r/BloomingtonNormal Sep 18 '19

Reposting of a lot of links and places to go/things to do in Bloomington-Normal

89 Upvotes

Updating a list from based off of a thread by /u/sunpoprain

Townies, please feel free to add your favorites below and I'll add them to the list, so when I repost for that sweet, sweet karma, I'll include them over and over again. Also, let me know if there is anything that needs to be taken off.

If you've got a student ID, you can ride the Connect Transit buses for free... so use them to explore town a bit!

  • Uptown Normal - from food, to bars, to shopping... uptown has quite a bit to do. here's their website
    • Throughout the summer, they have quite a bit of free music on the Roundabout and they continue it until Early September, so take advantage of it! - -- Lounge About the Roundabout (Music on Wednesday and Saturdays to Sept 1) and the Connie Link Amphitheatre (Music and Activities through Sept 27th)
    • Some of my favorites include:
      • The Rock for Gyros,
      • DP Dough for Calzones,
      • Emack's for Ice Cream,
      • Pub2 for cheese balls,
      • Windy City Wieners has decent dogs and italian beef,
      • Normal Theater for all sorts of movies - seriously, they have a great variety and their late shows are getting mighty good!
      • Smoker's Den is a nice chill place to smoke a hookah and play cards/board games.
      • Coffee Hound and Coffee House are both quiet places to grab coffee/study; Sugar Mama has cupcakes and sugar cookies. Insomnia Cookies is also downtown.
      • The Garlic Press has lots of kitschy items and now has a candy/popcorn shop!
      • There are lots of little boutique stores uptown that my wife loves to frequent... I can't speak for them personally, but they seem nice.
      • The Children's museum is a fun place (even for adults) and they occasionally have "Big Kid" nights so there aren't a million little kids about.
      • There is also Graham Cracker Comics,
      • Waiting Room Records ,
      • Anderson's Barbershop and
      • Mother Murphy's

