Suggestion Request: Things to do near Bloomington on game weekend
I’m taking my wife and 3 kids to the Michigan vs Indiana game in October. It’ll be the first Michigan game for 1 of them and our first together as a group (I usually just take 1 kid at a time to Ann Arbor but haven’t since Covid).
Does anyone from the area or someone familiar with the area have any recommendations for stuff to do within an hour of the stadium the day before and after? Kids range from 15-8.
Thanks!
August 8th, 2022 at 10:15 AM ^
Wiards Orchard (https://www.wiards.com/) has a bunch of stuff (mostly for younger kids) and was always a favorite place to kill 4 or 5 hours in the fall. I think you need to buy tickets nowdays. Petting zoo, hayrides, pick apples, corn maze, watch cider get made, lots of playgrounds, etc.
August 8th, 2022 at 10:28 AM ^
the game being in Bloomington, will make the Wiards idea one with a wicked commute. Indy is about an hour north of Bloomington and offers things to do...from a decent little zoo, to a children's museum. The IU campus and Bloomington itself are quite enjoyable o their own.
August 8th, 2022 at 12:13 PM ^
Ha!
I was thinking Bloomington MI.
August 8th, 2022 at 10:21 AM ^
Brown County is about a 30 minute drive from Bloomington. If the family is into nature it's a great place with tons to do. There's a place called Gnaw Bone Camp that we always enjoyed visiting.
Lake Monroe is also close, and if you're feeling adventurous you can take a boat out to swing by John Mellencamp's house.
August 8th, 2022 at 10:29 AM ^
Pretend you're Italian and ride your bike behind a semi and see if you can go 60 mph. Then go swimming in the quarry with Mooch and the guys.
August 8th, 2022 at 10:42 AM ^
I'm proud of being a Cutter!
August 8th, 2022 at 10:49 AM ^
While in town, a midnight run to the donut shop off US23 near Ypsilanti, while a bit of a drive from Bloomington, is sure to be an excellent adventure!
https://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/way-ot-anyone-know-what-happened-ypsilanti-tonight
August 8th, 2022 at 11:35 AM ^
When going to a Nebraska game, there is a really good Cinnabon in Omaha. Ask for Gene.
August 8th, 2022 at 11:11 AM ^
Bloomington is a really fun college town. There's a lot of cool restaurants and shops to check out downtown. IU also has a beautiful and large campus you can walk through
August 8th, 2022 at 11:15 AM ^
Buy a carton of cigarettes cheaper than up here?
August 8th, 2022 at 11:16 AM ^
My son goes to IU and we love visiting Bloomington! One thing that was a big hit for our youngest (15 y.o. when we were there with him last fall) was renting a Lime scooter and toodling around campus. You need to download the app first, then locate where the scooters are lying about, find one nearby that's mostly charged, and off you go. Cost is mostly reasonable if you ride for ~30 mins or so.
I get that you may not want your 8 y.o. to do this--and beware that helmets are completely unavailable--but the older one(s) would enjoy it. The IU campus is gorgeous and there is plenty of flat-ish/greenspace to ride scooters without worrying about cars.
Also, Mother Bear's Pizza and Bloomington Bagel are worthwhile food stops (not that you asked for food reccs). Enjoy and Go Blue!
August 8th, 2022 at 11:30 AM ^
When my pals and I went we just invaded the tailgating scene near the stadium and it was a blast. While we still got some jibes from the locals about our M gear, the vast majority of Hoosiers were welcoming. We eventually joined a small group of IU fans and played pong and flip cup with them until kickoff - good salt-of-the-earth folks. Enjoy your trip!
August 8th, 2022 at 11:36 AM ^
I know a guy who lives there who likes to suck on chili dogs outside the Tastee Freez. Always an option?
August 8th, 2022 at 11:47 AM ^
Take the tour of the Oliver Winery. The kids will see how wine is made and mom will love the tastings. I recommend the Lemon Moscato although they are known for the Blueberry.
