It's About Time

Posted on March 10, 2021

Driving in for a visit? There are a few things you should know about time zones, drive times, and hours of operation for your favorite attractions. Here's a handy guide!

What Time is It There?

Spencer County is located in the Central time zone. If you’re coming from Evansville or Chicago or St. Louis, there’s no need to adjust your phones or watches on arrival.
Visiting from Louisville or Cincinnati or Indianapolis? When you get here, make sure to fall back an hour to keep yourself right on schedule.

Slow Time vs. Fast Time

If you have your phone’s clock set to automatically change time zones, you might notice something a little odd during your visit. Our close neighbors to the north, Dubois County (home to the towns of Ferdinand, Huntingburg, and Jasper) are on Eastern time. So, if you’re traveling throughout the area, your phone may switch back and forth repeatedly… and may even get a little confused about what time it should be showing!
Odder still is how locals refer to the different time zones. You’ll seldom hear anyone who lives in the area talk about Central or Eastern time. Instead, you’ll likely hear “slow time” and “fast time.” For those not in the know, slow time is Central and fast time is Eastern because Central is an hour behind… get it?

How Long Does It Take to Get There?

One of the great things about this area is how it’s a reasonable driving distance to a lot of bigger cities. That means it’s also a reasonable driving distance for visitors from those cities… and we’re always ready to welcome them!
So, how long will your drive be? Using Santa Claus, Indiana, as your final destination, here’s what you can expect your approximate drive time to be.
Evansville – 1 hour Louisville – 1 ¼ hour Nashville – 2 ½ hours Cincinnati – 2 ¾ hours Indianapolis – 3 hours St. Louis – 3 hours Chicago – 5 ½ hours If you’re one of our Eastern time zone neighbors, you’ll be “saving” some time before you get here. Leaving Louisville at 8:00 ET? You’ll get here around 8:15 local time... talk about a quick trip!

What’s Open When

Before your visit and while you’re here, you’ll need to know the hours of operation for the area’s attractions, shopping, restaurants, and more. That’s where our What’s Open page comes in handy! It’s updated monthly to give you the most up-to-date information and ensure you’re always on time!

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It's About Time

What Time is It There?

Slow Time vs. Fast Time

How Long Does It Take to Get There?

What’s Open When