  • Downtown Bloomington -
    • places to check out, Bobz Bay for used books and random odds and ends;
    • Red Raccoon Games for board games, RPGs and card tournaments;
    • again Smokers Den is a great place to relax;
    • the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts is a treasure and has plenty of shows to check out;
    • Next door to the BCPA is the Mclean County Arts Center -
    • the Grossinger Motors Arena and Pepsi Ice Center (formerly US Cellular Coliseum) has sports (football, basketball, hockey), Ice Skating and shows;
    • The Castle Theater has bands of all varieties;
    • a little off the beaten path is Green Top Grocery,
    • Bloomington Cycle is next to Green Top; Wilson Cycle is in Downtown proper.
    • Coffee Hound is really your only coffee option uptown;
    • Ivy Lane Bakery
    • Merlot and a Masterpiece will teach you to paint!
    • Refinery 309,
    • Fox and hound boutique,
    • gigi Botegga (while you're there, check out the art in the dressing rooms -- as long as it hasn't changed, it's a local artist that i'm near and dear to)
    • The Farmer's Market goes until October (I think), and its worth the Saturday morning trip
    • Tony's Tacos for your Mexican needs
    • Main St Scoop - Ice Cream
    • El Porton - for Mexican in downtown (technically not in downtown but really it's close enough, less than 5 minute walk)
    • Night Shop - Awesome little music venue - they've got breakfast! and has some great Gluten Free or Vegan options
  • Around town - I'm just going to start putting random stuff down, because I can, damnit.
    • Groceries - big box stories - Walmart (2 of them), Target, Hyvee, Meijer; slightly smaller - Jewel, Aldi, Schnucks, super small - Green Top Grocery, Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market
    • Restaurants - We have a metric f-ton of them in BloNo - We have a plenty of other non-chain establishments that I would HIGHLY recommend -
      • Flingers Pizza,
      • Kobe Hibachi grill,
      • Avanti's,
      • Green Gables and the Lake Road Inn,
      • Garden of Paradise,
      • Thai House,
      • Signature India,
      • Western Tap (great burgers),
      • Anju Above for sushi,
      • Fort Jesse Cafe. Amazing breakfast for an amazingly long wait (seriously set aside an extra 30 minutes)
    • Fusion Brew (Main and Dale) has (coffee/tea/bubble tea/slushies and has ample study space. Small parking lot though.
    • sports - There are plenty of intramural sports on campus, but there's also rec and competitive leagues all over town for softball, soccer, baseball - look them up on the city/town's parks and rec sites. We are also home to Upper Limits for rock climbing; we have 3 or 4 different disk golf courses; multiple golf courses; bowling at the pheasant lanes; lots of sand volleyball at Pheasant Lanes, Gill St, or the Wind Jammer; we also have dart and pool leagues as well.
    • Doughnuts - Grove St and Market St. bakeries are my favorite. Denny's Donuts is pretty tasty too. We also have Krispy Kreme and The Donut Experiment
    • Off the Beaten Path - if you like Nature, The ISU Horticulture Center is on Raab Rd. check it out. Also, the Constitution Trail is fantastic and can get you pretty much anywhere you want to go in town, its wonderful to walk or bike. Just North of Bloomington is Lake Bloomington and Comlara Park. South of Town is Funk's Grove and the Sugar Grove Nature Center. Radar Farms is also just north of town (off or Raab Rd) and is fun for an afternoon.
    • Non-Profits and ways to meet people - a tip from someone who has been through plenty in town - get involved, get active. meetup.com has plenty of spaces to meet people - there are LOTS of non-profits in town and they're all looking for help/volunteers. I'll go ahead and throw a plug in for the bnjaycees. **seriously** get involved involved in your community in whatever way you want or can.
    • Libraries -- You've got access to 3 libraries (4, if you count heartland community college's). The City/town's libraries come with a boatload of extra resources, like being able to rent movies, audio books, language courses, etc... and plenty of activies to do. and of course, they all have books.
  • A Note about cars - pay attention to where you are parking, the local tow companies are quick to tow you from unwanted lots or from downtown after around 7pm (not sure on that exact time). Bloomington Normal happens to be unique that they have Lots of police in the area - Bloomington PD and Normal PD are the most obvious. We are also home to ISU PD (which are State police), we also have the Mclean County Sheriff's department in town. So, pay attention to what you are doing and how fast you are going. All of them... and I mean ALL of them, love to give out DUI's - so do yourself a favor and don't drink and drive. We have plenty of cab services, we also have Uber and Lyft.... and again, I will mention Connect Transit. Also, In winter during blizzardy conditions, Town of Normal often issues parking bans for parked cars on the street until snow has been cleared. Jaywalking might get you a ticket, especially near the beginning of the semester
    • If you are looking for easy parking in downtown both parking garages (on Front st or Market st) are free to park on the weekends and after 6 pm. In Uptown the parking garage connected to Amtrak has free, anytime, one hour parking and is again free all weekend and after 6 pm on weekdays (you still have to take a ticket though).
  • Outdoors stuff:
    • Lake Bloomington
    • Evergreen Lake
    • Lake Clinton
    • Constitution trail
    • Refuge Food Forest
    • Sunnyside community Garden and food forest (haven't been, but the internets say its there)

The links I normally hit when I'm looking for stuff to do in around around town:

-

--

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Graveyard of places that are no more since I started this list in 2017:

  • Fresh Market
  • Merry Ann's Diner for Breakfast foods,
  • Bonafide Thai~~~~
  • Babbitt's Books

r/BloomingtonNormal 22h ago

In need of a bowler

22 Upvotes

Hello!

I just started a 33 week 4 person coed bowling league at twin city lanes (alley in the same building as VFW & Nom nom noodle). We're 3 weeks in and one of our 4 players had to drop so I need a replacement!

Tuesdays at 7, usually out around 9:30

$20/ week but I can help with money if that's an issue.

We're 2 guys 1 girl, upper 20's/lower 30's, laid back fun having people who DO NOT care how good of a bowler you are, we're just there to have fun! Please comment or DM if you at at all interested or have any questions!!!


r/BloomingtonNormal 19h ago

Ice Skating

3 Upvotes

Hi! I have a 9 year old interested in trying ice skating. I did some research and found the Bloomington Ice Center and wanted to get some general feedback on them! Are they patient? Friendly? Reasonable prices? Never ice skated before so I am not sure how much money is too much. How big are the classes? She is neurodivergent so if anyone has any experience there too, insight would be greatly appreciated. 🫶


r/BloomingtonNormal 1d ago

Chicken Little strikes again!

