(This article first appeared in the August print edition of the Hendersonian.)
They huff their way up the steep riverfront or, more likely, are driven up on a golf cart. Once up on Water Street, they board a bus and embark on their 2½-hour exploration of Henderson.
These are the passengers of the riverboats that periodically visit our town — most recently, the Viking Mississippi, a nearly new 386-passenger ship that visited twice last month after its scheduled cruise to the upper Mississippi River had to be rerouted because of high water.
Was Henderson ready to entertain hundreds of surprise visitors on short notice?
No worries. Last month, Henderson tourism director Abby Dixon and her stable of staff and tour guides — and vitally, her community partners — put together a choice of four-star experiences for the Viking passengers.
A four-course lunch with wine pairing at Farmer & Frenchman? Pas de problème, mes amis!
Or a three-bourbon tasting with barbecue at Hometown Roots? Come right in!
Or a tour of several historic downtown homes with an appetizer and cocktail from the Cap & Cork at each stop? Step right up!
Or a visit to Audubon State Park’s museum and a live raptor show? We’re waiting for you!
Then send them all off with Mark and Zeb Hargis of Kings Highway providing entertainment as the ship sails to its next port? Have a seat!
What makes that possible is the phenomenal spirit of collaboration and can-do attitude that exists here these days.
That’s what earned the Henderson Tourist Commission staff, homeowners, tour guides and others the Community Spotlight recognition from the Henderson City Commission on July 22 for showing “the world what makes Henderson, Kentucky so special.”
When it comes to introducing people from the four corners of the world — Boston, say, or Jersey, Arizona, Florida, Philly, Australia, New Zealand (and a couple who said they’re from Los Angeles in accents that sounded Eastern European)—to little Henderson, that falls on the local tour guides.
I’m one of them.
We have talking points provided by Dixon & company. We pause at the 1820-era 124 S. Elm Street home of Wyatt Ingram, a merchant who stocked up on tobacco, brandy and other goods, sailed by flatboat to New Orleans where he sold first his goods, then sold his boat and walked back home to Henderson, a trek of about 876 miles. He did this 13 times.
We point out the “League of the Own” house at 612 N. Main St. that served as a boarding house for the characters played by Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna and others, and how neighbor Cleo Royer baked muffins for the cast and crew (and got a cameo in the movie).
We talk about John James Audubon and burgoo and the days when there was wide-open gambling here and Henderson was known as Little Chicago.
And maybe we have a few extra stories up our sleeves as well.
At the Audubon Museum, a park staffer comes aboard and tells the passengers what all they can do and see inside. There’s a theater showing two short films about Audubon and the building of the park. There’s a nature center with snakes in aquariums. There are rooms with exhibits that tells the story of Audubon and his bird paintings. There’s a gift shop.
And downstairs, there’s the live raptor show, this time featuring Owlivia, the little screech owl who lost an eye when two male suitors fought over her, rendering her unable to care for herself in the wild.
Our bus is Bus 9, the last bus to leave the park for the day. I need everyone aboard by 3:30 p.m. sharp. At 3:15 p.m. I go downstairs to announce, “Viking passengers, you need to be on the bus in 15 minutes.” Nobody moves; they can’t take their eyes off Owlivia.
“Five minutes, Viking passengers,” I announce. Our riverboat passengers aren’t spring chickens. Most are in their 60s, 70s or 80s. They need to get themselves upstairs, out of the museum and across the courtyard to the waiting bus. But these last stragglers locomote pretty well. Everybody’s on the bus by 3:29 p.m.
A park staffer tells me everybody is out of the building. My headcount confirms it. Back to the boat we head.
I say, “So you’re in Kentucky. What do you think of when you think of Kentucky?”
Bourbon! a lady hollers. Horses! a man declares. Bluegrass!
So, what do these far-flung strangers think of little Henderson? They say they’re charmed by it. They love the fine old homes, the parks, the town’s old stories. One passenger a few years ago was so smitten that she left Florida and moved here.
No wonder a 2024 survey by Southern Living magazine put Henderson on its list of “The 20 Friendliest Towns in the South.”
Just another day in 42420.
