Indiana Athletics
Indiana Hoosiers · Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium
The Bloomington Playbook
The losingest program in the sport's history just went 16–0 and won it all. Come see what woke up.
53,524 seats. ~80,000 residents. Reigning national champions — the first in program history.
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Eat
Janko's Little Zagreb
Janko's Little Zagreb's cramped IU-walled dining room and a mesquite-grilled bone-in ribeye
Photo source: @jankoslittlezagreb
A Croatian-rooted, no-frills institution serving the same hand-cut, mesquite-grilled steaks since 1973. The room is cramped, the walls are IU, and the kitchen runs hotter than it tells you (a medium lands closer to medium-well). Pilgrims drive from Indianapolis for it.
Reservations: OpenTable; 2+ weeks ahead for any home-game Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.
FARMbloomington
FARMbloomington's dining room on Kirkwood and a family-sized bowl of garlic-chili fries
Photo source: @farmbloomington
Chef Daniel Orr cooked in Manhattan and the Caribbean before coming home to open FARM in 2007. He calls it 'real food' — Cajun one minute, Midwestern the next, Caribbean the next — built on Southern Indiana sourcing. Beneath it hides The Root Cellar, the speakeasy keeping Bloomington strange just as long.
Reservations: OpenTable; 2+ weeks ahead for home-game weekends. Brunch Fri–Sun.
Osteria Rago
Osteria Rago's open kitchen and a board of house focaccia with garlic confit
Photo source: @osteriarago
A genuinely good downtown Italian room with an open kitchen you can watch from the table — the kind of from-scratch focaccia-and-pasta cooking that's rare this far from a coast. Routinely named the most romantic table in town.
Reservations: OpenTable; reserve ahead for weekends. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Feast Market & Cellar
Feast Market & Cellar's wine wall and a charcuterie board, market shelves behind
Photo source: @feastmarketcellar
A market, wine shop, and bistro under one roof that reads more Sonoma than Indiana — duck, lamb meatballs with harissa, a daily quiche, and a wine list with real depth. Plate it, drink it, then buy a bottle on the way out.
Reservations: OpenTable — small room, books up. Closed Sunday dinner, Monday, Tuesday.
Mother Bear's Pizza
Mother Bear's Pizza's Sharpie-covered walls and a loaded pan pizza on the table
Photo source: @motherbearspizza
Slinging pizza since 1973, with walls you're allowed to Sharpie your name onto — a freshman rite and an alumni pilgrimage. It's turned up on national 'best pizza' lists (People) without ever once acting like it.
Reservations: No reservations; walk-in, expect a wait on game weekends
BuffaLouie's at The Gables
BuffaLouie's at The Gables across from Sample Gates, IU memorabilia and a basket of wings — the building where 'Stardust' was written
Photo source: @buffalouies
This is The Gables — the building where IU's own Hoagy Carmichael sat down and wrote 'Stardust' in 1927. Today every inch is buried in IU memorabilia, and it sits directly across from Sample Gates, so it's the first and last bite of a lot of campus weekends. You'll see BuffaLouie's wings out at the B-Town Boulevard tailgate, too.
Reservations: Walk-in; counter-style
The Runcible Spoon
The Runcible Spoon's painted walls and secret-garden patio with the fountain, a plate of smoked salmon hash
Photo source: @runciblespooncafe
Named for a line in Edward Lear's 'The Owl and the Pussycat,' the Spoon opened as a coffee roastery in 1976 and grew into the city's most beloved breakfast — painted walls, stained glass, a secret-garden patio with a fountain. Gloriously kitschy, genuinely great.
Reservations: No reservations; walk-in, turns tables fast
The Uptown Cafe
The Uptown Cafe's downtown dining room and a Cajun-Creole brunch spread with a cocktail
Photo source: @uptowncafe
A downtown fixture for over 30 years, where New Orleans technique meets Midwest comfort and the bar takes its cocktails as seriously as the kitchen takes its étouffée. The elevated brunch anchor, two blocks over from the Spoon.
Reservations: Tock; reservations recommended for weekend dinner and brunch
Anyetsang's Little Tibet
Anyetsang's Little Tibet on East 4th Street with prayer flags on the patio, a plate of steamed momos
Photo source: @littletibetbloomington
Family-owned by a Tibetan refugee and former monk, on a 4th Street block that's the most international stretch of restaurants in the state. The Dalai Lama himself ate here on a Bloomington visit — IU is a global seat of Tibetan studies, and the prayer flags on the patio aren't decor, they're home.
Reservations: Walk-in; small room — call ahead for groups
Pizza X
Pizza X's counter and a PMO pie with breadstix and the famous plastic cup
Photo source: @pizzax
The 2 a.m. answer. Pizza X built its whole reputation on speed, late hours, and the Little 500 breadstix special — the plastic cups are practically dorm-room heirlooms. Not fancy; never pretending to be.
Reservations: No reservations; delivery and counter, open to 3 a.m. Fri/Sat
Hopscotch Coffee
Hopscotch Coffee's B-Line Trail patio and a pour-over of the house roast
Photo source: @hopscotchcoffee
The town's best third-wave roaster — coffee on one side, genuinely good food on the other, perched right on the B-Line Trail with a dog-friendly patio. The kind of unhurried, well-made send-off you want before the drive home.
