Bloomington (Indiana)

Be sure to see what's playing at this 3,200-seat theatre, home to a wide range of events including touring Broadways productions, (often free) lectures, student events, conferences, church services, university ceremonies, and popular music concerts. While you're there, check out the Hall of Murals, home to the priceless and newly-restored Thomas Hart Benton murals, also a regal setting for wedding ceremonies and intimate receptions. Accessible.

Since 1887 there has been a vibrant and active theatre community at Indiana University, and the present day Department of Theatre and Drama continues that tradition by performing two musicals and six "straight plays" each year at the newly constructed Lee Norvelle Theatre & Drama Center in the heart of the campus arts corridor. Enjoy the plush seating and traditional proscenium of the Ruth N. Halls Theatre or find edgier fair in the black box at the Wells-Metz. All productions feature our graduate MFA students and their work in addition to a large pool of talented faculty and undergraduates. Coming soon (in 2011), the newly renovated University Theatre will feature more student-work in actors' studios and a brand new cinema.

The Musical Arts Center, known as the MAC, is Indiana University and the Jacob's School of Music's premier performance facility. It features acoustical design and technical capabilities that are among the best in the nation. The backstage area occupies more than half of the building and provides state-of-the-art technical space for producing eight fully staged operas a year. The MAC is also home to the School of Music Department of Ballet. The main stage, which is often compared to that of the Metropolitan Opera, has European-style seating for 1,460. Opera and concert goers at the MAC enjoy intermissions in the Hoagy Carmichael Foyer, named for the Indiana native who enjoyed an illustrious career as a composer/songwriter. Concerts are also held in the lobby area.

The SoM has two smaller, lesser-known concert halls that are home to their recitals, chamber concerts, and solo exhibitions. Auer concert hall, a 400-seat auditorium with a gorgeous high-beamed, coffered ceiling, and two side terraces along with Ford-Crawford Hall, a more intimate 100-seat auditorium, are the place to go to see world-class classical music in Bloomington for free. As a top-ranked school in music performance, IU and the SoM not only attracts superstar performers, but it educates them. Keep an eye out for Joshua Bell in particular, who is a resident instructor. Performances happen several times a week, watch the SoM newsletter Prelude for a calendar.

Since 2008, Theatre of the People (TOP) has been a non-profit community arts organization founded in to showcase modern art for community's sake. Producing new and original performance art from both new and old works to facilitate creative artistic processes in an ensemble setting within the community. TOP focuses on "inclusive theatre" meaning that no interested party is turned away, and all who wish to participate are given some role in a production.

No matter what your perspective, you can experience art from all angles at the Indiana University Art Museum. From world-renowned architect I.M. Pei's soaring triangular atrium, to galleries filled with extraordinary works of art from all corners of the globe, the IU Art Museum will engage, stimulate, and satisfy your curiosity about the worlds of art. Since its establishment in 1941, the IU Art Museum has grown from a small university teaching collection into one of the foremost university art museums in the country. Today, the IU Art Museum's internationally acclaimed collections, ranging from ancient gold jewelry and African masks to paintings by Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso, include over 40,000 objects representing nearly every art-producing culture throughout history. Partially Accessible.

Founded in 1947, the mission of The Kinsey Institute is to promote interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the fields of human sexuality, gender, and reproduction. The Institute carries out this mission through its archives, research faculty, education and of students and the community. There are often public art exhibits, concerts, and demonstrations at the Institute's 3rd St. location. Visit the website for information on events. Accessible.

The Mathers Museum's collections consist of over 20,000 objects and 10,000 photographs representing cultures from each of the world's inhabited continents. These materials have been collected and curated to serve the Museum's primary mission as a teaching museum within a university setting. The museum's collections strengths include traditional musical instruments, photographs of Native Americans and the Bloomington community, Inupiaq and Yupik Eskimo materials, and Pawnee material culture, among others.

WonderLab is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for people of all ages, especially children, to experience the wonder and excitement of science through hands-on exhibits and programs that stimulate curiosity, encourage exploration, and foster lifelong learning. Voted one of Parents Magazine's top 25 Science Museums in the country, WonderLab is a great place to bring kids for an hour or an afternoon. Some favorite exhibits include Grapevine Climber, a dramatic two-story climbing maze, The Bubble-Airium, and the Cosmic Dance, a dance floor composed of five translucent floor panels which briefly light up as cosmic ray particles hit them from outer space. Accessible.

This internationally known rare book library contains more than 400,000 books, more than seven million manuscripts and 100,000 pieces of sheet music. Exhibits vary throughout the year. On permanent exhibit is the Gutenberg Bible (printed before 1456) and John James Audubon's Birds of America prints. Public tours are available every Friday at 2PM or by appointment.

A private park with several dozens of sculptures, mostly of abstract nature. Located in a remote corner of Greene County (no cell phone reception)

The teams representing Indiana University in 11 men's sports and 13 women's sports. The Hoosiers are members of the Big Ten Conference along with 17 other major universities, mostly in the midwest with eastern outposts in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey, as well as West Coast outposts in Oregon, Washington, and Los Angeles. IU has an especially rich tradition in men's basketball, topped off with three NCAA titles. Most of the Hoosiers' venues are on campus, with the most famous being Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (basketball) and Memorial Stadium (football).