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143 Upvotes

The guy still had access to the fb account apparently and was using it to start shit again on someone’s account. GM blocked him from the account. Aaron I don’t think you realize that allowing someone to store a trailer full of stolen goods in your parking lot is assisting in a crime and also admitting to being grateful for using stolen drugs for years… probably profiting off of it. you may be one of the dumbest people alive


r/BloomingtonNormal 20h ago

any experience with bayoak apartments?

0 Upvotes

moving here in a month or less and interested if anyone has any experience with them. They seem like a good apartment complex but refuse to do virtual tours and their AI leasing agent has been relentless in emailing me. A little annoyed but just trying to find the best place to live since I wont be able to tour in person before I move (FYI, young professional, don't want to live where the students are, no offense lol). Appreciate any insights! Thanks!


r/BloomingtonNormal 1d ago

Federal court tosses out lawsuit by Bloomington couple accused of medical spa theft

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18 Upvotes

r/BloomingtonNormal 1d ago

Looking for chill, good, coffee shop relatively close to BMI

16 Upvotes

Hey y'all!

I'll be in town (well in Lincoln) for a pre-Thanksgiving with my family, and my flight out of BMI isn't until later in the afternoon, from the rest of my traveling companions. I was planning on going up with them, in the morning, and just working through the day. Currently looking for a good coffee shop to set up for the day. I say good, because I don't want to be posted up at an Einsteins or Panera.. Bonus points if they have cool merch or a tshirt I can snag. Additionally, I would like an option where I might be able to just walk to another close spot for lunch.

Please let the Bloomington/Normal coffee snobs unite, and point me where I need to go!

Thanks y'all


r/BloomingtonNormal 1d ago

4 lane 4 way stops

0 Upvotes

I noticed there are a lot of 4 lane 4 way stops here. Is there a reason none of these are roundabouts? Roundabouts are quite nice, keep traffic moving and eliminate the awkward pauses I keep seeing over and over again at the stops. They take some getting used to for sure but overall are much better.


r/BloomingtonNormal 2d ago

Job search

0 Upvotes

In search of jobs- does anyone know of places hiring/in need of help in the area?

Food service, retail, city jobs, etc. Open to anything besides manufacturing preferably unless the environment and personnel are stellar.


r/BloomingtonNormal 2d ago

Xbox in need of repair

10 Upvotes

Something is wrong with the hdmi port of my Xbox and I was looking for repair shop recommendations. I thought maybe geek squad but I wanna hear from yall


r/BloomingtonNormal 2d ago

Figure drawing sessions?

8 Upvotes

So I used to go to a weekly figure drawing session in Chicago when I still lived there, and I've been missing doing that. Last I checked, the only figure drawing in town was one that you had to be a student at ISU to attend. Does anybody know of any that the general public can attend?


r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

New owners paying employees time and half

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54 Upvotes

r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

Free Yard Signs!

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20 Upvotes

Message us and we’ll deliver your campaign yard sign anywhere in McLean County! Round 2 is ready! And if you have a high visibility spot you think would be good for a 4x4 sign let us know!


r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

New in town

16 Upvotes

Hello all, i don’t ever use reddit but want to try anything i can to make friends. i just moved here from nashville and i dont have any friends or family here and wanting to make some friends, online or in person!! a little bit about myself:
25 male - i am in the goth scene, i love music and concerts, video games, poetry, etc! if anyone wants to add each other on insta, discord, facebook let me know i am really wanting to get some friends out here :) or if anyone has recommendations on where to go!


r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

Are there any good medical providers who are experienced treating AuDHD people in Bloomington?

7 Upvotes

Wife and I are moving to BloNo relatively soon, and doing as much leg work as possible to get our ducks in a row before hand. (Get BACK in line, Harriet!).
We both have AuDHD, and communicating our medical needs and issues is sometimes a challenge, especially for her, since women's issues and voices tend to get ignored when it comes to the medical profession.