Reservations: Walk-in
Drink
Nick's English Hut
Nick's English Hut's bi-level pub packed on a game day, a Stromboli and a Sink the Biz cup
Photo source: @nicksenglishhut
Open since 1927, this is Bloomington's most beloved room, full stop — a bi-level English-pub-meets-sports-bar where the lower level is for families and the upstairs is 21+ and loud. Sink the Biz, the Stromboli, the Hut burger: this is the game-day institution every Hoosier measures the others against.
Wall-to-wall on game days, students and alumni mixed, deafening upstairs, and exactly where you want to be. Closed Mondays; open till 1 a.m. Fri/Sat.
Reservations: No reservations; walk-in
Kilroy's on Kirkwood
Kilroy's on Kirkwood (KOK) packed on a game day, the back patio crush
Photo source: @kilroyskok
Known to every IU student and alum alive simply as KOK, with a motto it lives up to: 'It's not a bar, it's a lifestyle.' Front patio for daytime, back patio for the weekend crush, and a game-day energy that's pure undergrad nostalgia.
Loud, young, packed, and unapologetic — the rowdy end of the Friday-night spectrum. Opens early on Saturdays for game day.
Reservations: No reservations; walk-in
The Upstairs Pub
The Upstairs Pub's roll-up windows and street-side deck over Kirkwood Avenue
Photo source: @upstairspub
A second-floor classic above Kirkwood with roll-up windows and an outdoor deck that's the best people-watching perch on the Strip — darts, pool, a jukebox, and a wall of TVs with every game on. The unpretentious counterweight to the cocktail rooms.
Easygoing, sticky-in-a-good-way, packed on weekends; the spot to actually watch the early games. Open till 3 a.m. nightly.
Reservations: No reservations; walk-in
Friendly Beasts Cider Company
Friendly Beasts Cider Company's dog-friendly B-Line Trail patio, a flight of ciders on the table
Photo source: @friendlybeastscider
Opened in 2017 by IU grads Fatima Carson and Ben Romlein, who wanted a drier, more interesting alternative to the sweet stuff on grocery-store shelves. Every drop is pressed from Indiana apples off a family orchard, and a wider ownership group joined in 2025 to keep it growing.
An all-ages, dog-friendly taproom right on the B-Line Trail — patio seating, board games, a laid-back afternoon-into-evening crowd rather than a bar-crawl stop.
Reservations: Walk-in; no reservations
Cardinal Spirits
Cardinal Spirits' tasting room looking onto the distillery floor, a Terra Gin Old Fashioned on the bar
Photo source: @cardinalspirits
A craft distillery and cocktail bar that makes its own gin, vodka, rum, and liqueurs on site, with a tasting room that looks straight onto the production floor. A B-Line patio with a mural built for the photo. This is Bloomington's authentic answer to a cocktail bar.
Bright, industrial, board games on the tables, weeknight trivia and bingo and live music; a grown-up room that still has fun. Closed Mon/Tue.
Reservations: Tock; reservations smart on weekends
The Root Cellar
The Root Cellar's candlelit subterranean speakeasy beneath FARMbloomington
Photo source: @root_cellar_lounge
The subterranean speakeasy under FARMbloomington that's been 'keeping Bloomington strange since 2007' — a low-lit, vintage entertainment cave that calls itself the best in the Midwest and mostly means it. The cocktail counterpart to FARM's kitchen, one staircase down.
Dark, eccentric, candlelit; the off-script late-night room that has nothing to do with the college bars three blocks over.
Reservations: Walk-in; reservations for some programming
The Bishop
The Bishop's dark, no-TV cocktail room with the small live-music stage in back
Photo source: @thebishopbar
A cozy bar with a cozy little music venue attached — no TVs, no bar-crawl noise, a rotating cocktail menu and bartenders who'll actually talk to you. Locals call it the one bar in town for grown-ups, and touring indie bands have made it a favorite stop for years.
Dark, conversational, music-forward; the antidote to Kirkwood on a Friday. Open late.
Reservations: Walk-in; ticketed for shows
The Dunnkirk Library
The Dunnkirk Library's candlelit cocktail-library room behind the unmarked door above The Upstairs Pub
Photo source: @dunnkirk_library
The best-kept secret on Kirkwood: a tiny, classy cocktail library reached by walking through the college dive (The Upstairs Pub) to a private, unmarked door. Reservations required, candle-lit and quiet, with talented bartenders and a deep menu — the grown-up cocoon hidden in plain sight above the student strip.
Hushed, intimate, no TVs, no bar-crawl noise; the most 'you'd never find this on your own' room in town. Reservations-only, small, Wed–Sun.
Reservations: Reservations required — small room, book ahead, especially home weekends
Mona Bar & Lounge
Mona Bar & Lounge's dim art-cocktail room just off the Square, a signature pour on the bar
Photo source: @monabydavinci
An art-inspired cocktail lounge — the name and the menu nod to the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) — pouring spirits and signature drinks you won't find anywhere else in town. Small, low-lit, and seriously good; the newest sign that Bloomington's cocktail scene has grown all the way up.
Intimate, dim, a great playlist, a real date-night and nightcap room a couple minutes off the Square. A small space, so it fills.
