We found a wonderful small town in Southern Indiana that is one of those communities in the shadow of a large city. It makes for a sort of perfect relationship. You can leave the big city (Louisville, Kentucky) cross the Ohio River, and find yourself in a quiet and charming bedroom community.  With a population of nearly 50,000 it’s not all that small, but in the old downtown and along the waterfront, you get small-town, old town sort of feel.

The town is named after President Thomas Jefferson — and it’s believed to have been founded around the time he was in the White House.

The early days of “Jeff” as the town is called by the locals, was all about the river — and ship building. In 1834 James Howard built his first steamboat there and before the days of the old paddle-board river boats died out, the company had built a thousand steam boats.

A trip to the Howard Steamboat Museum, in Jeffersonville tells that story of the busy days at the yard. It was later sold to the Navy, and years later employed some 13 thousand workers building barges for the inland rivers. The yard is now closed, but the river remains busy and active.

At one time, the community was a key stop on the Underground Railroad — as slaves fled across the Ohio river, were sheltered in Jeffersonville, and moved north toward Canada.

It’s also the location of one the most interesting short hikes in the country — over an old railroad bridge saved by preservationists. As they say The Big Four Bridge, is a “view worth preserving.”

It re-opened to pedestrians and bicycles in 2014 — and gives you a wonderful view of the river. It links Louisville and Jeffersonville, and sees well over a million pedestrians and bike riders per year.

Back down in “Jeff,” don’t forget a stop at Schimpff’s, one of the oldest continuously operated candy businesses in the country. Started in 1891.

it’s still operated by the same family — and uses some of the molds, pans and machines used over a century ago. And you can watch them make the candy right there.