Every year we try to take a vacation with the kids. I love showing our kids different parts of the country and the World, instead of constantly buying them the newest, latest and greatest toy that comes out. We really try to focus on experiences vs. spending so much money on THINGS. But, besides those bigger trips once a year, it’s also nice throughout the year to get away and visit towns and places that are relatively local to us!
My husband and I live right outside of Indianapolis with our two boys, Cash & Axel. With Bloomington, IN only being about an hour from us and having tons to do, we were excited to have the opportunity to be a #BTownExplorer for a fun weekend!!
Growing up in an Indiana University family, since my dad was an IU graduate, I was excited to show my family around! It was a really rainy weekend; nonetheless, we still had so much fun!!
So, let’s talk about our top five things to do in Bloomington with your family! (My boys are six and four, by the way…)
After arriving at our hotel, (The Hilton Garden Inn in the downtown area of Bloomington) we were presented with the most generous ‘swag bag’ full of fun ideas and things to do in Bloomington! We took a moment to dry ourselves off, drop off our bags, grab our umbrellas and we were ready to start exploring B-Town!
- First stop: Lunch at one of the best pizza places in town—Mother Bear’s Pizza!!
They have the best breadsticks, like EVER! And someone told me they have the best ranch dressing, which if you’re a born and raised Hoosier you can’t go without putting ranch on EVERYTHING. But why didn’t I think of that?! I’ll admit I didn’t try the ranch, but I will be the next time we visit. The pizza is so good, too! And the boys thought it was super fun to sign their names on the wall! I’m sure they will have some fun trying to find their names amongst the thousands of other names the next time we visit.
This is literally the coolest, most compact museum full of awesomeness I’ve ever been to! My boys have been here a couple of times before and I hadn’t, but I was pleasantly surprised at how amazing it was! It’s like hours worth of experiments and it was perfect for our rainy day adventures!
My kid’s favorite parts of the The Wonder Lab was the ‘Bed of Nails” and of the bubble machines! But they didn’t want to leave; they could’ve spent all day there! (Check out the video at the bottom on blog post to see all the WonderLab fun!)
- Next up: Some sweet treats at Hartzell’s Ice Cream Shop!
Well, you can’t skip the ice cream as far as I am concerned! This cute little ice cream shop had all the fun flavors, but my kids went for the classic chocolate, as usual… Chris and I enjoyed some ice-cream, too! And once the boys were done with their ice cream, they HAD to have an Icee. Because apparently, we follow up sweets with sweets!
Across from Hartzell’s Ice Cream Shop, there is the coolest Bloomington wall art that I bribed my kids to take a photo in front of in my typical mom-tog fashion. (As you can see, Cash was SUPER happy about it, haha.) I think it’s a great photo spot for anyone visiting Bloomington!
- Last stop on day one: Switchyard Brewing Company!
The thing I loved most about staying downtown is the convenience of walking to all the places. Even though it was raining, it wasn’t bad! Much easier than trying to find parking everywhere… Chris and I wanted to find a place to get a beer (or in my case, a glass of wine) so we walked to Switchyard Brewing Co.
The thing I loved most was the laid back vibe of the place. People brought their dogs in, kids, and you could bring in your own outside food, as they only really had bar food to eat there. It worked out perfect because my kids wanted….Taco Bell. And Chris and I shared the best nachos from a street vendor, which I can’t remember the name of it!! But it was good! It was definitely a nice relaxing atmosphere as I enjoyed my glass of wine from a local winery, Oliver Winery, and Chris had a beer that they brewed in house. Axel decided that he was a fan of “beer,” but it was really root beer—Don’t worry! Haha.
After our dinner, we went back to the hotel where the boys swam in the pool for a little while before passing out from too much fun!!
- Lastly: Breakfast at The Village Deli!
The next morning, before we headed back home, we decided to try out The Village Deli! We’d heard they had a really great breakfast, and they did for sure! Axel was a fan of the waffles, Cash loved his biscuits and gravy, Chris and I must have been feelin’ some Mexican and went with breakfast tacos and breakfast burrito. I had a bite of it all (of course) and it was ALL good!
Well, friend! We had the best time exploring B-Town! Despite the weather being crappy, the kids were still able to explore and learn about a new city, which is the main purpose of taking these smaller trips! The kids get to learn but having fun while doing so, all while making memories! We can’t wait to visit B-Town again soon, and hopefully try out some new places. And maybe catch a glimpse of SUNSHINE!
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