Reservations: Walk-in; small room — arrive early on weekends
The Bluebird
The Bluebird's three-bar music room on North Walnut, a band on stage and memorabilia-covered walls
Photo source: @thebluebirdbar
A renowned Bloomington music venue and nightclub for half a century, where national touring acts and bands cutting their teeth share the same stage — three bars, walls of memorabilia, and room to actually move. The Strip's live-music heartbeat.
Loud, charming, sometimes sweaty, often sold out; the place to catch a band on a game weekend. Doors most nights ~8–9 p.m.
Reservations: Ticketed shows; walk-in otherwise
Upland Brewing Co.
Upland Brewing Co.'s original 11th Street brewpub patio, a Dragonfly IPA and a sour flight
Photo source: @uplandbrewco
The mack daddy of Bloomington breweries — founded in 1998, one of Indiana's largest and most awarded, with a sour program beer people drive in for. The original downtown brewpub has a dog-friendly patio and comfort food built to soak up the flight.
Big, easygoing, family-and-dog friendly; the natural pre-game beer stop since it's on the walk between downtown and Memorial Stadium.
Reservations: OpenTable; large parties book ahead
Heartwork Brewing
Heartwork Brewing's bright taproom with long communal tables and a lager flight, a wood-fired pizza on the table
Photo source: @heartworkbrewing
Veteran-owned and family-owned, Heartwork opened in 2023 built around a lager-first mission that's rare for a taproom chasing the next hazy IPA — a genuinely deep pilsner-and-dunkel bench alongside the usual rotation. It's also the closest brewery to Memorial Stadium and Assembly Hall, a mile-plus north up College Avenue.
Bright and newer, long communal tables, a garage-door front that opens up in good weather, and a Sunday-morning Run Club before the taps even go on. More locals and townies than students.
Reservations: Walk-in; no reservations
The Tap
The Tap's 450-beer board on the Courthouse Square, a flight and the famous Tap Fries
Photo source: @thetapbeer
A GABF-award-winning brewery and beer bar right on the Square with one of the deepest lists in the Midwest — 450-plus beers, flights and crowlers and growlers, and live music on the regular. The serious-beer counterweight to Upland.
Upbeat, all-ages-of-adult, lots of TVs and frequent live music; a great pre-game spread for a group that can't agree on a beer. Open till 1 a.m. Fri/Sat.
Reservations: Walk-in
Bloomington After Dark
Bloomington over-delivers after dark, and it's a genuine market strength: one of the most respected comedy clubs in America, a half-century-old music club, a restored 1922 theater, the big limestone auditorium on campus, and an intimate indie room are all in play on a game weekend — plus a Friday Night Music & Comedy fallback that's deeper here than most. Pull current calendars before you go; these rooms book nightly. Dated fall-2026 shows get added as the venue calendars post.
The Comedy Attic (Stand-Up — 123 S. Walnut, corner of 4th)
The headliner of the whole section. Opened in 2008 and widely cited as one of the best comedy clubs in the country — Marc Maron called it a "comedy mecca." The intimate downtown room has hosted Tig Notaro, Maria Bamford, Kyle Kinane, Beth Stelling, Aparna Nancherla, Michelle Wolf, and a long list more, and it anchors the annual Limestone Comedy Festival. Wednesday is the Bloomington Showcase open mic; Thursday through Saturday are headliners (two-item minimum, standard for clubs). Full calendar at comedyattic.com.
The Bluebird (Live Music — 216 N. Walnut)
Fifty years as the Strip's live-music room — national touring acts and rising local bands on the same stage, three bars, walls of memorabilia. The reliable game-weekend concert bet. Calendar at thebluebird.ws, and it's card-linked above in the Drink section.
Buskirk-Chumley Theater (Touring Music, Film & Stand-Up — 114 E. Kirkwood)
The 1922 jewel of downtown — built as the Indiana Theater, a beautifully restored ~600-seat room on the National Register that runs about 200 events a year: touring musicians, stand-up, film, dance, and signature Bloomington events like the Lotus Festival and the PRIDE Film Festival. Calendar at buskirkchumley.org.
IU Auditorium (The Big Stage — Campus)
The big room on campus, built of locally quarried Indiana limestone and home to Thomas Hart Benton's "Indiana Murals," painted for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. About 3,200 seats of off-Broadway tours, arena-scale comedy (Trevor Noah and Theo Von have played here), and marquee concerts and speakers. Calendar at iuauditorium.com.
The Bishop (Indie & Touring Bands — 123 S. Walnut)
The intimate alternative — a cozy bar with one of the state's best small live rooms attached, booking indie and touring acts most weeks with none of the college-bar noise. Calendar at thebishopbar.com, and it's card-linked above in the Drink section.
Friday Night Music & Comedy
When you'd rather let the night come to you, the rooms above and the bars below carry it on any game weekend:
- Touring & local bands: The Bluebird and The Bishop book touring and local acts most weekends; bigger nights land at the Buskirk-Chumley or IU Auditorium.
- Comedy: The Comedy Attic runs headliners Thursday through Saturday, and its Wednesday Bloomington Showcase open mic is the local proving ground — the answer to "is there comedy this weekend." (Yes.)
