CAPH52

We're going to be spending two nights in Bloomington the week after next so that our son can check out the University.

Does anyone know if there's something going on there that week? The first few hotels I checked were booked.

But, more importantly, any suggestions for restaurants (casual) or for not to be missed stuff while we're in the area?

Thanks!

indytravel

Though a Purdue grad I still enjoy visiting IU's campus. It's only 50 minutes from where I live. I visited the campus just this May.

I don't know of anything in particular going on but IU has lots of summer camps that happen from cheerleading, to sports, to music, to science almost any kind of camp all summer long. It can eat up hotel rooms as parents come and go with their kids.

The art museum in an I.M. Pei building is very nice. It's across the street from the student union. You can tell Pei was in his triangle/pyramid phase. The varied collection runs from Middle Ages sacred to modern. The special exhibit of the horse in classical art is still running. The museum is free.

I had lunch at Mama Bear's Pizza. It's on the south side of the campus along 3rd St. It has very good (though not great) pizza IMHO. Being there practically forever it is a Bloomington tradition.

You might try looking for hotels in Nashville, IN. It's probably a 30 minute drive between the two. It's a beautiful drive along St. Rd. 46. Nashville is a town filled with lots of little shops. People like to stay in Nashville to see the Brown County leaves so they have a few hotels and some condo rentals.

xrae

Bloomington has a very nice visitor's center (in which we sdtopped last week).

They would be able to tell you if anything was going on in town at that time.

Google says (812) 334-8900. And that same search brought up www.visitbloomington.com, which has a button for the "2006 ASA Nationals July 30-August 6." I don't know what that is, but it sounds close to the dates you'll be visiting.

CAPH52

Thanks, Indytravel! I did wind up finding a room in Bloomington. But it sounds like a little side trip to Nashville might be in order!

Thanks for the recommendations for the art museum and Mama Bear's Pizza as well!

CAPH52

Thanks to you too, xrae. I think we must have been typing at the same time!

LLindaC

If you do go to Nashville, go early and during the week because on weekends, the place is teeming with crowds and loud motorcycles revving at ear splitting levels. There are many antique shops and art galleries on the outskirts of town, too. There's a nice family restaurant we enjoy in town, the Artist Colony Inn, with a big shady veranda that's really nice. Just outside the town is a very good Mexican restaurant, Maldonados.

CAPH52

Thank you, LLinda! We'll be there Tuesday and Wednesday nights. If we do go to Nashville, it'd probably be Wednesday. The Artist Colony Inn sounds like something we'd enjoy.

SandyBrit

CAPH52 - One of our sons graduated from IU and it was often difficult to find a hotel room when we went to visit him. We stayed at a few that were awful but at least a bed to sleep in.

We ate at lots of nice restaurants but can not remember their names for the life of me.

Best wishes for a great visit.

Sandy

thehumps

Definately Do Nashville , nice shops

indytravel

A little further away from Bloomington past Nashville is Story, IN with the Story Inn. No phones, no TVs, no clocks in the rooms and no cell phone service. I've not stayed there.

I have had a couple of excellent meals in their restaurant though. In May I had a delicious dandelion salad. You mean I can pick a weed in my yard, put a bacon dressing on it and sell it to people?!?!?

www.storyinn.com

CAPH52

Thanks, guys!

Sandy, we're staying at the Country Hearth Inn and Suites. I hope that's not one of the awful ones!

The more I hear about the shops, the more convinced I am that we have to go, thehumps!

Indy, thank you for that link to the Story Inn! I'd probably have a heart attack if I ever saw a ghost. But I have to confess to a real fascination with stories of haunted places. I'd be terrified to stay there. But I found the web site extremely interesting! The food sounds truly wonderful but, sadly, a bit beyond our budget. If our son does wind up going to IU, it'd be a great place to celebrate a special occasion!

indytravel

You're welcome Caph52.

If you son does go to IU (poor soul, Purdue is THE "Indiana University!" ) you might want to make it even a little further east to Columbus, IN on a visit. Easily ranked in the top 10 in the nation for cities with modern architecture it's something to see in li'l ole Indiana.

CAPH52

Thanks again, Indy. Sounds interesting!

lynnejoel1015

IU is suuuucchchhhhh a beautiful campus! I studied music performance in college and Indiana has (arguably) the best music program in the country and when I went there to audition as a jaded, snitty little 18 year old, I was BLOWN away by how gorgeous the campus was. I'll never forget it.

I have a friend here in LA (who grew up here) and went to IU to get away from culture in SoCal and LOVED IU. She had a great experience.

Good luck!

indytravel

Limestone, schlimestone. IU is so not there. Now Purdue with beautiful, anal retentive, red brick everywhere that's a campus!

Just had to throw that in lynnejoe. IU's campus is really, really gorgeous. In fact when Purdue was a freakin' asphalt parking lot from end-to-end in the 70's they developed a master plan to emulate IU's campus. It has paid off. Purdue's campus is not the parking lot it used to be and finally (!) quite lovely these days.

annahead

My favorite place to eat when I was a student was the Bakehouse. I always enjoyed going there for light meals, great soups, fresh bread and baked goods. Plus they had the best granola on the planet! They've got a nice little website too:

http://www.scholarsinn.com/bakehouse/about.asp

I hope you love IU, both my parent's attended and were married in the chapel next to the Union. It's a truly magical place and a great school.

indytravel

Oh the Scholar's Inn annahead. I'd forgotten about them. They've expanded into the Indianapolis market these days.

The Scholar's Inn on Mass. Ave. has a great menu and the best Sunday brunch in the city these days. I mean a real brunch with a special menu, not an all-you-can-eat nasty smorgasbord. Their brunch also has 1/2 priced champagne cocktails. It's excellent.

CAPH52

I'm so glad I started this thread! I wasn't sure I'd get any responses but you guys are wonderful! A veritable wealth of info!

I have to admit that I was seeing this trip more as a duty. But now I'm really looking forward to it!

Thanks again!

Kristi

The other place on campus to eat that is a tradition is Nick's where you can get drinks and food. We're both IU grads and went back a couple of years ago, tried both there and Mother Bear's pizza and although Mother Bear's has a bit of nostalgia for me, I preferred the food at Nick's, a nice big stromboli-yum!

Every other place that I liked to eat on our meager student budgets were gone-Garcia's, the Penguin, Noble Roman's, sniff, sniff

If you find yourself with more free time and like architecture, French Lick/West Baden is about an hour south of Bloomington, the spa in West Baden, which they were in the process of restoring when we went, is simply gorgeous.

CAPH52

Thanks, Kristi!