Bloomington, Indiana: Exploring Beyond the College Town

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If you’ve heard of Bloomington, Indiana, you probably know of it as a “college town”. That makes sense, since Indiana University’s largest campus is found here, with over 48,000 students milling about. Out of a total town population of 78,000 in the city proper and 175,000 in the wider metro area. Meaning you’re more likely to come across a student or professor than a townie on most days.

But even though most locals are still dealing with acne, Bloomington isn’t just for students. There’s a lot more to see and do here – and some really interesting sights – even if you’re past your college years.

Diverse Cuisine and Historic Bars

When you walk around downtown Bloomington, you’ll inevitably come across 4th Street. Known as “International Row”, this leafy, serene road and the area around it offers cuisine from all over the world, with a particular emphasis on Asian flavors.

You can enjoy Thai food at Siam House or Blooming Thai, great bulgogi at Korea Restaurant, and Burmese food at Kimu Asian Restaurant. Contrary to stereotypes most people have of the Midwest as a place mostly serving classic American foods full of meat and cheese, Bloomington is absolutely bursting with international dishes.

My culinary stop – which also happens to be a local favorite – was Anyetsang’s Little Tibet. Which I picked because, to be honest…I had never tried Tibetan food, or even really knew what it was.

The walls were decorated with sayings from the Dalai Lama, portraits of Tibetans, and the colors of the Tibetan flag: blue, white, red, green, yellow. Browsing through a menu full of dishes I mostly didn’t recognize, I defaulted to what I usually do when too much seems delicious and unfamiliar – asked the waitress for help. She sweetly recommended a stew known as Kham Amdo Thukpa, as well as the Mo Mo dumplings (ground beef with yellow onion). Both of which were delicious.

If you want to check out the town at night, stroll by Kirkwood Avenue and stop by Nick’s English Hut, which has been around since 1927.

It’s decorated with a lot of Indiana University pride, chock full of memorabilia from the university and the area. Both the prices and the offerings are great for college students; which means affordable beer, burgers, fries, pizza, and chicken wings, among others. But just so you know, Nick’s isn’t all about frozen fast food. In fact, it supports local farmers by getting ingredients directly from them!

Kirkwood Avenue also has a couple of great, and locally popular food options, including Uptown Cafe – a New Orleans-flavored restaurant, and Trojan Horse – Greek specialties and gyros. For something a little more upscale, if you want to treat yourself, I highly recommend The Elm. One of the most delicious experiences I’ve had in the U.S.; period.

The menu is seasonal, so I can’t make specific recommendations because it will likely change by the time you get there – or because I have a four month backlog on blog posts, by the time you’re reading this. However, I recommend starting with whatever bread they’re serving. Because their in-house-made bread is incredible.

Now, you might be wondering about something I mentioned earlier on. Like why there is a Tibetan restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana, in the first place, when you likely have never seen a Tibetan restaurant anywhere near your hometown – unless you’re reading this from Tibet. Or like…London. Well, because Bloomington has an interesting landmark with its metropolitan borders…

The Only Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Center in the U.S.

Just a 15-minute drive from the heart of downtown Bloomington, located on 90 sprawling, tranquil acres, you will find the country’s only Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center.

Thubten Jigme Norbu, a professor at the nearby university, founded it in 1979. He was the brother of the Dalai Lama.

You might get lucky enough to be in the area during a workshop hosted here, but even if you aren’t, you can always drop by and explore the grounds. Walk down the Kora path – a traditional walk around a sacred site in Tibetan Buddhism – and admire the Kalachakra Stupa, the white domed structure at the center of it all.

In Buddhism, “stupas” generally symbolize the Buddha’s enlightened mind, his teachings, and the elements of the universe. This specific stupa symbolizes universal peace, unity, and the deep Buddhist understanding of the universe taught in the Kalachakra Tantra.

Then, keep exploring the grounds to admire the Prayer Wheel, Pagoda, and prayer flags on the grounds.

Before you walk into the main attraction – the Kumbum Chamtse Ling Monastery – be sure to take off your shoes in the front room. Here, you should know that you may be walking in the footsteps of the Dalai Lama himself! He visits the center often.

Though I am not a religious person, I am always fascinated by the teachings and styles of thought found in religions around the world. Not to mention the design and importance of their sacred sites.

Not to mention, talking to the man working at the gift shop was one of the highlights of my trip. Though as usual, I’m awful with remembering names – I believe his was Gary? – he welcomed me to the center, and we got into a very deep conversation about both our lives. I found out that he used to fly helicopters for the US Army. That he met his wife – another American, teaching abroad – in Saudi Arabia.