- Bar live music: The Tap and Cardinal Spirits both run regular live music (Cardinal also does weeknight trivia, bingo, and movie nights) — an easy drink with the night's music a step away.
Festivals on the Calendar (Seasonal Context)
A couple of recurring festivals can collide with a game weekend — plan hotels accordingly. The Lotus World Music & Arts Festival reshapes downtown in the early fall and can overlap the season's first home dates, and the Limestone Comedy Festival runs out of the Comedy Attic and the Buskirk-Chumley each year. If your weekend overlaps one, book lodging early and check the calendars before you commit.
Tailgate
The Central Tailgate Zone — B-Town Boulevard & the Stadium Lots
Location
B-Town Boulevard, the festival tailgate lawn directly south of Memorial Stadium, is the public heart of the scene; the stadium lots and the grassy lots between North Fess and North Forrest absorb the rest, all within a short walk of the gates.
Gates Open
Stadium gates open 90 minutes before kickoff. The surface and grass lots open a minimum of five hours before kickoff; B-Town Boulevard opens about 2.5 hours out.
What It Is
A festival lawn with live bands, food trucks, an outdoor bar, and BuffaLouie's wings — and, crucially, it's open to the public, not just ticket-holders. Around it, the lots fill with cream-and-crimson tailgates from the early morning on. After a 16–0 national title, the energy here is a different thing than it was even two seasons ago.
How It Works
Downtown sits about a mile south, so the morning has a rhythm: breakfast and coffee in town, a campus walk, then head up to B-Town Boulevard a couple of hours out. The pregame funnels everyone toward The Walk — the team marching from Assembly Hall into the stadium — about 2 hours and 25 minutes before kickoff.
What to Expect
Live music and food trucks on the lawn, full spreads in the lots, and a building roar as kickoff nears. Family-friendly by day (there's even a kids' walk with Hoosier the Bison); loud and electric as the team makes The Walk.
Pro Tip
Time your morning so you're on the path between Assembly Hall and the stadium for The Walk — the team, coaches, cheerleaders, and the Marching Hundred moving through the crowd as the fans sing "Indiana, Our Indiana." It's the closest thing IU has to a Walk of Champions, and after 2025 it hits different.
Parking Lots & Tailgate Setups
Stadium Grass & Surface Lots
- Location: The grass lots between North Fess and North Forrest, plus the surface lots ringing Memorial Stadium
- Why It's Special: Closest to the gates and to B-Town Boulevard — the full Hoosier tailgate scene
- What It Accepts: Cars and tailgate setups with a prepaid pass; grass-lot passes are not sold at the gate on game day
- Features: Walk-up access to the stadium and the festival lawn; lots open a minimum of five hours before kickoff
- Pro Tip: Buy parking ahead for Ohio State and Purdue — the stadium-side lots are the first to go, and there's a $5 discount on prepaid passes.
RV Lots
- Location: Designated RV lots near the stadium (RV Bell Tower and others)
- Why It's Special: The overnight setups — the serious tailgaters who arrive the night before
- What It Accepts: RVs with the appropriate overnight pass; RV lots open at 6 p.m. the night before the game
- Features: A full night-before scene for the marquee dates
- Pro Tip: For a noon kickoff, the RV crowd is rolling by mid-morning — it's the earliest, easiest energy to find.
Notable Tailgate Traditions
The Walk
About 2 hours and 25 minutes before kickoff, the team, coaches, spirit squad, and the Marching Hundred process from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall into Memorial Stadium as fans line the path and sing "Indiana, Our Indiana." Have your eyes on that path; it's the pregame moment.
"Back Home Again in Indiana"
Be in your seat for the Marching Hundred's pregame show. When the band plays "Back Home Again in Indiana," the whole stadium rises and sings — the emotional center of the day — and then comes the block-I formation, the pyrotechnics, and the run-out past Hep's Rock, the limestone boulder that's been the team's touchstone since 2005.
The Victory Flag & "Hurt So Good"
Watch for "Hurt So Good," the John Mellencamp fourth-quarter singalong that's become a Memorial Stadium tradition. Win, and the 160-foot Victory Flag goes up, the fireworks follow, and the student section sings "Indiana, Our Indiana" one more time.
Get Tickets
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Gametime
Last-minute deals, prices drop close to kickoff
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StubHub
Largest inventory — strong fallback when smaller marketplaces sell out
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Pro Tip
The one circled on every Hoosier calendar is Ohio State (Oct 17) — a rematch of the 2025 Big Ten Championship (Indiana won it 13–10) — and it prices like a playoff game; if you buy one home date, this is it, locked the day you commit to the trip. USC (Nov 14) is the first Bloomington meeting since 1981, Purdue (Nov 28) is the Old Oaken Bucket finale that runs hot regardless of records, and Minnesota (Oct 31), a preseason top-40 team, turns the Halloween home game into a real ticket. One scheduling wrinkle to plan around: Northwestern (Sept 25) kicks at 8 PM on a Friday — if that's your weekend, game night is Friday and Saturday becomes your slow explore-and-recover day. Memorial Stadium holds 53,524 and is open-air; visiting fans do best aiming for the sideline sections over the student end zone in the south. Tickets are mobile only — load them into your phone's wallet before you reach the gate.
