Smothers Park

I was born and raised in Owensboro. It’s pretty crazy to think that our downtown looks this nice now. I remember when it was just a little park with a small playground, a fountain that kids were ALWAYS putting soap in and a war memorial. About 4 years ago they started to remodel the whole downtown river front. I moved to Nashville shortly before they started the renovations, but it was always neat to come back home and see the progress. To make this park bigger, since it runs along Veterans blvd, they actually added more dirt to the shoreline to make more space. I would say that Smothers Park is about 3 times larger than it originally was.
Anyway, the park consists of a HUGE playground. I mean, this thing is massive. I makes me wish that I was a kid again. Why didn’t we have stuff like this growing up?! Kids these days got it made. Anyway, it’s such a huge park that it’s actually won national awards, such as 2014 Kentucky Recreation and Park Society Outstanding Facility award AND USA Today’s Top Ten Parks in the country. The playground is covered in some kind of squishy material that feels great on the feet and protect kids from cuts and scrapes. There is also ‘grass’ but its actually fake grass so you don’t have to worry about mud. They’ve also got a spray park next to the playground and a concession stand that sells concession items during summer and I think after 4pm during the school year.
The playground is flanked by two, large (concrete) sassafras trees. As you may or may not know, the worlds largest sassafras tree is located in Owensboro, right down on Frederica street. It’s been a running joke with locals because the concrete trees supposedly cost 1 million dollars. People were outraged when the city got them, but seeing as how popular downtown is and the accolades it receives, they probably don’t say much about it anymore.
There are 3 different fountains with a water show every 15 minutes. There is a large set of steps that go down to the river. These cascading steps are actually a fountain, and every so often a large gush of water comes down. Pretty neat. Along with the fountains, there’s a lot of seating for people that just want to come downtown to the river and watch the boats and barges go by. It’s really quite peaceful by the cascading stairs. There you are a little aways from the playground and the kids yelling are a little more muffled.
The park extends from The RiverPark Center all the way to the newly built Owensboro Convention Center. You’re able to walk the river quite a ways. Along the way is a small amphitheater, (faux) green spaces and plenty of seating area. I can’t get over how nice this looks from before. This is a true asset to Owensboro. With such a nice downtown, they’re able to have the BBQ festival in May that attracts thousands to the city, Fourth of July and the Owensboro Air Show in September.

Wow, five stars worth. What an AMAZING riverfront park, I just couldn’t believe how lovely it was. Curved brick-​and-​concrete walkways, thick as a highway at the newly poured edges, marble fountains and waterfalls, amphitheater, playground, and wonderful riverview seating. We looked at the nighttime river flowing by from a silver metal swing attached to a gazebo-​like structure with brick accents, and saw similar seating extending 100 yards in either direction. What does a seat like that cost? What did the whole thing cost? According to one web page, there has been more than 70-​million dollars invested in riverfront improvements, and nearly one-​billion in new business-​related development. In an age of great diversity and polarization, perhaps the most amazing thing is the fact that so many people could come together and make the dream of this park become a reality. It’s worth a weekend visit. Go see it.

After living in LA most of my life its sometimes hard to be «wowed», however, the riverwalk is truly an amazing attraction… Kudos to the city fathers for their foresight and preserving thru opposition in bringing this to fruition. I know of strong opponents to this project, who now bring their grandchildren to play here. Hmmmmm
Great job to all involved, it was well worth the effort

This place is over the top for what appears to just be a municipal park. There are beautiful benches/​swings all up and won the river bank. There are fountains that put on a show. There are concerts. Among the nicest things here is the childrens area hat contains the best equipped paly area I have seen in a public park. Water park area (not Kings Island mind you, but a nice sprinkler and fountain area).
I think it is worth heading too even as an adult.

Fountains at night were so beautiful! Boys loved playground and trees in dark. Adventourous to them. Relaxing to us after day at Holiday World.

I just recently got a chance to come here and let me say, it is THE BEST park I’ve been too. I brought my 3 kids with me and they loved it. I will definitely be going more often. Highly recommend it!

One of the best parks I’ve been to. The playground definitely one of the best I’ve seen. What a great way to spend the day. Free wifi if you wanted to work. Outdoor speakers to give some tunes. Nicely designed tables and swings along the riverwalk. Well done!

Smothers Park is the best attraction in town. A true gem in Downtown Owensboro! There are fountains, swings, an amphitheater, seating areas, a large playground, bathrooms (and clean ones, I might add!), and a concession stand all spanning 5 blocks on the Ohio Riverfront. The metal swings facing the river are my favorite. There are plenty of swings and though they may look uncomfortable, looks are deceiving!
There are tons of activities and concerts planned for the river front throughout the warmer months. We attended a free bluegrass concert last year, and the amphitheater on the river was perfect for hosting the concert. I cannot wait to attend more this year!

I really love what they have done with all of the downtown area. It is really nice after the sun goes down and the lights go on. The fountains are so soothing when u are over looking the river.

