Bloomington, Indy cater to football fans for Super Bowl

With all eyes on Indianapolis for the Super Bowl, both the state capital and surrounding cities are preparing for residents and visitors who have come for the big game.

Visit Bloomington — part of the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau — has compiled information for visitors and residents who are staying in town during the weekend, while hotels, restaurants and transportation companies are planning for an upswing in business.

The Fountain Square Mall will have one of 33 IndyCars, which were painted in each NFL team’s colors, in addition to one with a Super Bowl theme.

Bloomington was chosen to have the Arizona Cardinals Super Car. All the IndyCars were on display south of Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis until this weekend when they were transported around the state.

Visitors and residents can view the car from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The mall is also offering a free Game Center for children during the same time.

“We are very excited to welcome Super Bowl visitors to our community and the state of Indiana, to let them see what a great community and state we live in,” said Mike McAfee, executive director of Visit Bloomington, in a press release. “We know Super Bowl attendees that visit Bloomington will absolutely have a super experience.”

While Bloomington prepares to help entertain visitors, however, many students and residents have been traveling to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl Village, concerts and restaurants.

Junior Leanna Larkin said she visited Indianapolis last weekend, primarily to hear artists John McLaughlin and Bruce Bentley.

“It’s our home, so its cool to see,” Larkin said. “We went down over on Saturday at about 2 p.m. or so and walked around, saw everything the city had to offer. It wasn’t that busy, but more people than we anticipated.”

Larkin said students visiting Indianapolis this weekend should take advantage of the music, as well as the food and atmosphere.

Each day of music at the Super Bowl Village has been based on a theme, with hip-hop and pop Friday, Feb. 3 and rock Saturday, Feb. 4.

“I would say to go to the stages,” Larkin said. “It might not be someone huge playing, but it’ll be someone local, someone smaller that you might really enjoy. Be there to experience it, because it’s only close to home so many times.”

Both Larkin and Dianna Boyce, director of communications for the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee, said transportation is a huge part of the weekend.

Larkin said carpooling or finding a friend who lives close to the city to drop off and pick up would make a visit downtown smoother, while Boyce stressed planning ahead.

“Know before you go,” Boyce said. “We hope students know how to get up here. We want them to come, hear some bands, come to the NFL experience.”

Boyce said the host committee and city have compiled travel information, routes and parking information online. There are three park-and-ride lots near downtown
Indianapolis, with tickets $2 in advance online or $10 at the lot.

Jill Webb, operations manager at Go Express Travel in Bloomington, said all chartered buses this weekend are booked, but that Go Express is still running its usual shuttles to the Indianapolis International Airport, where the Super Bowl host committee has also set up a free shuttle to downtown.

Webb said Go Express will be running a special shuttle around midnight Sunday for travelers after the Super Bowl ends.

“We are running extra buses for overload, to make sure anyone who wants to go can get up there, or catch their regular flight,” Webb said.