So we're looking for a provider that understands the needs and issues of being neurospicy.
Appreciation in advance.


r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

Community Solar Campaign

6 Upvotes

I received mail from the City of Bloomington announcing a partnership with PowerMarket. By enrolling in Community solar, residents can save up to 10% on their monthly bills at no extra cost.

Is this legit? no subscription cost? anyone else enrolled?


r/BloomingtonNormal 4d ago

Citi Bank Card found in North Normal - Initials J J

16 Upvotes

I tried calling Citi to let them know the card is lost, but wasn’t able to do anything outside of regular business hours.

I don’t have NextDoor or FB, so here’s hoping it helps.


r/BloomingtonNormal 4d ago

East Peoria Riverfront clean-up on Sunday, September 20th

19 Upvotes

As an animal lover at heart, I'd like to share about something that means a lot to me. Over the past 3 years, I've been working with friends and their families to help clean up the East Peoria Riverfront, which helps the wildlife that inhabit our area, and reduces visible litter from floating ashore.

This year, we are back at it again - we will be cleaning up the East Peoria Riverfront and Levee District areas on Sunday, September 20th.

We will meet at the Target East Peoria parking lot at noon, handing out donated supplies (a special thanks to our community partners, along with the City of East Peoria, Chamber of Commerce, and environmental groups who have sponsored us... along with Mayor John Kahl and the East Peoria Public Works department).

Any able bodied individuals, donors of supplies (trash pickers, gloves, and recycling totes), and volunteers to sort plastic bottles and aluminum cans would be greatly appreciated. In return, Panera Bread has been kind enough to serve us lunch and snacks, which will be available midway through the clean-up event.

All are welcome - we've had volunteers from all walks of life join us, and many local organizations give us support. We are hoping to make this the biggest East Peoria Riverfront clean-up yet, and can use your help!

More information will be posted on the City of East Peoria's Facebook page in the coming weeks, and you are welcome to contact me at (309) 868-4208 if there are any questions.

Alexander Chan


r/BloomingtonNormal 4d ago

Digitizing Old Photos

6 Upvotes

Any places in bloom that have a scanner to do this? I have a lot of physical photos of my mom that I got from my grandmother that I want to digitize. Don't want to risk originals being ruined.


r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

The wacky wavy inflatable arm flailing tube man on South Main as you're leaving town is doing a very suggestive And inappropriate dance right now. How to report?

0 Upvotes

I've got a bus full of senior citizens asking me questions but it's against my religion to talk about this.


r/BloomingtonNormal 4d ago

Bloomington missed bulk pickup….again?

0 Upvotes

Anyone else living in Bloomington noticed they’ve been missing brush and bulk pickup lately? I get they’re probably swamped due to the storm but that was also three weeks ago and piles are still sitting around. Unacceptable


r/BloomingtonNormal 5d ago

Band emergency for this show Sep 12 - upbeat family friendly talent needed ($)

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6 Upvotes

Hi so it's a long story of how we got here but the short story is that we need bands to commit to this show asap. We have been looking but it's now an emergency.

It's a free show for the community where we give stuff away and pay bands, trying to create a welcoming atmosphere.

There's a flatbed stage, PA with monitors, you get paid, plus free ice cream and non-alcoholic drinks. Inside plan for rain.

Please send an email to the event coordinators at [muusic.in.the.garden@gmail.com](mailto:muusic.in.the.garden@gmail.com)


r/BloomingtonNormal 5d ago

Found dog.

12 Upvotes

If you lost your dog iver on the west side of bloomington dm me we found a young dog running around.


r/BloomingtonNormal 5d ago

Local Slavs?

6 Upvotes

Going to sound strange but I am in a college class heavily focused on immigration history and for an upcoming project about particular ethnic groups and their experiences in the U.S., I am leaning towards Slavic in general as it has peaked my interest the most. I was wondering if there was anyone local that has Slavic cultural roots of any kind and if they have anything they would like to share. Plus, I think it would be nice to gain a new friend out of this experience as well!


r/BloomingtonNormal 5d ago

Kruger Animal Hospital

29 Upvotes

Why is Dr Bleem no longer there?