With the school year beginning in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, first-year IU students may find it hard to get acclimated to Bloomington.
Sal Filippelli, Samantha Hash and Kobi Hogan are IU freshmen who have lived in Bloomington for most of their lives. These are their recommendations for things to do in Bloomington.
Filippelli said it’s easy to overlook certain aspects of Bloomington outside of IU.
“I mean, a lot of people come here and think, 'Oh Bloomington’s kind of a small town.' Like the only thing fun about it is the university or that’s the only thing that Bloomington has," Filippelli said. "But there's honestly a lot here that locals do.”
Outdoor Activities
A common hotspot for locals is MonroeLake, and more specifically The Cutouts, which is a more secluded section at the lake.
Hogan said anywhere on Monroe Lake is absolutely beautiful.
“There's a little spot off of the bridge, I think it's 446, I like to go,” he said. “It's as soon as you cross the bridge, turn left and there's a little spot. There's some tables there under a shelter you can still go straight down to the lake, and that was always one of my favorite spots with friends.”
Hash said one of her favorite spots to visit off-campus is Cedar Bluffs, which is about 20 minutes south of IU's campus.
“It’s just the outskirts of Bloomington, but it's a hike that you go on down a really big creek, and then there are some cliffs that you can climb up and go to the top, and it overlooks the whole forest and the creek and it's really cool,” Hash said.
As far as things to do on and within walking distance of campus, Hogan, Filippelli and Hash all stressed the fun of exploring downtown Bloomington.
“Walk down Kirkwood, go downtown. I think that's a really cool spot in Bloomington. Just downtown in general. I mean, there's a lot of little local shops and local food places to go eat at,” Hash said.
Hash’s favorite store downtown is Gather, which she described as a hodgepodge shop.
“When you walk in, there's a bunch of plants and then they've got tote bags, pillows, stickers, some Indiana themed stuff,” Hash said.
Another aspect of Bloomington Hogan and Filippelli talked about is the B-Line Trail, which runs from North Adams Street to West Country Club Drive.
“Take a walk on the B-Line, it's a really long path but you get to see some of the town, just kind of explore the area,” Hogan said.
Restaurants
Some Bloomington restaurants the three recommend are Restaurant Ami, Lennie’s and Cafe Pizzaria. Filippelli’s personal favorite is Osteria Rago.
“It's a little Italian restaurant sort of behind Nick’s. It’s in a weird little alleyway. It seems really sketchy, but it's really, really good,” Filippelli said.
The best way to get to know Bloomington is by walking around, Hogan said.
“Take a different path. Even if it's a couple minutes out of the way," Hogan said. "Best way to do it is just to explore, get used to it yourself. So there's always 20 different ways to get from one place to another, so if you just take a different place or a different way every time, it's fun to see the rest of campus even just those little niche spots that nobody's ever around.”
Filippelli said the best way to explore Bloomington is to continue trying new things.
“Try not to tire yourself out of anything specific in Bloomington, because there really are a lot of things,” Filippelli said.
