If you are planning to go on a campus tour this summer, attend New Student Orientation or just want to learn more about Indiana University, the IU Visitor Information Center should be your first stop for all questions regarding IU and Bloomington.
The center, located inside the Indiana Memorial Union at 900 E. Seventh St., is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, on select weekends listed on the homepage.
The center offers a variety of resources, including campus maps and brochures for self-guided visits, as well as campus tours which are available to book online.
Hour-long walking tours are given on select Sundays and depart at 1 p.m. from the Visitor Information Center. Tours are also available by request for preschool through eighth-grade groups of under 50 people.
“People come in our office for information and resources about the university, as well as about the community,” Nicole Griffin, director of the Visitor Information Center, said. “We have brochures, maps, things of that nature, magazines for people to take to learn more about the campus and community.”
In the summer, the center has a wide variety of visitors, including alumni, prospective students, students attending NSO and even adults attending Mini University.
Mini University, a week-long summer program, is run by the IU Alumni Association and is available to any adults, often IU alums, interested in lifelong learning. The program runs from June 6-11 and offers over 60 classes covering a wide range of topics, as well as social and networking events. Registration for Mini University 2027 will open in the spring.
“It gives them a chance to come back and relive the IU experience,” Griffin said.
The visitor center is unique compared to other IU buildings in that it is staffed almost entirely by current IU undergraduate and graduate students.
IU alum Reilly Smith has worked at the center as a visitor guide since 2021 and graduated from IU with a degree in arts management in 2025. At the center, Smith assists Griffin in answering questions from visitors. She also runs the center’s Instagram and TikTok pages and conducts campus tours.
Smith said she has given tours to school kids, graduate students and even those who just want to have a fun tour while they’re visiting Bloomington.
While she answers many questions from visitors, Smith said the most common ones are from parents asking about campus life.
“Especially because it’s a bigger campus, it can kind of be a little daunting,” she said. “They want to know how their kid can fit in and we just tell them that IU is a huge campus, but you can make it small, you can find your little corners and your friends.”
Griffin said parents are also interested in what career development resources IU offers to ensure that students will have opportunities after college. Other common tour questions revolve around campus activities and finding community within IU.
“People are always excited to find out how many student activities we have since we have over 750,” Griffin said. “I just think there really is something for everyone, it’s just a matter of figuring out how to find what interests you most.”
While campus tours focus more on campus life and academics at IU, commonly asked questions at the office tend to be broader because people are typically seeking directions and general information about Bloomington.
“Someone yesterday asked if we knew a good barber, and we tried our best to answer them,” Smith said.
As for Smith’s go-to Bloomington spots, she said she recommends Griffy Lake for its hiking trails and kayaking, while Griffin recommends people visit IU’s many museums, including the IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Wylie House Museum.
For anyone visiting Bloomington this summer, Griffin encouraged them to stop by the Visitor Information Center.
“We’re always happy to welcome people and to help people find their way,” Griffin said. “We hope people will come and see us, and we will be happy to assist them.”
