*Mother Bear’s*

(1428 E. Third St.)

Mother Bear’s pizza is a staple in any IU student’s diet. The pizzeria opened its doors 38 years ago, and has since become part of the local vocabulary. Assistant manager Travis Terrell attributed Mother Bear’s success to its uniqueness. “I think it’s our atmosphere,” he said. “There’s no one here in town that has pizza of our quality or remotely the same taste.”

*Buffa Louie’s*

(114 S. Indiana Avenue)

Since opening in 1987, Buffa Louie’s has dominated the local wings market, and is especially popular among Hoosier athletes and coaches. Local music acts often play on Buffa Louie’s stage while patrons enjoy chicken wings steeped their choice in 14 sauces.

*Sample Gates*

(Intersection of Indiana and Kirkwood avenues)

The Sample Gates, built in 1987, are the entrance to the oldest part of Indiana University’s campus, known as the Old Crescent. The gates are made of Indiana Limestone, a staple of most campus buildings, and Bloomington itself.

*Showalter Fountain Fine Arts Square*

(End of Seventh Street)

Showalter is located in the center of the Fine Arts Square, surrounded by the Auditorium, School of Fine Arts and the Lilly Library. In the center of the fountain is a sculpture of the goddess Venus’ birth from a clam shell, surrounded by dolphins. Many IU students swim in the fountain in the warmer months.

*Art Museum wall*

(1133 E. Seventh St.)

Located just to the northeast of Showalter Fountain, the IU Art Museum has an outdoor display of colored lights nightly. The multicolored light is projected from a tower onto the smooth limestone surface of the art museum’s exterior wall, providing a unique light show each night. Many students come here to put their feet up on the wall and relax for a while.

*The MAC*

(101 North Jordan Avenue)

The Musical Arts Center holds concerts and recitals every day of the week by and for IU’s 1,600-plus music majors. The Jacobs School of Music is considered one of the finest music schools in the nation, and is alma mater to many notable musicians, such as violinist Joshua Bell and composer Michael Sweeney.

*Arboretum*

(Intersection of 10th St. and Fee Lane)

The Indiana University Arboretum, located in the center of campus, may be comparable to the Main Quad in space, but does not have nearly the foot traffic, which makes for a quiet outdoor study space for students. The original Memorial Stadium once stood on these grounds.

*Indiana Memorial Union*

(900 E. Seventh St.)

The Union is a center of campus culture at IU. The Union includes a food court, bookstore, gift shop, movie theater, bowling alley, rec room and couches and chairs for study space. Each Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening during the school year, the Union Board shows a free movie to any ID-bearing student, $2 for non-IU students. Meetings, activities and events take place in the Union more often than not.

*Memorial Stadium*

(1001 E. 17th St.)

This stadium, which opened in 1960, replaced 1925’s original Memorial Stadium. After a 2003 renovation, the stadium holds 52,929 seats in a horseshoe design. In the north end zone stands “Hep’s Rock,” which stands as a memorial to former head coach Terry Hoeppner, who passed away from brain cancer in 2007.

*Kirkwood Avenue*

Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington’s answer to Green Street, boasts what is arguably a more cultural experience than Champaign’s with shops, restaurants, cafes and bars for the local and tourist alike. Unlike Champaign bars, the minimum age to enter a bar in Bloomington is 21.

*Nick’s English Hut*

(423 E. Kirkwood Ave.)

Nick’s has been in Bloomington for more than 80 years and as such is a staple among IU students and graduates alike. A common drinking game among Nick’s-goers is “Sink the Bismarck,” in which a group takes turns floating a highball glass in a bucket of beer.

*Kilroy’s on Kirkwood*

(502 E. Kirkwood Avenue)

Kilroy’s on Kirkwood and Kilroy’s sports bar are under the same ownership, but the Kirkwood bar is in a more central region of activity. General manager Joe Wagle said both bars are similar on game days. He said a popular event among students is “Kickoff at Kirkwood,” a free breakfast included with $5 cover and a Kilroy’s T-shirt.