Away from home on business staying at the new Hampton and after dinner thought I would take a walk along the river.
What a well executed plan to make the most of the natural terrain and turn it into a beautifully landscaped and manicured river walk with easy access to restaurants and bars. Love the swings… very relaxing on a summer evening. And that playground is massive… whoa!
Extremely impressive Owensboro!

What a wonderful addition to the city of Owensboro! My seven-​year-​old could spend the whole day here without tiring. She is at an age where I can sit down and not have to constantly watch her. The little water park there is great also because the kids can cool down in the hot summer months. There is a snack stand that has candy, hotdogs, popcorn and drinks available. Overall, this park is a great and safe place for children to run around and have fun.

We really enjoy walking along a nicely designed river front area, and have always enjoyed downtown Chattanooga because of it. But for us it’s about 5 hours away and we don’t get to visit very often.
Smothers Park on the other hand is only 2 hours away and a great place for a day long get away. It’s absolutely beautiful, very relaxing, and well designed. We came back at night to see how it looked lit up and enjoyed watching the lighted fountain show.
All in all a great place to visit!

How different would Unilocal reviews if you could just pull the image sequences from my mind
To lay them out on a table to show everyone you know that magnificence of a location by constructing
Little cities out of these memories of mine
So that the hopes of your can run through them to
Experience the beauty of Smothers Park
As The Sun is setting
On The Most Crystal Clear Day They Have Had This Year
And the clouds do not even block the sun from the concrete trees and a stage
A stage!
Has music playing on it while babies dance in circles
And someone is drinking a beer and
another drinks a coffee on a Tuesday night
And that is okay with everyone
Everyone is one their way to somewhere
Or expecting rain
But the park is a break from transit
It is perfection!
Have you never seen fountains like this?

There is nothing I can say that Deanna D. hasn’t. Great review with lots of detail. Please read it if you for more specifics. All I will say is that this is a gem in the middle of the midwest! I’m looking forward to the first summer of it being open full-​time and no longer under construction. I live 35 miles away but this park makes it worth the drive. I wish my kids were small so they could enjoy it but I know my 12 year old will still have a blast at the park! I can’t wait to see the list of activities they have planned. What a beautiful place to spend the day!

Owensboro, I am impressed! Smothers Park & Promenade is better than I imagined.
Smothers Park and Promenade is BIG. It spans five city blocks — from the RiverPark Center on the east to Mitch McConnell Plaza on the west — and puts to public use five acres of land. The 15-​foot wide, shared use Promenade will eventually extend west to the currently under construction Convention Center (on the former Executive Inn site). Smothers Park includes interactive fountains and other architectural water features, concert and event facilities, an improved Shelton Memorial Park, a very large playground, spray park, concessions, restrooms, and generous space for strolling, rolling (wheelchair accessible), or sitting.
The Shelton Memorial is named in honor of Colonel Charles E. Shelton, a native of Daviess County shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War. The memorial honors Shelton’s memory and that of U.S. POW /​MIA from all wars.
The signature granite fountain near Frederica Street is from the creative minds at WET Design, the company that designed the «dancing waters» at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The circular fountain with its ability to propel water many feet into the air puts me in mind of a scaled down, polished and modern version of Chicago’s older & much more ornate Buckingham Fountain.
I love the great many modern, metal, comfortable (!), bench swings facing the Ohio River along the length of the Promenade. There are stationary benches too. I could sit in one of those swings for hours watching the water and the barges and life flow by.
The playground is HUGE and fantastical with giant fabricated trees and larger than life woodland and wetland creatures. There are many structures to crawl through, climb up, walk over, and slide down. There are overhead routes from tree to tree for those who walk or those who roll. Yes, the playground is wheelchair accessible too! The surface of the playground is soft and resilient and feels great underfoot.
There’s a generously sized spray park adjacent to the playground; spacious enough for 50 people to romp in during the warm months. What a great idea! Children are going to love this park!
The Park and Promenade complement the beauty of the riverfront and feel like an extension of the river rather than an imposition upon it. The architects selected a warm palette of brick pavers, native limestone, travertine, and aggregate concrete then softened them with wooden pergolas, green spaces, and the Ohio River itself. Sight lines to the great river are never obscured. Our beloved Glover H. Cary Bridge, aka: The Blue Bridge, is always in view.
One of the most stunning visual features of the Park is the waterfall which cascades 20 or 30+ feet (I’m guessing) down 200-​foot wide, curved steps toward the Ohio River. The water in this feature had been turned off for the season when I visited, but the aerial shots of it are amazing! The sweeping stairs are visually interesting even without water.
I have only one criticism of this wonderful space and that’s the music being piped in. The river doesn’t need a soundtrack. Let me hear the waves & wind, bees & birds, boats & barges, children playing. Perhaps Christmas music in December would be acceptable, but otherwise let the river speak for itself.