53,524-seat stadium, home of the Indiana University football team, 2025 national champions

17,222-seat arena, home of the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team, traditional powerhouse

The IUCC provides students, faculty, staff, community members, and dedicated visitors the opportunity to crawl around in holes in the ground while practicing cave conservation. Monthly trips offer members of all abilities the opportunity to enjoy a safe caving experience with qualified guides. They even provide a helmet and light for the novice! This is a great way to go spelunking legally in Bloomington as many of the area's caves are under restriction for reasons of safety and conservation. Dues are $10 per calendar year. These dues include use of club gear (helmets and helmet-mounted lights) and the opportunity to go on IUCC-led caving trips. You must be a paid member prior to participating in any club trips.

Openings of new exhibits at a dozen or so art galleries around downtown Bloomington.

The Little 500 is the biggest intramural event on the IU campus and the largest collegiate bicycle race in the United States. Riders compete in four-person teams in separate races for men and women around a quarter-mile track. More than 25,000 people attend the races every year, with the proceeds used for working student scholarships at IU. The race was founded in 1951 by Howdy Wilcox Jr., Executive Director of the Indiana University Student Foundation, who modeled the race after the Indianapolis 500, which his father had won in 1919. "Little Five Weekend" is a landmark event at IU and the race is somewhat secondary to the parties. Students from all over the country flood Bloomington to attend both public and private parties and usually a large concert with nationally touring acts sponsored by the college. The climax of the 1979 film Breaking Away is set at the Little 500.

Soloists and ensembles unite for a series of concerts, opera and oratorios, workshops, and pre-concert talks exploring historical musica and instruments. Cross-cultural interests in the festival sometimes include performances by acclaimed folk musicians. The only event of its kind in the Midwest, the festival serves the Bloomington community, the Midwest region, and a growing number of music lovers from across the United States. BLEMF has forged collaborative relationships with faculty and students in the Early Music Institute at Indiana University and has produced nine operas and a theatrical children's show.

The Indiana Limestone Symposium is a series of outdoor stone carving workshops that are held each summer on the grounds of the Bybee Stone Company in the heart of the historic Indiana stone belt in Ellettsville, Indiana. Everyone interested in learning to carve is welcome, from beginners to advanced carvers. Pay-by-the-day hand carving classes for teens and adults offer an opportunity to sample the experience. Workshops are taught by nationally known sculptors. The Indiana Limestone Symposium is sponsored by Bybee Stone Company Inc., which operates a 50,000 square foot limestone mill in Ellettsville, Indiana. Their many projects have included the National Capital, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Market Square Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.

An annual tradition since 1977 the fair is organized by Monroe County artists and craftspeople to showcase southern Indiana talent. High standards and an independent, professional jury attract hundreds of artisans from all over the United States to exhibit each year and compete for cash prizes. This family friendly two-day event now features local vendors and attracts more than 40,000 attendees each year from all over the Midwest.

Lotus is a not-for-profit organization (est. 1994). Its mission is: To create opportunities to experience, celebrate, and explore the diversity of the world's cultures, in music and the arts. The festival is held each falls and brings a diverse array of international music, art, and cuisine to Bloomington's downtown streets, restaurants, and concert venues. Family friendly. Considering volunteering to see concerts for free.

Since 1968 the Central Indiana Bicycling Association (CIBA) has sponsored the annual Hilly Hundred Weekend, a classic bicycling event designed for the touring cyclists. If you like a bicycling challenge that includes entertainment and fellowship with more than 5,000 cyclists from over 40 states and several foreign countries, the Hilly is for you. This three day event is held in the scenic hills of southern Indiana where the challenging terrain is a wonderful mix of gently rolling country roads and breathtaking hills (literally). The includes a European rally which is not a race, but a test of skill in riding an exact rate of speed. Riders may use a watch, cyclometer, or “use their instinct” in efforts to ride at an exact speed. Trophies will also be awarded to the oldest participant to finish the first loop, and to the participant cycling the farthest distance to this event. There is free food and live(ly) entertainment at each of three rest stops on both Saturday and Sunday. Riders under the age of 18 need the approval of a parent or legal guardian as provided on the application. Riders under the age of 16 may participate in the Hilly only if accompanied by a cycling guardian.

The annual Community Book Fair is a major event, attended by local bibliophiles and book dealers alike. The event has been run by local charities (first, the Red Cross, and later, the Food Bank) since the early 1980s. The books occupy one of the huge pavilions of the Monroe County Fairgrounds. Due to the unique character of Bloomington's campus community, unusual finds are possible at the sale; for example, in 2016 nearly an entire library of Finnish, Hungarian, and Turkish books, perhaps from an estate of an IU scholar, made its way to the sale. There are children's books as well. The books being priced from $1-3 a piece on the first day down to $5 a bag on the last day.