Buckner Caves and surroundings
by DSwede
Buckner Cave (formerly Blair or Saltpeter Cave) and the surrounding caves, like Trapdoor or Salamander, are frequented by locals and students.
In the 80's and 90's, they were freely open to the public. I should know, I used to visit the caves when I went to college near there. But due to the immature nature of many vandals, the caves have become restricted. There is an intense cleaning effort underway, and thankfully the caves are looking healthy again.
Richard Blenz owns the cave and resides in the house at the end of the street. The cave has roughly 3 miles of passages. It is a dry cave, meaning that even though you may encounter ground water, it is generally safe in rainy weather (will not flood).
Due to the vandalism and cleanup efforts, it is now required to get prior authorization to the caves. email the address below at least one week in advance. They will send you some liability disclaimers. Once they have them returned, you will be given the combination for the lock, and thereby granted access. The combination changes approximately every month.
Many of the rooms have names, such as the Air Force Room (large enough to park planes in it), the Volcano Room, the Monument Room (with a large flowstone stalagmite), and the Signature Room. The Signature Room got its name due to "L.V. Cushing" and date "1775" being etched. Unfortunately those are not visible anymore.
Rules of the cave: http://www.indiana.edu/~iusc/caving.html
For some good caving tips: http://poc.purdue.org/caving.php Helmet is required
3 sources of light are required
sturdy clothing/boots/food are recommended
Groups of 3 or more are required.
Only solo or groups of 2 are allowed with prior authorization.
A good town for eating
by gkitzmil about there are many LOCAL restaurants here...
You'll find MANY restaurants in Bloomington. The one at left is Nick's, SEE BELOW. But you'll find many international cuisines + some of the best burgers around at either Nick's or Opie Taylors.
Nick's is one of my favorites as I like their style of pizza with cold (American) beer! It reminds me of a German kneipe for those who've had that experience.
But that is the beauty of Bloomington there are many local restaurants. Here's a guide to local Bloomington Restaurant Menus ---> http://www.bloomingtonwebguide.com/food.htm#RESTAURANTS
Here's a LIST
by gkitzmil about Lots of places to eat
NOTE: there are many places on this list where you can find vegetarian selections. One more is the Laughing Planet on Kirkwood
.
Chi-Chi's (Mexican) - 2550 E. 3rd St. (812) 333-1781
La Charreada (Mexican) - 1710 N. Walnut (812) 332-2343
Grisanti's (Italian) - 850 Auto Mall Rd. (812) 339-9391
Mark Pi's (Chinese) - 3020 E. 3rd St. (812) 323-1688
Snow Lion (Tibetian) - 113 S. Grant St. (812) 336-0835
Siam House (Thai) - 430 E. 4th St. (812) 311-1233
Trojan Horse (Greek) - 100 E. Kirkwood (812) 332-1101
Steaks and Seafood
Janko's Little Zagreb - 223 W. 6th St. (812) 332-0694
Outback Steakhouse - 3201 W. 3rd St. (812) 330-1018
Colorado Steakhouse - 1800 N. College (812) 339-9979
Red Lobster - 2617 E. 3rd St. (812) 332-9712
Casual:
Applebee's - 2894 E. 3rd St. (812) 336-9147
Chili's - 2811 E. 3rd St. (812) 334-0535
Encore Cafe - 316 W. 6th St. (812) 333-7312
Malibu Grill - 106 N. Walnut (812) 332-4334
and many more!!!
Bloomington - It's home now
by BindereDundat
"Bloomington"
Bloomington is a cosmopolitan city with a small town feel. The air of college sophistication contrasts the rugged scenery and small town friendliness. This is a good place to stay for a southern Indiana visit.