Hotels
Graduate by Hilton Bloomington
Downtown / Kirkwood Avenue$$$1.1 mi to Memorial Stadium22 min walk · 6 min Uber · game-day shuttle nearby
The boutique on the Square — IU references hidden through the building like an Easter-egg hunt, terrace suites, a lobby coffee bar, on-site garage. Steps from Kirkwood's restaurants and bars. The premier downtown play.
210 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN 47408
Or book direct for loyalty points →
Graduate by Hilton Bloomington's IU-themed lobby and terrace suites a block off the Courthouse Square
Photo source: @graduatebloomington
IU Biddle Hotel (Indiana Memorial Union)
Indiana University campus / Memorial Union$$$0.9 mi to Memorial Stadium19 min walk · closest of the downtown-area hotels
189 rooms inside the Indiana Memorial Union — one of the largest student unions on earth. Sleep on campus, in a 1930s limestone landmark, steps from Sample Gates and The Walk. Lead with the building, not the housekeeping.
900 E 7th St, Bloomington, IN 47405
The IU Biddle Hotel inside the limestone Indiana Memorial Union, with the Tudor Room and The Vault Pub downstairs
Photo source: @imuhoosiers
Hyatt Place Bloomington
Downtown / B-Line Trail$$1.2 mi to Memorial Stadium24 min walk · 6 min Uber
Dependable downtown base right on the B-Line Trail — pool, gym, free breakfast, dog-friendly, an easy walk to Kirkwood and the Square. The most consistent walkable chain pick.
217 W Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN 47404
Or book direct for loyalty points →
Hyatt Place Bloomington on the B-Line Trail, modern lobby and pool
Photo source: @hyattplace
Hilton Garden Inn Bloomington
Downtown / North College Avenue$$1.0 mi to Memorial Stadium21 min walk · 5 min Uber
Solid Hilton near the Square with Coaches Bar & Grill next door — clean rooms, friendly desk, walkable to downtown. A value play midweek; expect game-weekend rate spikes on Saturdays.
245 N College Ave, Bloomington, IN 47403
Or book direct for loyalty points →
Hilton Garden Inn Bloomington on North College Avenue near the Courthouse Square, with Coaches Bar & Grill alongside
Courtyard by Marriott Bloomington
Downtown / Convention Center$$1.3 mi to Memorial Stadium27 min walk · 7 min Uber
The Bonvoy slot by the convention center, walkable to downtown — bistro on site. Honest caveat: paid parking and an ongoing property refresh.
310 S College Ave, Bloomington, IN 47403
Or book direct for loyalty points →
Courtyard by Marriott Bloomington near the convention center, bistro and lobby
Grant Street Inn
Downtown / near campus (North Grant Street)$$$0.9 mi to Memorial Stadium18 min walk · the closest walk of the set
A cluster of restored historic homes run as a warm, nostalgic inn — home-baked cookies, a real breakfast, a five-minute walk to the Square. The anti-chain, and the highest-rated stay in town.
310 N Grant St, Bloomington, IN 47408
Or book direct for loyalty points →
Grant Street Inn's restored historic homes and porch, a few blocks off the Courthouse Square
Photo source: @grantstreetinn
Neighborhoods
Kirkwood Avenue & The Courthouse Square
~1 mile from Memorial Stadium
The eat-drink-nightlife spine and the most sensible base for the weekend. Kirkwood runs from Indiana Avenue and Sample Gates down to the limestone Monroe County Courthouse, walkable end to end, lined with restaurants, bars, and the Graduate by Hilton on the corner. This is where the day starts and ends: dinner at FARMbloomington or Osteria Rago, the institution roar at Nick's English Hut, a beer hall on the Square at The Tap, and the hidden cocktail rooms (The Root Cellar, The Dunnkirk Library, Mona) for after.
Areas
Kirkwood Avenue from Indiana Avenue to the Square; the Courthouse Square and the side streets off Walnut and College.
Best For
Hotels with downtown walkability, the full range of bars and restaurants, an adult base steps from everything.
Pro Tip
Stay on or near Kirkwood and you can do the whole weekend on foot — the only deliberate trip is the ~20-minute walk or shuttle north to the stadium on Saturday.
Campus & Sample Gates
~0.9 mile from Memorial Stadium
One of the prettiest campuses in the country — limestone everywhere, the Sample Gates arch onto Kirkwood, the Indiana Memorial Union (one of the largest student unions on earth), the free Eskenazi Museum of Art (Monet to Picasso), and the Lilly Library of rare books. East Fourth Street just south is the most international restaurant row in the state. Give campus an hour on foot before the day tilts toward football.
Areas
Sample Gates and the Old Crescent; the IMU and Showalter Fountain; East Third and East Fourth Streets.
Best For
A campus-traditions walk, the free art museum and Lilly Library, a Tibetan or campus-institution lunch, sleeping inside the Memorial Union.
Pro Tip
The Eskenazi Museum is free and a perfect 45-minute culture hit between a downtown breakfast and the walk north to the lots.
The South-Side B-Line Pocket
~1.5 miles from Memorial Stadium
The B-Line Trail — a converted rail corridor — strings together the city's most relaxed afternoon south of Kirkwood: Cardinal Spirits (the nationally awarded distillery), Hopscotch Coffee, and Feast Market & Cellar all sit in one walkable pocket along or just off the trail. Quieter and more grown-up than the Strip; the move for a slow Friday afternoon or a Sunday send-off.