We spent almost 45 minutes chatting about life and the direction of the world. Perhaps I was inspired by the reverence I felt for the grounds and the temple. Perhaps everything I had just seen reminded me that sitting, being in the present, and connecting, rather than running around checking to-do tasks off my list for the day, was also important.

Who knows? Either way, my entire visit was fascinating and enjoyable; and something I highly recommend everyone who finds themselves in Bloomington do.

Libraries, Museums, and Culture

The perks of a university town are that it’s likely to have more libraries, as well as art and cultural exhibits than your average mid-sized town. Bloomington is no exception.

Long-time readers know that I am a hopeless booknerd, and so obviously my first stop on the campus tour was the Lilly Library. Sidenote: the Bloomington campus is absolutely beautiful, and a great afternoon walk. You can stroll on through as an outsider. Just don’t be weird by hanging around students and asking to join frisbee games.

The Lilly Library isn’t just any old college library. It contains some of the most incredible, historic literary treasures of our world. Including the First Folio of Shakespeare’s works. A first printed edition of The Canterbury Tales. And a New Testament of the Gutenberg Bible! That’s right, the first book to ever be printed can be found here. Along with 8.5 million manuscripts and 460,000 books. All housed within some truly impressive wooden architecture.

Right across the street is the Eskenazi Museum of Art. There are standard exhibits that feature work from Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet. When I visited, there was actually a really informative exhibit featuring Monet’s stepdaughter – who actually played an important part in helping him complete his works in his later years.

Not only that, but she was an accomplished artist in her own right who was mostly overlooked throughout history…because, woman. But Blanche Hoschede-Monet is finally getting at least some of the recognition she deserves; currently, with a stunning exhibit at Eskenazi Museum of Art.

What I loved about the rest of the museum is that it divides its artistic works and exhibits into geographical regions, paying homage to them all and respecting the different styles that have flourished around the world. Many art museums, particularly in the U.S., heavily feature European artists and works of the Renaissance. While those are very much on display here, you can also get a sense of the artistic accomplishments and traditions of sub-Saharan Africa, of Oceania, and of East Asia, to name a few.

The Eskenazi Museum was, for me, one of the most forward-thinking, educational, and intriguing art museums I’ve visited. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t always love art museums. So it’s even higher praise.

Graduate Bloomington: My Favorite Hotel Stay

Now that I’ve had a chance to pretend I’m high-brow and cultured, let me tell you the thing in Bloomington I geeked out over the most. My suite at the Graduate Bloomington.

Because these two rooms – made into one suite – are designed exactly like the Byers’ living room and Will Byers’ bedroom from “Stranger Things”. Even your room key is a student ID from Hawkins. And when I say “exactly”, I don’t mean the hotel staff did a decent job imitating the show. I mean, the hotel flew out the set designers from “Stranger Things” to recreate the set here. As much as a TV set can be recreated in a hotel suite, of course.

And let me tell you; they did an astounding job. You have the wall that freaks everyone out in the first season when Winona Ryder starts getting messages from her missing son through the lit alphabet she sets up there. And yes, I know her character’s name isn’t Winona Ryder but that is Winona Ryder there, OK? You have the tent Eleven hides out in, plus a whole ton of nostalgic 80s memorabilia jammed in everywhere.

The throwback, retro vibe of the hotel isn’t just confined to this suite. For example, this is the work area near the lobby of the Graduate Bloomington Hotel:

The entire hotel has a cozy atmosphere that makes you feel right at home, which is rare for a chain hotel. You can chill and chat at the cafe, or put headphones on and get some work done in the work area downstairs. If you want to explore town but don’t feel like walking much, the bike also offers hotels! Honestly, you don’t need a car to get around the 90% of Bloomington you would want to see, with the exception of the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Center.

When I was there, there were a lot of families of prospective students, as it was clearly Open House Week for the Class of ’29. Kinda touching to see all the families getting ready to send their kids off to college. It also reinforced the idea that Bloomington has a nice, warm little community…yet another perk of a college town.

How Far Is Bloomington From Indianapolis?

The distance from downtown Indianapolis to downtown Bloomington is 50 miles, which should take about an hour to drive. Personally, I didn’t encounter much traffic after the first couple of miles getting out of Indianapolis.

So if you’re staying in Indianapolis, you could just visit Bloomington as a day trip if you’re strapped for time. But honestly? I recommend 2-3 days here.

If you’re interested in visiting less-known U.S. cities, check out my post on San Luis Obispo or Palm Springs!