disposable

Immediately beside the Mayo and Gonda buildings - connected to them through the pedestrian subway - and part of the Mayo Clinic itself, this is a beautiful nineteen floor edifice of limestone, brick and terra cotta which was completed in 1929. (It’s been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1969.) The central tower houses a fifty-six bell carillon (originally 23 bells), which is played for a 30-45 minute concert three times each week. Tours of the carillon are available for those interested.

As I wrote about the parent town of Ruleville, whether this is worth visiting or not really depends on your interests. If you have no interest in blues music, its history, nor personal interest in or ties to the area, it’s probably not going to seem worth a visit to you. I rate it the way I do because I personally found it worthwhile, not because it has or would have a broad or general appeal to everyone. You can find more information here

As for being worth it or not, I suppose it depends on why you’re going. I went originally for a trip to the Mayo Clinic which is in town, which is definitely worth it. The architecture of the Plummer building in the Mayo complex is fabulous, as is the 56-bell carillon it houses; there’s also a gorgeous chapel hidden away inside the St. Mary’s hospital complex (part of the Mayo system, but a few blocks away from it spatially). As for generic vacationing interest, though, I didn’t really see anything that would be worthwhile for that sake alone. Personally, I’d consider going back just for the carillon, which enchanted me.

The Parthenon is well-worth visiting—though, really, I preferred Athena without the paint.

Tough call re Worth or Not Worth visiting. Outside of its many annual festivals, there really isn’t much to do in Owensboro, though perhaps that’s only because of overexposure to it over the years. But during the festivals, it can be a delight. The annual River of Music festival attracts performers and an audience from around the globe; the bbq festival has been featured on the TDC series “Travelers”. The Owensboro Symphony Orchestra is also quite nice—surprisingly good, even, for a town of this size.

I’ve always been fascinated by the castle there.