Areas
The B-Line Trail from downtown south toward Patterson Drive, Dodds Street, and South Morton Street.
Best For
A distillery-cocktail afternoon, a third-wave coffee send-off, an upscale wine dinner away from the game-day roar.
Pro Tip
Chain Cardinal Spirits, Feast, and Hopscotch in one B-Line loop on a Friday afternoon before heading back up to Kirkwood for the night.
The Stadium District (North Campus)
0 miles — you're there on game day
Game-day ground zero — Memorial Stadium, Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and the B-Town Boulevard festival lawn to the south, with the grassy lots between North Fess and North Forrest filling in around them. Downtown sits about a mile south, so the day has a rhythm: breakfast and coffee in town, then a walk or short shuttle ride up. Upland Brewing sits on 11th Street between the Square and the gates — the natural last pour before The Walk.
Areas
Memorial Stadium and Assembly Hall off North Fess and Law Lane; B-Town Boulevard south of the stadium; the grass lots between North Fess and North Forrest.
Best For
The tailgate scene, walk-up access to the stadium, The Walk and the marching-band pregame, game-day-only energy.
Pro Tip
If you're not tailgating, park free downtown (or at the Poplars or Henderson garage) and walk or hop the shuttle — it's faster than fighting the stadium-side streets.
Sample Itinerary
Night Before the Game (Friday)
12:30 PM — Lunch (if you arrive early)
Start where Bloomington's story starts. BuffaLouie's at The Gables sits across from Sample Gates in the building where Hoagy Carmichael wrote "Stardust" in 1927 — order the wings and loaded tots, or go full Indiana with the breaded tenderloin, then walk straight through the Gates into campus to get your bearings before dinner.
6:00 PM — Check in downtown
Drop your bag at the Graduate by Hilton Bloomington on Kirkwood — or the IU Biddle Hotel inside the Memorial Union if you want to sleep on campus. You're a block from dinner and about a mile from the stadium — exactly where you want to be.
7:30 PM — Dinner
- The Play: FARMbloomington — Chef Daniel Orr's "real food," Cajun-to-Midwestern-to-Caribbean, built on Southern Indiana sourcing. Get the family-sized garlic-chili fries and the strip.
- Splurge: Janko's Little Zagreb — the 1973 steakhouse pilgrims drive from Indy for. (Closed Sun/Mon, kitchen closes at 9 — Friday's your window.)
- Easy Move: Mother Bear's Pizza — a loaded pan pie and the Goldfish-crouton house salad, with your name on the wall in Sharpie on the way out.
9:30 PM — After Dinner
- Cocktails: Cardinal Spirits — a Terra Gin Old Fashioned built on spirits distilled twenty feet away, at the nationally ranked distillery on the B-Line.
- Beer: The Tap — 450-plus beers on the Square, with the Tap Fries to match.
- Music: The Bluebird or The Bishop — check both calendars; one almost always has a band worth the cover.
- Wild Card: Pick your descent. Drop one staircase below FARM into The Root Cellar, the candlelit speakeasy "keeping Bloomington strange since 2007" — or climb to the second-floor deck at The Upstairs Pub for cheap wells and the best people-watching on Kirkwood — or commit to the undergrad nostalgia at Kilroy's on Kirkwood (KOK), where the Long Island towers and the noise are the whole point. Three doors, three completely different Fridays.
Pro Tip
If your weekend is the Northwestern game (Fri, Sept 25, 8 PM), flip this whole script — Friday is game night, and Saturday becomes your slow explore-and-recover day. For the other seven home dates, the Saturday clock below is the one that matters.
Game Day (Saturday)
Anchor everything to kickoff. "The Walk" — Indiana's pregame tradition, the team marching from Assembly Hall into Memorial Stadium — now happens about 2 hours and 25 minutes before kickoff. Work backward from there; gates open 90 minutes out.
~7 hours before kickoff — Breakfast
- Iconic: The Runcible Spoon — the 1976 breakfast institution; the smoked salmon hash and the blueberry pancakes. Get there before the line forms.
- Campus-adjacent: BuffaLouie's at The Gables for an easy bite by Sample Gates if you skipped it Friday.
- South-side counterweight: Hopscotch Coffee on the B-Line if you want unhurried and good before the crowds.
~5 hours before kickoff — Walk campus
Indiana's campus is genuinely one of the prettiest in the country — limestone everywhere, the Sample Gates, the free Eskenazi Museum of Art (Monet to Picasso), the Indiana Memorial Union. Give it an hour on foot before the day tilts toward football.
~4 hours before kickoff — Get to B-Town Boulevard
The festival tailgate lawn south of Memorial Stadium opens about 2.5 hours before kickoff with live bands, food trucks, an outdoor bar, and BuffaLouie's wings — and it's open to the public, not just ticket-holders. The stadium lots and the grassy lot between North Fess and North Forrest fill in around it.
~2.5 hours before kickoff — Game-Day Bar Stops
- The institution: Nick's English Hut (since 1927) — a Stromboli, Sink the Biz fries, and a round of the coin game before you head north. The one stop you don't skip.
