10 Things Only People From Bloomington Understand

1. Just How Big A Little Race Can Be

The Little 500 is a bike race that is only little in name. In size and experience, it’s the Mount Everest of bike races. Since 1951, amateur Indiana University students have pedaled their way around the quarter-mile track while over 40,000 rowdy spectators cheer them on while stuffing their faces with as much food and alcohol as they can get their hands on.

2. But Everybody Knows It’s All About The Party

What always seems to make the bigger headlines and better stories than The Little 500 is the massive party that goes along with it (a.k.a. “The World’s Greatest College Weekend"), as it also marks the arrival of spring and the last big blow out before finals hell.

3. The Dalai Lama Dropping In For Family Reunions…No Big Deal

You know that feeling that you get when you’re having a new guest over and you can’t quite figure out what to wear and you’re very suddenly aware of how ugly your curtains are and the fact that you haven’t had your front bushes trimmed for the past three years? Well, take that feeling and multiply it by about 20 because that’s somewhere around what it feels like when the Dalai Lama comes to town for a visit.

4. Naughty Or Nice? Bloomington Prefers Naughty

The Naughty Dog beats any ballpark dog out of the … well, ballpark. The Dog Pound gets you a pound full of weinered deliciousness on your plate, or you can just order yourself up some dogs, piled to the nines in the various styles popular throughout the country, including the famous Chicago-style dog. Oh, and just a heads up that missing out on their amazing cheese fries is a huge mistake.

5. Laughing In The Attic

The Comedy Attic offers the perfectly intimate, brick-wall backdropped platform for anyone looking for a few laughs. The biggest names on the comedy circuit are always stopping by. And if you’ve ever had the itch but weren’t quite sure where to start, there are plenty of open mic nights available for you to sign up and channel your inner Seinfeld. No one’s judging. Okay, yes they are. But go for it, anyway.

6. Being The Broadway Of The Midwest

Bloomington has been doing theater right since 1922 when the Buskirk-Chumley Theater opened its doors as a vaudevillian theater and movie house. These days, folks in Bloomington get their theater fix at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, Theatre of the People, the Indiana University Department of Theater & Drama, and much more. The Ivy Tech Waldron Arts Center is a community arts venue offering multiple performances of their own, as well, helping to solidify Bloomington’s place on the list of places to enjoy the arts way, way off Broadway.

7. Happily Bringing PRIDE And Culture To Middle America

When you think progressive politics and gay-friendly places, chances are that Indiana isn’t the first place that comes to mind. But that’s only because you haven’t been schooled yet. Bloomington is almost shockingly progressive. It has, after all, the fifth largest LGBT population per capita in the country.

8. Buffalou Wings

Buffa-who? Buffa-Lou. Buffa Louie’s, that is. Buffa Louie’s is a Bloomington staple and tradition, offering up some of the best food in the area. And you don’t have to go just for the buffalo wings if you’re chowing down here, but you’ll want to, because they’re the best you’ll find short of Buffalo. There’s a reason why the shirts remind you that You Can’t Beat Louie’s Meat.

9. Students Popping Up Like A Game Of Whack-A-Mole

Bloomingtonians resent the implication that their home is run by students. They’re not nearly as into the whole hoosier scene as the rest of the state tends to be, and they get a little bit annoyed at the constant influx of new faces that pop up as freshman, drink too much, leave trash all over others’ front lawns, then leave after four years.

10. How To Get Your Quaff On

What, you don’t know how to Quaff on? To quaff means to “drink heartily and with gusto.” It’s what everyone in B-Town has been recovering from since the Little 500. And they know there’s no better place for it than at Quaff On! This taproom offers 24 taps and a menu catered around the beer selections to make the most of your tasting experience. Quaff away! Did we miss anything? Tell us what you think is unique about Bloommington in the comments below!