Bloomington is a university city about 20 minutes from Brown County, with a 1,220-acre nature preserve around Griffy Lake, the city's first park in a limestone creek valley, and a rail-trail through a former switchyard.
14 things to do8 free1 ready-made trip
Photo: Griffy Lake, wooded hills around a still reservoir, Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bloomington sits in south-central Indiana, about 20 minutes from the hills of Brown County. Official city pages list park and trail hours, unless otherwise noted, as 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with dogs on leash. Griffy Lake Nature Preserve is 1,220 acres around a 109-acre reservoir: more than 10 miles of hiking trails, no swimming, and a boathouse that official pages currently list as closed for the season.
Lower Cascades Park, dedicated in August 1924, was the city's first park and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 20 August 2024. On the south side, Switchyard Park opened in 2019 on 65 acres of a former railroad yard, with the 3.1-mile B-Line Trail running through it. On campus, official IU pages point visitors to the limestone gates, a self-guided tour, and the Eskenazi Museum of Art.
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Free No charge to enter · Cheap A small entry, permit or parking fee · Paid Tickets, tours or rentals
Outdoors and nature
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
Free
Lower Cascades Park
Bloomington's first city park, originally Cascade Park, dedicated in August 1924, at 2851 N. Old State Road 37, in the valley of Cascades Creek. Official pages say it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 20 August 2024. Hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. A 2022 project added more than 700 feet of accessible wooden boardwalk to the park's waterfall. The Cascades Park Trail continues toward Kinser Pike and the Griffy Lake dam. Vehicle and pedestrian access to the park, playground and trail remains available from Old State Road 37; official pages note storm damage to the Sycamore Shelter in May 2026.
Season Official hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Shelter rentals, when offered, were listed as 1 April through 31 October (check before you go).
A 65-acre city park at 1601 S. Rogers Street, opened in 2019 on the site of the former McDoel railroad switchyard. Official city and park pages list hours as 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and say the B-Line Trail runs through the park. Confirm current program and facility details on the official park site before you go.
Season Official pages list hours as 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily (check before you go).
A 3.1-mile paved multi-use trail between Adams Street and Country Club Drive, official city trail pages say. Hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Electric-assist bicycles are permitted at a maximum of 20 mph; other motorized vehicles, except mobility aids, are prohibited. Dogs must be leashed.
Season Official pages list trail hours as 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. (check before you go).
A 2.4-mile paved multi-use trail from Tapp Road to Church Lane, official pages say, where it connects to the gravel Bloomington Rail Trail. Hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Season Official pages list trail hours as 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. (check before you go).
A city nature park with a 1.1-mile hiking trail, named on the official trails page. Hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Confirm current trail conditions before you go.
Season Hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. unless otherwise noted (check before you go).
A 33-acre city park with ballfields, playgrounds, picnic shelters and Bryan Park Pool, official park pages say, plus a 0.8-mile fitness loop and a 0.25-mile streamside trail. Hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Confirm current pool dates before you go.
Season Hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Confirm current pool dates before you go.
A 1,220-acre nature park around a 109-acre lake, at 3595 N. Headley Road. Official pages say swimming is prohibited, camping, ground fires and overnight parking are not permitted, and mountain bikes, horses and off-road vehicles are prohibited. Hiking trails run more than 10 miles; 240 acres of the south shore were designated Griffy Woods Nature Preserve in 1991. Park hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., except during posted hunt closures. The boathouse is closed for the season. Bring drinking water.
Season Official pages list park hours as 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., except during posted hunt closures. The preserve is closed from 13 November 2026 at 11 p.m. through 16 November at 5 a.m., and again from 20 November at 11 p.m. through 23 November at 5 a.m. The boathouse is closed for the season, November through March. Swimming is prohibited year-round (check before you go).
A city mountain-bike park with a 5-mile trail, named on the official trails page. Hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Confirm current trail conditions and any closures before you go.
Season Hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Confirm current trail conditions (check before you go).
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
Free
Waterfall Shelter and the Cascades valley
A historic limestone shelter in Lower Cascades Park, official pages say, with a fireplace and a nearby sand volleyball court, in a wooded creek valley. Shelter rentals, when they are offered, were listed as 1 April through 31 October. Park hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Season Same park hours as Lower Cascades Park. Shelter rentals, when offered, were listed as 1 April through 31 October (check before you go).
Official IU admissions pages invite visitors to see the campus of iconic limestone gates and historic academic buildings, and offer a self-guided tour of landmarks at your own pace. Start at the Admissions Welcome Center in Ernie Pyle Hall, or at the Visitor Information Center, if you want a map or a student-led tour.
A visitor centre at 900 E. 7th Street, official pages say, next to the Biddle Hotel front desk in the Indiana Memorial Union. Regular hours were listed as Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with select-weekend hours of Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday noon to 3 p.m. Official pages listed a closure from 21 to 29 November 2026 for Thanksgiving and from 19 December 2026 to 11 January 2027 for winter break. Student-led campus tours were listed on select Sundays at 1 p.m.; confirm the current schedule.
Season Official hours were listed as Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with select-weekend hours. Official pages listed a closure from 21 to 29 November 2026 for Thanksgiving and from 19 December 2026 to 11 January 2027 for winter break (check before you go).
A teaching museum on the IU Bloomington campus. Official pages listed gallery hours as Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., closed Monday. Confirm current hours and any admission rules before you go.
Season Official pages listed gallery hours as Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., closed Monday (check before you go).
A hands-on science, health and technology museum at 308 W. 4th Street. Official pages listed hours as closed most Mondays; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., with holiday exceptions. Confirm current hours before you go.
Season Official pages listed hours as closed most Mondays; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., with holiday exceptions (check before you go).
Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.
Tickets
Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art
A teaching museum on the IU Bloomington campus. Official pages listed gallery hours as Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., closed Monday. Confirm current hours before you go.
Season Official pages listed gallery hours as Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., closed Monday (check before you go).
Park hours: Official city pages say city parks and trails are open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Dogs must be leashed. Alcohol, fireworks and sales are prohibited on the trails.
Griffy Lake closures: Official pages, updated 4 November 2026, list the preserve as closed to all public access from 13 November 2026 at 11 p.m. through 16 November at 5 a.m., and again from 20 November at 11 p.m. through 23 November at 5 a.m., for controlled deer hunts. Trails, shoreline and the lake are included. The boathouse and restrooms are listed as closed for the season (November through March). Swimming is prohibited year-round. Bring drinking water; official pages say there is no potable water at the preserve.
IU campus: The IU Visitor Information Center is at 900 E. 7th Street, next to the Biddle Hotel desk in the Indiana Memorial Union. Official hours were listed as Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with select-weekend hours. The centre was listed as closed from 21 to 29 November 2026 for Thanksgiving and from 19 December 2026 to 11 January 2027 for winter break.
We list only places we can check against an official source. Hours, seasons and prices change, so confirm before you go.
Photos on this page
Photo: Griffy Lake, wooded hills around a still reservoir, Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: A limestone picnic shelter in Lower Cascades Park, Nyttend, Public domain
Photo: A smaller limestone shelter in Lower Cascades Park, Nyttend, Public domain
