last stop on our trip is Caesar’s Southern Indiana in Elizabeth, IN. Short history lesson, when gaming was first approved in Indiana, the casinos had to be on the river. So, when Caesar’s first bought this property, the casino was on a riverboat in the river, but since then it has become a true resort with a hotel and casino. The casino has one notable restaurant: Gordan Ramsey Steak. The resort also features a golf course, perfect for golfers looking for a weekend getaway.
Elizabeth, a small rural town 25 miles from Louisville, KY, is quaint and quiet. There are the basic things like post office, police and fire stations, etc. but no real main street to speak of. The drive to the casino takes you through many corn fields. There are no real restaurants to speak of, so if you don’t want to eat at the casino, your best bet is to head to Louisville.
Bonus: Santa Claus, IN
So normally we would take the same route back to PA, but this time we got a notification that there was a lot of construction and long back-ups, so we found a new route back to PA and was surprised to find the town of Santa Claus, IN. It was a little out of the way, but it was so fun!! There were Santa Claus statues everywhere. It isn’t a very big town but so festive! We drove all around to see all of the Santa Claus themed buildings. And of course, they had a shopping plaza with stores that had all sorts of Christmas items. I had to do some shopping!! If you love Christmas, and are near here, I highly recommend stopping by. After all of these stops, we were ready for home.
Conclusion
As mentioned, we love to go to new places, go to casinos and do thrifting while we are traveling. I hope that this has given you another place to go on your adventures. Southern Indiana is full of surprises and has plenty of things to explore. Everyone has something they love to do, whether hiking, golfing, gambling, shopping or any other number of things. While you are doing the thing you love, try going to new areas to fulfill your passion and in the meantime check out this new area and see what other great things are here. Adventures can be found far away or just taking a day trip near you so find yours and have fun! Check out some of our other articles about our adventures and hopefully you’ll find the place of your dreams. If you want to see some of our travels, head to this link for more information: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKt9cdRjiEK4SLfEKejZV1A