- The beer hall: The Tap on the Square — 450 beers and the Tap Fries for the group that can't agree.
- The walk-up: Upland Brewing Co. on 11th Street — closest of the three to the north-side gates, so make it the last pour before The Walk.
~2 hours 25 minutes before kickoff — The Walk
Get to the path between Assembly Hall and the stadium for The Walk — the team, coaches, cheerleaders, and Marching Hundred moving through the crowd as the fans sing "Indiana, Our Indiana." After 2025, it hits different.
~30 minutes before kickoff — In the stadium
Be in your seat for the Marching Hundred's pregame and "Back Home Again in Indiana," when the whole stadium rises and sings. Grab your cream-and-crimson towel, find the student section if you want the loudest air in the building, and watch for "Hurt So Good" — the Mellencamp fourth-quarter singalong. Win, and the 160-foot Victory Flag goes up and the fireworks follow.
Post-Game
If you have time for only ONE thing post-game
Stay for "Indiana, Our Indiana" with the student section and the Victory Flag raising if the Hoosiers won — then walk back into town with the crowd. The mile back down to Kirkwood with a winning stadium emptying around you is the memory.
Immediate Post-Game (next 90 minutes)
- If Indiana won: Kirkwood is the celebration — Nick's English Hut upstairs, Kilroy's on Kirkwood, The Tap, and The Upstairs Pub all roaring.
- If Indiana lost: The Bishop or The Dunnkirk Library — a real drink, no TVs reminding you of the score, and a room that wants you to have a good night anyway.
Dinner 2-3 hours post-game
- Splurge: Janko's Little Zagreb — the destination steak, if it was an afternoon kickoff and you can make the 9 p.m. close. (For a night game, Janko's is shut — see Late Night.)
- Easy Move: The Uptown Cafe — Cajun-Creole and a serious cocktail program, downtown, with a later kitchen than most.
Late Night
After a night game the kitchens close but Bloomington doesn't: Nick's and The Tap run to 1 a.m., The Upstairs Pub and The Bishop to 3, and when all else is dark, Pizza X on 3rd serves the PMO and breadstix until 3 a.m. The plastic cup is part of the deal.
Sunday — Send-Off
Down-shift before the drive. Bloomington Sundays are for a slow coffee and a wander, not an agenda.
- Send-Off: Hopscotch Coffee on the B-Line — a pour-over of the house roast, avocado toast or the tofu scramble, the dog-friendly patio, and a slow walk down the trail. If you've got an extra hour and a car, point it eight miles north to Oliver Winery, Indiana's oldest, for a flight by the lake before you leave the state.
Logistics
Getting to Bloomington
- Indianapolis International (IND): ~50 miles north — about an hour by car, the main airport and the one with real flight inventory. Book a car or rideshare ahead on game weekends.
- Smaller options: Monroe County Airport handles private aircraft just west of town; some visitors fly into Indianapolis and drive down State Road 37 / I-69.
- Driving in: I-69 and State Road 46 feed the city; expect game-Saturday slowdowns on the approaches to campus and the stadium.
Getting to Memorial Stadium
- Walk: The stadium is about a mile north of downtown — a ~20-minute walk through campus, genuinely pleasant on a game morning.
- Free Fan Shuttle: IU Athletics runs free game-day Fan Shuttles from the two free garages — Poplars and Henderson — every 15–20 minutes. (Note: this is IU Athletics' shuttle, not Bloomington Transit, which only runs route detours on game days.)
- Rideshare: Set your drop a few blocks out — pickup/drop-off is directed to Briscoe Quadrangle or 913 N Woodlawn Avenue; streets close around the stadium on game day.
Parking Strategy
- Park free and walk or shuttle — the two free garages are the Poplars Garage (415 E 6th St, at 6th & Dunn) and the Henderson Garage (310 S Fess Ave); the free Fan Shuttle runs from both. The realistic play for visiting fans.
- Prepaid lots near the stadium — day-of pay lots run about $50 per vehicle and all game-day lots are cashless; buy a prepaid pass ahead for a $5 discount and a guaranteed spot, since grass-lot passes aren't sold at the gate.
- Lot timing — surface and grass lots open a minimum of five hours before kickoff; overnight RV lots open at 6 p.m. the night before.
- RV Tailgaters: The designated RV lots host the serious overnight setups (cross-reference the Tailgate section).
Stadium Entry
- Capacity: 53,524 — Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, open-air.
- Gates open: 90 minutes before kickoff. Enter at the gate printed on your mobile ticket.
- Clear bag policy: one clear bag — a one-gallon clear Ziploc-style bag or a 12" × 6" × 12" clear tote — plus one small clutch; metal detectors at every gate. One empty clear water bottle up to 64 oz is allowed to fill inside.
- Mobile tickets only — load them to your phone's wallet (via the IU Athletics app / SeatGeek) before you reach the gate.
Weather
September is warm and tailgate-perfect (70s–80s); late October cools fast; November runs 30s–40s with wind, and the stadium is open-air. Layer up and bring a real coat for a late-season night kick.
Traditions Worth Knowing
- The Walk: The team's pregame march from Assembly Hall into the stadium, about 2:25 before kickoff. Line the path and sing "Indiana, Our Indiana."
