The Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science occupies a handsome building on Riverside Drive overlooking the Ohio River, a position that reflects its standing as the city's primary cultural institution. The museum's collections cover an ambitious range: European and American paintings from the 16th century to the present, a significant collection of regional folk and decorative arts, exhibits on the Ohio River Valley's pre-Columbian and historical past, and natural history displays.
A full-size replica of a late 19th-century Evansville street, complete with building facades and period interiors, occupies part of the lower floor and gives a vivid sense of what the downtown looked like before it was remade. The Koch Planetarium is housed in a separate domed building on the museum grounds and presents public shows on a regular schedule. Admission is modest and the museum is a worthwhile half-day visit.