Story and Photos courtesy Southern Indiana Clark-Floyd Counties Convention and Tourism Bureau
If your most important meal of the day is breakfast, you’ll want to be prepared for the dancing, singing, and good times of Abbey Road on the River.
Here are a few places to give you fuel so you can dance, sing and groove for one or all five days of Abbey Road on the River, the Beatles-inspired music festival coming to Jeffersonville May 25 to 29.
If you’re staying at the event’s host hotels – the Sheraton and the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center – you’ve got plenty of options. grab a Starbucks coffee in the Sheraton hotel lobby or eat breakfast at the Clarion’s Champion’s Grille, which opens at 6:30 a.m. and serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks. The weekend will offer a special buffet service for Abbey Road on the River guests.
Light Grab and Go
If you’re a grab-and-go kind of person, several coffee shops will give you roasted coffee goodness along with tea, hot chocolate, and plenty of pastries to go with it.
Latte, cappuccino, and other specialty coffees are available at Too Tired Coffee, Tea and Treats at the corner of Spring and Chestnut Streets in Downtown Jeffersonville. The shop gets its pastries from its sister business, Red Yeti restaurant. Both are just a few blocks from the festival’s venue, Big Four Station Park. A bit farther north on Spring street between Maple and Court is Hobknob Coffee Co.
If sweets are a priority for you, stop by Sweets by Morgan on Spring Street and 7th Ave. On Court Avenue, Adrienne & Co. Bakery Café serves coffees with breakfast sandwiches and pastries. Owner Adrienne Holland was a budding artist and found early on that cakes were her preferred canvas. The bakers at her café craft cupcakes with delicious buttercream frosting and decadent maple-glazed long john donuts topped with bacon.
Sit-Down Breakfasts
A small and growing chain restaurant, Wild Eggs has followers who are wild for their breakfast creations. They recently opened in Jeffersonville just a few miles north of downtown. Breakfast choices range from their Sweet Home Apple Bourbon Crepes to Kalamity Katie’s Border Benedict.
Kick it old school at the Wall Street Café, a Jeffersonville institution. You’ll find plenty of locals who the wait staff treat like they’re family. Breakfasts are served with a generous dose of ham – their specialty – and friendly banter. This small, old-fashioned diner is great, but make sure you bring cash with you. They don’t take credit cards. Ann’s by the River is another restaurant serving down home goodness. Fans rave about the cafeteria’s fried chicken and comfort food creations.
Sunday Brunch
If you’re a fan of brunch on Sundays, several restaurants pull out all the stops. Red Yeti Restaurant at the corner of Spring and Chestnut puts out an impressive spread with some of their signature menu items. Brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. The waffle and omelet stations will fuel you for dancing. Plus, you can enjoy a mimosa, bloody Mary or beer to get you started for the festival.
If you want brunch overlooking the Ohio River, stop in Sunday at The Bristol Bar and Grille or Buckhead Mountain Grill. Both have indoor seating and patios where you can view the Louisville skyline.
Consider Visiting These Nearby Attractions
If you want to know how Louisville and surrounding cities came to be located here, you need to go to the Falls of the Ohio State Park. The park’s Interpretive Center will show you how the falls 
(really a series of rapids) created the urban center that Southern Indiana and Louisville residents call home. It’s the only natural impediment on the Ohio River’s 980-mile length.
A shipbuilding town since the 1800s, Jeffersonville is still home to “Jeff Boat,” America’s largest inland shipbuilding company. On the banks of the Ohio River, Jeffersonville’s steamboat-era heydays began with the Howard Shipyard, started by 19-year-old James Howard. During its 107-year history, the Howard Shipyard would build more than 3,000 vessels and launch them into the Ohio River, establishing the U.S.’s largest inland shipyard. You can learn more about the hard-working Howards and the famous riverboats they produced at the Howard Steamboat Museum housed in a century-old Victorian mansion.
Last April, Schimpff’s Confectionery celebrated 125 years in business in the same location. Family-owned since 1891, Schimpff’s now holds live candy-making demonstrations and has a 1950s soda fountain with an original tin ceiling, old-fashioned candy jars, and early 20th century equipment. Its Candy Museum offers a glimpse into the world of historic candy-making, packaging and advertising. Warren Schimpff is the third great grandson of the store’s founder Gustav Schimpff.
The Vintage Fire Museum features a nationally-known collection of restored firefighting equipment. Visitors can see hand-pumpers dating from 1756, horse-drawn steamers, early truck engines and more. Kids may even get a chance to climb aboard and crank a fire engine’s siren.
Make the Most of your Visit
Want to know more about cool things to see and do in Southern Indiana and make the most of your visit to Abbey Road on festival? Visit the official website of the Southern Indiana Clark-Floyd Counties Convention & Tourism Bureau for ideas on where to eat, where to stay and things to do while you visit. www.GoSoIN.com.