- "Back Home Again in Indiana": Sung by the whole stadium at the Marching Hundred's pregame — the emotional center of the day. Be in your seat.
- "Hurt So Good": The John Mellencamp fourth-quarter singalong. Learn it.
- The Victory Flag: After a win, the 160-foot flag goes up and the fireworks follow.
Field Notes
- ✓ The signature food and drink to try — a breaded pork tenderloin and a round of Sink the Biz at Nick's English Hut, the garlic-chili fries at FARMbloomington, and a Terra Gin Old Fashioned at Cardinal Spirits. Three orders, the whole town in a weekend.
- ✓ Weather by month — September is warm and tailgate-perfect (70s–80s); late October cools fast; November is 30s–40s and gray, and the stadium is open-air. Pack for the date, not the season.
- ✓ Reserve the upscale rooms — Janko's, FARMbloomington, Osteria Rago, and Feast all fill two-plus weeks out on home weekends. Walk in the institutions (Nick's, Mother Bear's, the Spoon); reserve the rest.
- ✓ Plan the night around Janko's quirks — it's steak-and-wine with no cocktail menu and a 9 p.m. kitchen close, so it's a Friday or afternoon-kickoff move, not a late night-game dinner.
- ✓ Download before you arrive — the IU Athletics app for mobile tickets (the only kind the gates take), and a rideshare app for the late ride back from Kirkwood. The free game-day shuttle is run by IU Athletics from the Poplars and Henderson garages — not Bloomington Transit.
- ✓ Pre-game timing matters — "The Walk" is about 2:25 before kickoff and "Back Home Again in Indiana" comes at the start of the Marching Hundred's pregame. Be in position for both; they're the day's two best moments.
- ✓ Hidden gem — the Lilly Library on campus (rare books, free) and Oliver Winery eight miles north. The first kills an hour beautifully; the second is the best Sunday detour in the county.
- ✓ Don't skip the Eskenazi Museum of Art — 45,000 works from Monet and Picasso to ancient gold, free admission, on a campus built entirely of limestone.
- ✓ The one must-do this trip — stand for "Back Home Again in Indiana" with the whole stadium on its feet. After a 16–0 national title, it's the sound of a program that finally believes it.
- ✓ Overall — Bloomington was a great food-and-culture town long before the football caught up. Now both are true at once, and there's never been a better Saturday to make the trip.
FAQ
What's the best pre-game spot?
Nick's English Hut, open since 1927. Get a Stromboli, a bucket of Sink the Biz fries, and learn the coin game from a regular. It's the institution every Hoosier measures the rest against — the heart of game day.
What's the one restaurant we can't miss?
Janko's Little Zagreb for the steak, or FARMbloomington for chef Daniel Orr's farm-to-table "real food." Both are downtown and both book up on home weekends, so reserve two-plus weeks ahead.
Where's the late-night food?
Pizza X on 3rd Street runs until 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday — the PMO and breadstix with cheese sauce are the move. Nick's and The Tap serve until 1 a.m. if you want a fuller plate.
What's the best way to get to the stadium?
Base downtown and walk it — Memorial Stadium is about a mile (20 minutes) north through campus. On game day, park free at the Poplars or Henderson garage and hop the free IU Athletics Fan Shuttle, or just walk. Driving up to the stadium is the slow option.
Where should we stay to walk everywhere?
Downtown, on or near Kirkwood — the Graduate by Hilton is the premier boutique, the IU Biddle Hotel puts you inside the Memorial Union, and Grant Street Inn is the historic-home charmer. All are a short walk to food and about a 20-minute walk (or quick shuttle) to the stadium.
What's the food we have to try beyond the tenderloin?
The breaded pork tenderloin is the Indiana classic, but go past it: a steak at Janko's Little Zagreb, the garlic-chili fries and strip at FARMbloomington, and a loaded pan pizza at Mother Bear's. That's the Bloomington table in three orders.
What do we do if we can't get a ticket?
Watch at a downtown bar — Kilroy's, The Tap, or The Upstairs Pub all pack in for games. B-Town Boulevard, the festival tailgate south of the stadium, is open to the public for the pregame scene even without a ticket.
What's worth doing beyond the game?
Walk campus (limestone everywhere, the Eskenazi Museum is free), catch a headliner at the Comedy Attic — one of the country's best clubs — and drive eight miles north to Oliver Winery, Indiana's oldest, for a flight by the lake.
It's late November — how cold will it be, and what do we wear?
Cold and often gray — Bloomington Novembers run 30s–40s°F with wind, and Memorial Stadium is open-air. Layer, bring a real coat for a night kickoff, and check the clear-bag rule before you pack (one clear tote or gallon Ziploc plus a small clutch, mobile tickets only).
Got a Spot We Missed?
Bloomington locals: if there's a place you'd send your visiting cousin that we didn't include, we want it. Send us your pick and we'll get on the ground to verify before the next edition.
Last updated: June 2026. Validated against 2025–2026 Visit Bloomington, Indiana Athletics (iuhoosiers.com), The Daily Hoosier, the Indiana Daily Student, OpenTable, Tock, SevenRooms, and venue Instagram sources. Hours, menus, and ticket availability change — confirm before you go.
Go Hoosiers.