Nick’s is an IU favorite for beer, burgers and Stromboli and is a block from campus. (It will be packed with fans wearing red).
the beautiful campus will make for a pleasant stroll, especially with fall colors.
August 8th, 2022 at 11:59 AM ^
Bloomington local here.
My recommendations for kids your age:
- Ziplining in Brown County
- Museums in Indy
- A trip to French Lick. (See what was the largest freestanding dome, learn why people used to drink lithium water, see Lary Bird's memorabilia collection at his restaurant, mini-golf and other similar stuff)
- Picnic and walk around campus
- Its two hours away, but you could also hit up the Louisville Slugger museum in Lville
- Edit: Spring Mill State Park. They have a Gus Grissom museum (incl Gemini capsule), pioneer village, and cave tours.
If you have younger kids, my suggestions would be the children's museum and switchyard park.
To everyone going to the game, I-69/IN-37 (the main road from Bloomington to Indy) are under construction again and down to one lane for a long stretch. Please plan for extra time when going to the game.
If anyone else has questions about the area, feel free to post them.
August 8th, 2022 at 12:26 PM ^
These are great reccs--Brown County is gorgeous and FWIW I've always wondered about French Lick. Gonna have to put it on the list.
Anyway I second the comment about IN 37 being under construction and would add that it's super annoying and slow even on non-football days. Coming from the west (Iowa City) we now avoid that consturction by getting off the interstate and taking State Rd. 46 instead. I know that's not useful if you're coming in from the north but just saying--IN 37 sucks rocks these days.
August 8th, 2022 at 12:53 PM ^
Regarding getting there from the north, consider taking I-65 south to Columbus (Indiana), then west on SR 46. You go through beautiful hilly country, and Nashville (Indiana) to get to Btown.
Columbus has fantastic post-war architecture; the driving tour is well worth doing if you have time. Google 'Athens of the prairie'. Nashville is cute if touristy. The state park there is nice. Btown is a wonderful college town, and IU is pretty. Lots of limestone buildings. Caving is an option, speaking of limestone, in a commercial cave near Bedford (30 minutes south on 37) or at Spring Mill State Park 15 minutes farther in Mitchell.
IN-39 is a good alternate route from Indy, too. The construction is all north of Martinsville, now.
Columbus is great for adults into architecture, not great for kids.
Forgot about Spring Mill. That place has something for everyone.
That'd be faster than my suggestion. Didn't know they pushed north of Martinsville. Man, construction on 37 moves at a mile a year, if that. The former governor tried to nickel and dime it, with obvious results.
This. They were laying the groundwork for the project while I was in school there. I turned 30 this year.
August 8th, 2022 at 12:11 PM ^
If you're coming from the north on I69 through Ft. Wayne, just north of there is the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg museum. It's well worth the visit on your way down or back. Lots of vintage stuff beyond the cars.
August 8th, 2022 at 12:18 PM ^
If you can visit Assembly Hall it’s a pretty cool basketball stadium.
August 8th, 2022 at 12:23 PM ^
It is usually open on football game days, fyi.
August 8th, 2022 at 12:36 PM ^
Nicks will be a complete shit show game day but you could hit it another day. Bradford Woods 20 min north has horse riding, climbing wall etc. also nice hiking trails. Tailgate in the fields south of the stadium. It’s beautiful , laid back and super easy in and out. Also, watching a game at memorial stadium is nice because it’s quite small. For food get the momo at Little Tibet or a steak at Little Zagreb’s.Lastly Bloomington has amazing bike accessibility so you could rent or take some. I believe the main hub is called the B line trail. You can ride it out of town for miles as well. Have fun.
You can tassel corn.
Only corn can tassel corn! You can detassel it, though. However, the season for that was back in July.
- Stop in Evansville and see if you can drink all the beers.
- Indy race track tour.