Hi! We're coming from Iowa City for the Iowa/Indiana game on November 7th and looking for a place to stay Friday night. We want to go out in Bloomington and have ourselves a great night with our Big Ten brethren but are having trouble finding anywhere withing 30 minutes. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hotels for Iowa game?
- Thread starter RoseBowlB0und
- Start date
Unfortunately, hotel space in Bloomington is at a premium on football weekends. It usually requires a two-night stay and be prepared to pay premium price if anything is available. The closest options are Martinsville or Nashville, IN but there aren't a lot of rooms in those two communities. Your best bet may be Indy, about 45-50 minutes from Bloomington. I have friends who stay in Columbus when they come for IU football. Some hotel choices there, usually not over-priced. Reasonably easy trip to B-town (35 miles ne) but probably an extra hour drive from Iowa City. Southwest Indy near the airport (Plainfield area) might be your best option.
Also a heads-up, there is road construction on highway 37 between Martinsville and Bloomington (the main route from Indy) so allow extra time.
Good luck with reservations and glad to have you. Iowa fans are always gracious and great guests. I have a soft spot for the Hawkeyes, A.J. Edds is a former student of mine. Hope we can give you a competitive game.
I'll give everyone a tip about Martinsville:
The overpass on the south side (going over SR 39) is brutal on game day when heading south. Everything funnels into 1 lane. It's easily a 30 minute delay but likely won't be as bad now that the crowds will die down.
If you take Burton Lane and head east, that road will wind around parallel to 37 and you can connect back onto 37 south and bypass this overpass logjam. It only takes 5 mins.
The overpass on the south side (going over SR 39) is brutal on game day when heading south. Everything funnels into 1 lane. It's easily a 30 minute delay but likely won't be as bad now that the crowds will die down.
If you take Burton Lane and head east, that road will wind around parallel to 37 and you can connect back onto 37 south and bypass this overpass logjam. It only takes 5 mins.
These other posters are correct. If you don't have a reservation already, forget Bloomington. There is a slew of hotels on the southwest side of Indianapolis near the Kentucky Ave. (St. Rd. 67) exit on I-465. This is because of the proximity to the airport. Most of them are very nice. You can easily get on 67 and go to 39 and then on to 37 into Bloomington.
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Maybe check the IU Student Union as well...it's not listed on the travel websites, I don't think.
For what you're looking for (walk to bars, I assume), there are basically 4 options...Hilton Garden, Hyatt, Marriott, and the Union.
For what you're looking for (walk to bars, I assume), there are basically 4 options...Hilton Garden, Hyatt, Marriott, and the Union.
If ya wanna live large, drive about an hour, spend a little more, and maybe gamble, try French Lick Resort and West Baden Resort. 2 good golf courses there too - one by Donald Stinking Crown Greens Ross and one by Pete Stinking Sand Traps and Rolly Polly Greens Dye.
Was that Thankdgiving weekend? If so it's always easier to get rooms for that weekend, for whatever reason
This close to the event it's not surprising that you are not having much luck. You could touch base with the Monroe County Visitors Bureau, which keeps tabs on vacancies. As another poster mentioned, though, you may run into a two night minimum. One other tip which I learned when my son was an IU student in the late 1990s is to call the hotels/motels/B&Bs directly rather than use the 800 number or go online, because the establishment keeps a block of rooms for which it has control over reservations. I wish you well!
Since you're driving through Terre Haute (at least based on google maps) you could stay there Friday night and drive the hour over to Bloomington on Saturday a.m. along IN-46. There are several decent hotels near there based on the map I just looked at. Or you could try the Canyon Inn at McCormick's Creek State Park just east of Spencer, IN, along IN-46. That'd be about a half hour drive from the stadium. These options would work for a one night stay FRI-SAT.
See if this would work.
Go-IU-Win
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