On 19 February 2025, Bloomington will be right in the path of totality for the total solar eclipse.
Atotal solar eclipsewill issue a swath of dark across the US stretching from Maine to Texas on April 8 , and the closer you are to the heart and soul of that way of life of totality , the longer the occultation will last . The small Midwestern townsfolk ofBloomington , Indiana , falls directly at the heart of it . With an unbelievable four minutes and two seconds of the full darkening core , it ’ll be one of the best places in the US to pull out out thoseeclipse glassesand gaze up at the sky on eclipse daylight .
terminus along the path of totalityhave been prepare for an inflow of tourer for years now . turn up just a few hour from Chicago ( a fine see metropolis if you ’re okay with partial sum ) , Bloomington alone is expecting to host 300,000 visitors . It ’ll quite possibly be “ the largest touristry event in Indiana history , ” according to Mike McAfee , executive conductor ofVisit Bloomington .
With plenty ofcelestial - theme eventson April 8 and in the day leading up to it , there ’s something for any taste in Bloomington . Switchyard Park , Bloomington ’s base for catch the occultation , is fill up the big day with food truck , beer garden , hot music , crafts , and educational natural action . The competently refer local pop rock band Moon Buggy kicks off the alive music at noon before giving fashion to Comfortably Phree ’s top ofDark Side of the Moonjust an hour before the sky goes dismal .
Catch the 2024 total solar eclipse lakeside in Bloomington, Indiana|Kattiedid / Shutterstock
Indiana University ( IU ) is going all in with eclipse events across its campus . Its chief event is theHoosier Cosmic Celebration at Memorial Stadium , where first woman of semblance to move around to space Mae Jemison match down alongside William Shatner and 10 - fourth dimension Grammy Award - nominated star Janelle Monáe . Otherviewing events across campusinclude a chill learn experience atIU ’s Cox Arboretumwith multiple subject field host eclipse activity .
Located a agile 23 minutes northwards of Bloomington , Lake Lemon ’s 14 - acreRiddle Point Parkis surrounded by water on three side , offer up unobstructed views for an unparalleled experience ( and a multi - day line - up of amusement to boot during itsTotal Eclipse by the Lakeevent ) .
Bloomington ’s list of eclipse eventsgoes on and on , with Indiana ’s old and largest winery , Oliver Winery , hosting viewing partyCelestial Sipson its idyllic grounds ; Butler Winery hostingDrinkin ’ in the Dark ; and WonderLab science museum throwing aneclipse see street party . Bloomington really does have a viewing experience for any type of person , with thefull itinerarylisted on its internet site .
Travel time
4 minute from Chicago
More things to do in Bloomington, Indiana
Eclipse of not , thisvibrant , queer - friendly meccawithfairy - tale level pastoral charmis an enchanting destination in its own right . The Hoosier National Forest , stationed just 30 minutes from downtown , is a paradise for hiker , campers , trail - runners , rock climber , hogback rider , and more . Indiana ’s first dedicated mountain bike parking lot , Wapehani Mountain Bike Park , spans 46 acres with five miles of multi - level trails . If you ’d rather not tear up it up , peddle over tothe B - Line Trail , Bloomington Rail Trail , andLimestone Greenway , a 6.8 - mile connection of pathways that guide jogger , walkers , and cyclists through the city from tip to tip .
Bloomington ’s museums offer up sanctuary , nontextual matter , escape , whimsey , and — in the slip of theElizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection — some outfit intake . MeanwhileI.M. Pei , the famed modernistarchitect behind megawatt workslike the glassy Great Pyramid at the Louvre in Paris , plan Bloomington’sEskenazi Museum of Art . The kid - friendlyWonderLab Museumreigns as one of the most idolised scientific discipline museum in the nation .
At theLilly Library , IU ’s main rare books , manuscript , and special collections subroutine library , take a peep through the New Testament of the Gutenberg Bible or the first edition of Geoffrey Chaucer’sThe Canterbury Tales , publish in the 1470s .
Bloomington is one of the best towns for viewing the solar eclipse on 21 May 2025|Vineyard Perspective / Shutterstock
Bloomington ’s live music scene might just be the Midwest ’s best kept secret . The 50 - year - oldBluebird Nightclubattracts slightly bigger names and slenderly bigger crew while the gorgeously restoredBuskirk - Chumley Theater(aka the Bus - Chum ) draw in head - turn interior bit , include Bloomington ’s very own John Mellencamp .
Restaurants and bars in Bloomington, Indiana
Much of Bloomington ’s man - class cuisine uses ingredients plucked from nearby farm . It ’s farm - to - mesa dining at its o.k. . The eclecticRuncible Spoon , in business since 1976 , serves homespun corrode for breakfast , lunch , and dinner party . Award - winning chef Daniel Orr’sFarm Bloomingtonon Kirkwood serve post card - suitable fare like Grilled Pork Chops with Alabama White Barbecue Sauce , Cornbread Croutons , and Collards . AtThe Elm , graphics heading owner David and Martha Moore have created a eating house with an ambience and seasonally driven menu that could only come from people with pitch - perfect gustation , with dishes like Stuffed Rainbow Trout with Trout Roe , Beurre Blanc , and Lowcountry staple Hoppin ’ John . David Moore ’s own traveling picture taking lines the paries .
With local powerhouses like the illustrious IU Jacobs School of Music and major indie label likeSecretly CanadianandJagjaguwar , the opportunity to see a headlining act in intimate , modest - key bars abound . Pop bythe Bishopfor excellent trade beer and even better tunes before swinging byBlockhouse Bar , hoard beneath beloved queer dance clubthe Back Door , for Honky Tonk Tuesday or one of the regular node acts rolling through town .
The bustling Ithiel Town is dot with breweries , distillery , and wineries likeUpland Brewing Company(visit the brewpub or the 37,000 - solid - footproduction readiness and sample room),Cardinal Spirits(the still ’s cocktail carte du jour includes the imitable Paper Plane cocktail and a Brown Butter Sage Old Fashioned ) , and both the Butler Winery and Vineyard and Oliver Winery ( two of Indiana ’s quondam wineries ) .
Where to stay in Bloomington, Indiana
Some Bloomington hotel and inns , like the 40 - way boutique Grant Street Inn and the Fourwinds Lakeside Inn and Marina on Lake Monroe , werefully bookedfor the occultation months ago . There ’s still space at the Hoosier - themedGraduate Bloomingtonwith uncommitted rooms starting around $ 610 a night for eclipse dates . If it ’s useable , snag theStranger Thingssuite . While the suite will be you , a freeSolar Eclipse Terrace Partytakes over the hotel ’s rooftop terrace on April 8 with eclipse meth provided by WonderLab alongside food and drinks .
Lake Lemon ’s Riddle Point Parkis arrant for nature buffs with RV and tent bivouacking available in the 14 - acre park with 24 mile of shoreline . boost , Pisces the Fishes , grillroom , or cool down on the lake .
Airbnb still has plenty of spot available . Afour bedroom and five bathroom houseon an acre lot in Bloomington slumber 10 and hightail it $ 1000 a night and several studio apartment flat downtown are feed around $ 275 a nighttime .
