Welcome to Bloomington! You might be here visiting a friend, touring campus as a prospective student or returning after years away. But whoever you are, Bloomington can offer you all kinds of unique Hoosier experiences!
Take a look below to see a senior’s top recommendations for can’t-miss moments in B-town while you’re here:
Nature
If you’re in town while the weather is still warm, a stroll through campus’ greenspaces is enough to brighten anyone’s day.
Dunn’s Woods covers 20 acres between the historic Sample Gates and Swain Hall on Third Street. Any campus tour would be incomplete without a stroll through the beech-maple trees beautifying the dullest of lecture halls.
The Cox Arboretum on the north end of campus is the perfect spot for a picnic. The ever-present coniferous trees and the creek weaving between them feel like they shouldn’t be part of a college campus, but rather a state park.
If you have a car, it’s only 30 minutes down to the beaches at Lake Monroe, Indiana’s biggest body of water not named Lake Michigan. Many are open 24 hours for the stargazers among us.
Drive just east and you’ll enter Brown County. It’s 300 square miles of forest, much of it classified as a state park.
Food and shopping
You won’t be here long before you hear about Kirkwood Avenue, the city’s main shopping, eating and partying street. Don’t get me wrong, Kirkwood has its gems. Fountain Square houses more shops than you could ever hope to visit in two days, many of them small local businesses.
But move a little off the beaten path and you’ll find what really makes this town charming. Walnut and College Avenues are spattered with local holes-in-the-wall like Walkover Sounds and Stones or Rockit's Famous Pizza.
Fourth Street is the local hub for international cuisine. Some Hoosiers make it a challenge to eat at every restaurant on Fourth before they graduate; in 48 hours, one or two should be plenty.
There are luxury options around, but you won’t find the real Bloomington without abandoning expensive tastes. The city is best when you’re not afraid to get a little adventurous.
Arts and entertainment
No matter when you show up, there’s always some kind of performance happening in town.
The Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Kirkwood Avenue and IU’s Musical Arts Center host music performances regularly year-round and usually at affordable prices. The MAC often hosts IU’s renowned Jacobs School of Music.
The Eskenazi Museum of Art on campus is a free year-round option for paintings and sculptures.
Across the street, IU Cinema puts on an eclectic selection of movies usually relevant to the season.
Switchyard Park often plays host to craft markets and public performances on the weekends, often for free.
This story was originally published in the Indiana Daily Student's spring 2026 Source Campus Visitor's Guide.
