Enjoying Bloomington

More than anything, we're so thrilled to share Bloomington with you all.  It's such a special place for both of us, for our own reasons -- it's where Dave bravely landed for law school, and it was Holly's home for seven years -- and for reasons we share:  it's where we fell in love!

We absolutely want you all -- especially those of you who aren't native Hoosiers -- to explore Bloomington and its environs.  

Indiana University

Our wedding will take place on the campus of Indiana University, named one of the nation's five most beautiful college campuses by art critic Thomas Gaines in The Campus as Work of Art.  The campus rests on a bed of Indiana limestone, and many of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (including the Rose Well House, where we'll say our vows!).

We strongly encourage you to take a walking tour of the IU campus.  If you can track Holly down during the weekend, ask her for a tour -- she's a former Office of Admissions tour guide!  (Alternately, refer to the IU Campus Map linked below.)  You can take an online tour at http://www.iub.edu/tour/.

The campus is bounded to the south by Third and Atwater streets, to the north by the 45/46 Bypass, and to the east and west by Indiana Avenue and Union Street. 

Some particular points of interest: 

• Indiana Memorial Union:  http://www.imu.indiana.edu/index.shtml  (enjoy bowling, shopping at the IU Bookstore, dining, movies, or a stroll through the adjacent Beck Chapel, all in in the nation's largest college union)
• Assembly Hall, home of the INDIANA HOOSIERS!  (Located at 17th Street and Woodburn Avenue:  http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/facilities/ind-facilities-assembly.html
• Picnic or play ultimate frisbee in Dunn Meadow:  http://www.iub.edu/tour/cmps6.shtml
• Peruse a nationally renowned collection at the IU Art Museum (just past the Indiana Memorial Union at the terminus of 7th Street).   The museum includes work by Jackson Pollack and Claude Monet.  Along with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford, it is included among the nation's top five college art museums.
• Check out Bill Armstrong Stadium, home of the national champion IU Men's Soccer Team and the Little 500, the basis of the 1979 flick Breaking Away.
• Stop to admire the sculptures in Showalter Fountain (site of the infamous Bobby Knight riots in 2000), or continue on to the IU Auditorium to catch a Broadway play.
• Plan a picnic in the Arboretum: http://www.iub.edu/tour/cmps9.shtm, a lush green space behind the Art Museum that once was home to the IU Memorial Stadium and the Little 500, the largest intramural college sports event in the United States.

The Great Outdoors

The abundance of natural beauty in the area make Bloomington a great place for an outdoor excursion, whether it’s a simple day at the beach or a true natural adventure Home to the state’s largest inland lake, only National forest, and a variety of city and county parks, Bloomington’s got hiking, fishing, boating, biking, kayaking, hot air ballooning and more! 

Our recommendations:

• Boat or swim in the 11,000-square-acre Lake Monroe:  http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/6739.htm. 
  
• Enjoy the extensive park system in Bloomington:  http://bloomington.in.gov/parks.
• Play 18 at the IU Golf Course:  http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/facilities/ind-iu-golfcourse.html
  
• For the runners among you, we recommend our favorite off-campus trail:  the Bloomington Rail Trail.  Take Walnut Street south of campus to Country Club Road and take a right; the trailhead will be a quarter mile down on the left.
  
• Hike in Hoosier National Forest:  http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/