Day Trip to New Albany

Let’s take a day trip to New Albany

We decided to spend a mother-daughter day in New Albany, Indiana. I was amazed at all the great places to shop, eat, and visit.

Things to do on your day trip to New Albany

New Albany has something for everyone and is the perfect size for a day from from Louisville. There are many places to eat, unique shops, learning opportunities, and so many places to get any treat you want!

We started the day at one of the bakeries because why not. Also, we looked up their hours and Rookie’s Cookies closed at 2pm on the day we were there. We didn’t want to miss out on a bakery that has been open for decades. We picked up their flower butter wafers because that’s what they are famous for, along with some other items to take home. If you go toward the end of the day, they also had buy one/get one free items in the case. 

Basically, it’s all about the food on your day trip to New Albany. Go hungry, the New Albany businesses are ready to feed every craving. 

Leaven Bakery is located on East Market Street. It was born out of Covid when both owners lost their jobs and decided to open their own bakery. Leaven Bakery specializes in baking breads, pastries, coffee, and serves breakfast and lunch. My daughter and I had lunch at Leaven, and we practically licked the plates clean. Amazingly delicious, and we can’t wait to go back.

Spend some time learning at the Carnegie Center for Art and History. This museum is part of the Floyd County Library so it offers free admission. You can bring some cash and drop money in their donation bin. One cold or hot days, it’s a nice break to be inside. The size is perfect for your day trip because it’s not a giant museum. All on one level you can see historical local art pieces, kids can tinker and create, and you can learn from their current exhibits. You can easily walk there from the downtown area. 

If you would like a pick me up, True North is a local coffee shop and boutique with plenty of space to relax, play a game while you enjoy your beverage, and relax. It is right in the middle of the downtown area so you can pick up a drink anytime throughout your visit. There’s a cozy spot in the back, that’s where they have the games. 

Let’s talk about more treat options. This one is near the steps to go up to the riverfront. 

The New Albany Sugar Shoppe is a unique candy shop on Pearl Street by the water front, pick up a sweet snack for walking around on your day trip to New Albany. They have a large selection of hand crafted chocolate, different colored macaroons, and classic candy. It’s a really unique shop. I definitely recommend checking it out. (In 2023, you may find it easier to drive around to this shop because of the road construction, don’t let that deter you!)

The Honey Creme Donut Shop is located on Vincennes Street. They make amazing donuts. They can make custom letters, numbers, flavors, and sizes, and they cater special events. We got their “Texas” size donut to share. It was huge and only $3!

Also on Vincennes Street, is Uncommon Cups and Cones ice cream shop. This unique, family owned ice cream shop serves their ice cream in tea cups, and has a collection of mismatched furniture and antiques in their dining room. Uncommon Cups and Cones also has an upstairs room for additional seating that can also be rented for private parties. Uncommon is open all year round offering coffee, hot chocolate, and hot tea on colder days. My daughter said this was the best ice cream she had ever eaten.

Not far from the New Albany waterfront, Boomtown Creamery is all the rage (may be closed some weeks in winter months). Their Boom shakes are already legendary. The milkshakes don’t just contain delicious ice cream, they contain candy, bake goods, ice pops, and more. There is a team making the Boomshakes efficiently to get through the line of customers waiting to experience their amazing concoctions. If you take a Boomshake to go, the ice cream comes in a separate container from the many toppings. You can also get traditional ice cream, rootbeer floats, sundaes, etc.


The Odd Shop on Main Street is exactly that. For your day trip to New Albany, it’s full of odd clothes, vintage games and toys, plus a lot of weird stuff. You are immediately greeted by a giant fortune teller machine, followed by a spooky, spinning rabbit head, and a room full of records and VHS tapes. This is a great shop to find something out of the norm for a gift or theme costume.

Just past The Odd Shop, is Chestnuts and Pearl’s Antiques. We loved checking out this shop of jewelry, artwork, and antique furniture. There’s a little bit of everything to be found in this shop.

Mickey’s is a new addition to New Albany. As a book store and coffee shop, Mickey’s was a welcome addition to Vincennes Street. Mickey’s has a great atmosphere for your day trip to New Albany. Mickey’s has an eclectic collection of used books for adults and children, as well as some antique books. There’s lots of seating to sit and enjoy your drink while scoping out the books. We couldn’t be happier about a book store opening in 2021. This is a little further from the main downtown area, you might pop into the car to visit this shop. 

Before leaving New Albany, we made sure to climb the stairs to the Riverfront Amphitheater (walk off some treats!), and take a drive through the historic architecture of downtown. Driving down Main Street, you can check out the historical architectural styles including Neoclassical, American Four Square, Shotgun, Queen Anne, Greek Revival, Italiante, and more. You also get a great view of Culbertson Mansion which visitors can tour on certain days of the year.

New Albany is just a short trip over the river, and well worth the drive.

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