Your all-purpose "What's in Bloomington?" thread

[Galen]

I figured as a former resident of B-town, I'd start this thread with the idea of giving a run-down on what there is to do and where there is to stay in Bloomington, come finals week. Feel free to add on anything you know to help people get a sense of where they can eat, drink, sleep, party, etc.

Mods, can we pin this?

Restaurants:

Bloomington is a college town, so there's a good mix of chains, fast food and local cuisine. Close to the stadium, you have a Colorado Steakhouse on 17th street as well as a couple fast food places. Go to the west side of town and you'll find a lot of sit-down places like Olive Garden, O'Charley's, Cracker Barrel and others (there's also a Wal-Mart, Kohl's and Home Depot out there). Out by College Mall, on the south side of town, there's a Friday's, Longhorn Steakhouse and lots of fast-food places.

The REAL good stuff is just south of campus. Kirkwood Avenue and Fountain Square have a great variety of local restaurants. My personal recommendations: Michael's Uptown Cafe and the Village Deli (both on Kirkwood), Bloomington Bagel Company and Cafe Django (just off of Kirkwood), Grazie's (on the Square) and the "international district" on 4th St, home to many different ethnic places (Italian, Indian, Thai, Middle-Eastern, etc).

Pizza: LOTS of carryout places, being a college town and all. If you want sit-down, there are two places to go. One is called Lennie's, on 10th street across from Teter Quad. They've got a lot of different "exotic" pizzas there. The second is called Mother Bear's, and has THE best pizza you're ever going to find. It's on 3rd street, across from Read (near the Music School).

Bars: I never got into the bar scene much in Bloomington, but I can recommend Nick's and the Bluebird as some places that are worth going.

Hotels: There are several hotels by the stadium on 17th street, although they fill up fast. Here's a guide to the local places to stay:

http://www.visitbloomington.com/listings/i...mp;ContentID=40

You can try getting a room at IU's Memorial Union (biggest college student union building in the world), but it will definitely get pricey if you're there the whole week.

My suggestion: Look up the road a bit in Ellettsville or Spencer, or east towards Nashville/Brown County. It's not too far of a drive from Bloomington, and you'll probably find some good deals there.

Transportation:

The Indy airport has the typical car rental companies (Hertz, Avis, Budget, etc). There is also a Bloomington Airport Shuttle that will take you straight to campus from the airport. It's a $25 fare each way ($50 total for a round trip). Here's the link:

http://www.bloomingtonshuttle.com/airport.html

Bloomington also has a city and a campus bus service, both of which go by the stadium:

http://www.iubus.indiana.edu/campus_bus/index.html

On-campus amenities:

In between shows, the Memorial Union on 7th street is an excellent place to visit. They've got a bowling alley, arcade, computer labs, food court, and an excellent dining room called the Tudor Room (good food but can be a tad pricey). There's a community pool just across from the stadium if you're in the mood for a swim. IU is also home to the best public college music department in the world, hands down, although it's not likely that any of the ensembles will be doing any performances since it's the summer.

[troon8]

A Bloomington Question...

(Deleted sheepishly after actually reading first post in full. Galen was way ahead of me...)

$25 each way doesn't sound too outrageous, although it is a little ironic considering how much cheaper my MegaBus ticket from Chicago to Indy will be. Oh well.

Edited April 5, 2008 by troon8

[Galen]

Check under the "transportation" section I added.

[Galen]

Official DCI announcement:

http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/content/view/3106/28/

[Matt_S]

A Bloomington Question...

For one who doesn't plan on renting a car, is there a way to get from Indianapolis to Bloomington? Bus? Camel Caravan? Hoosier Helicopter?

As you can imagine, a lot of out-of-state students fly in to the Indy airport and need transportation down to Bloomington. There's a shuttle service specifically dedicated to this task (title, naturally enough, "Bloomington Shuttle").

[DCIHasBeen]

Everything you need to know about Bloomington.

[Rifuarian]

I'm a little bummed that we don't get to break in Lucas Oil, but having finals a fifteen-minute walk away from my apartment isn't too shabby.

Dining in Bloomington is absolutely no problem. You can try www.btownmenus.com to get an idea of what's available, but it's by no means exhaustive. Don't even think about eating at a chain restaurant -- the local establishments are numerous and far superior to anything the Olive Gardens, Applebee's, etc. can offer.

Bars are plentiful as other posters have mentioned. Nick's, Kilroy's Sports Bar, Kilroy's, Crazy Horse, Bear's Place, Bloomington Brewing Company, The Irish Lion (which I highly recommend), Blue Bird, etc. All are within a 5 minute walking distance of downtown, along with dozens of other restaurants. Since you'll be there in the summer you won't have to put up with the hordes of students that normally fill these places. Nick's, Kilroy's Sports Bar, and Crazy Horse will be open well past midnight, as well as Mother Bear's and Avers Pizza.

For those who choose not to rent a car and come down to Bloomington on the airport shuttle, Bloomington/IU has a pretty decent bus system. However, the buses will be running on summer (reduced) schedules. Hopefully DCI will get in touch with the University and set up special routes from the stadium to downtown and the hotels. The downtown/campus area is pedestrian friendly, though the west side of the town where many of the hotels are is not.

For those who do rent a car, you might choose to stay in Nashville/Brown County instead. Their busy season is in the fall, so accommodations should readily available. Brown County State Park/Yellowwood State Forest are beautiful places to spend an afternoon, have a picnic, and just relax. Nashville has dozens of artsy-fartsy craft stores for those who are interested in that sort of thing.

In Bloomington itself the shopping is decent -- try the downtown area first. The mall isn't that great. On Saturday mornings Bloomington hosts the best farmer's markets in the state. Even you're not into fresh fruit and vegetables the market attracts all sorts of hippies and hipsters who are fun to observe. Be sure to try the tamales.

The IU campus -- the central part, at least -- is one of the most beautiful in the nation and is worth checking out. The art museum is excellent. In general, Bloomington is a great place for those with high-falutin' tastes. Californians and other coastal types nervous about venturing into fly-over country should feel at home in Bloomington. For those with more . . . plebeian interests . . . the beer is plentiful.

[Chicago Ski]

Daughter (and my money) went to IU Bloomington:

The Indiana Union building has a very nice hotel, very old style, pricey

Best pizza - Mother Bears

Fine dining - Irish Lion, Little Zafreb, Malibu Grill

Lot's of package liquor stores in Bloomington

Good place to stay about 20 minutes from the stadium - Canyon Inn, Spencer Ind. It's in a state park with lots of walking trails through the woods, nice restaurant. We would stay there if we couldn't get a room at the Union Building. Surprisingly affordable.

[Galen]

Lot's of package liquor stores in Bloomington

Ah yes- all the Big Red Liquors all over the place

Zagreb's is great for steak- best option there is to get the sirloin for 2-3 and share.

[Laurakemb]

Thanks for the suggestions! I HATE going to chain restaurants when I travel. Why go eat someplace you can eat any night of the week at home?

Please keep the suggestions coming, especially of places to eat. Any good breakfast suggestions?