Fall Food Festivals in Evansville, Indiana

The fall ushers in several entertaining festivals in Evansville, Indiana, and food is the center of many of these festivals. From the cultural cuisine found at the Native American Days celebration to the local food favorites found at the Westside Nut Club fest, attendees will find a food choice that suits their taste buds.

Evansville Jazz and Wine Festival

The Evansville Jazz and Wine Festival (evansvillejazzfest.com) is a one-day event that held downtown and is usually held between mid-September and early October. It has been in existence since 2007, and attracts the area's top vintners and sommeliers, jazz performers and artists. Established and up-and-coming jazz artists entertain attendees. The wine area includes wine tastings, food booths and demonstrations. In addition, wine specialists offer several seminars for festival visitors. Vintners from Evansville and around the state take part in the festival, which is open to individuals 21 and older.

Westside Nut Club Fall Festival

If you are into nuts, there's only one place to go in early October: the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival (nutclub.org). The event is one of the biggest, oldest and most popular fall festivals in the entire country, and it is the largest in Evansville. The festival attracts 100,000 people every year. Its draw may be the more than 120 booths sponsored by local organizations that offer tantalizing options such as brain sandwiches, Irish stew, Kraut balls and sunflower bread with strawberry butter. Or, the draw may be the midway, carnival rides and live entertainment. In any case, this free festival is alluring.

Wandering Owl Beer and Wine Trail

In mid-October, there's no more delicious place to be than the Wandering Owl Wine and Beer Trail (wesselmannaturesociety.org). Thanks to its descriptive name, it's not tough to guess what goes on at this festival. Once a year, the Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve, a nationally renowned wildlife landmark, becomes the site for food tasting, as well as wine and beer tasting. Local restaurants provide their best fare for this festival, which helps make it a prime destination in the fall.

Food for Thought

Evansville also hosts several festivals that are not centered on food or wine, but tasty food still plays a part in the celebrations. Since 2002, the Haynie's Corner Art Festival (funkinthecity.com/hcaf) showcases the many talented artists living in Evansville, as well as in surrounding areas and states. Evansville food and drink vendors take part in the festival, including River City Food Co-Op, Great Harvest Bread, Tropical Sno-Cones and La Sombra Coffee. In September, Evansville's Native American Days (angelmounds.org) pays homage to the rich tradition of Native American culture at the Angel Mounds State Historic Site. Besides the demonstrations of traditional storytelling and dancing, there are also vendors selling traditional Native American food and drink.