Not only is the campus of Indiana University beautiful, but the surrounding town and county are also picturesque with plenty of parks, trails, woods, and water to check out. Visit Bloomington, the city’s Visitors’ Bureau’s site, has an exquisite display of opportunities for fun.
On campus and very close to the conference site is Dunn’s Woods, a forested portion of the nineteenth century “new” Indiana University campus that has been preserved. It is a peaceful and cool oasis amid a busy campus. Stroll the brick pathways, and enjoy a quite moment to yourself or a leafy interlude on the way to restaurants on 4th Street.
Both the city and the county have parks. Bloomington Parks and Recreation boasts 32 parks. The newest is Switchyard Park, which was built on Bloomington’s old railroad hub. It has areas for pickle ball, skateboarding, a splash pad, and much more. It’s a great place to observe native plants of the area, too. The B-Line trail, one of Bloomington’s primary trails, goes through the park
Bryan Park, one of Bloomington’s most beloved parks, is about a mile south of campus. It’s named after IU President William Lowe Bryan (1902-1937). Bryan Park is a good destination for a walk or run, with paths that go through the park. It is also one of the most popular places to swim in town.
Bloomington’s oldest park, called Cascades, is about 1.5 miles north of campus. Upper Cascades is sunny with a playground, golf course, and skate park. If slides are your thing, it has the tallest and longest slides in town. Lower Cascades is shady. It contains woods, creeks, rocks, and trails. It also has a waterfall (Cascades, get it?) but at this writing it has been abnormally dry in south-central Indiana so it may not put on much of a show.
Monroe County Parks and Recreation picks up at the city line and does a supreme job as well. Perhaps the best-known county park is Karst Farm. If Frisbee golf is your passion, this is your place. The Karst Farm Greenway trail starts at this park and continues for 7 miles through woods, fields, and residential areas, as it flows through the county.
There are many trails in Bloomington and the surrounding area. There are also interesting neighborhoods to explore if taking a simple walk appeals to you. The city of Bloomington has a bunch of downloadable guides to walking tours with different themes and locations including African-American history and the Vinegar Hill Limestone Historic District.
One of the great things about Bloomington and the IU campus is that it does not take much effort to find a beautiful spot to sit or a tree to admire. Just watch out for the squirrels on campus. They are much too tame and may move in on you, expecting a snack!
Written by Rebecca Baumann, Erika Dowell, Isabel Planton, Ursula Romero, Lilly Library