Destination 7: Bloomington, Normal

Emily James
Aug 8, 2017
5 min read

Bloomington, Normal (BloNo) is where I currently live, and I love it here! There are so many different things to do locally in this town. It's nothing like the other places I've blogged about before because it's a much smaller area than those, but it's still a great place to visit. In this post I'm going to share with you the "tourism" that took place for me last week-even in my current town! Just because I'm from the area doesn't mean I'm not a tourist to certain places. Tourism is when you go somewhere that you normally wouldn't-or that isn't something you do on a day-to-day basis. Well, I went to the LoLo, Jesse McCartney, & TPain concert (Yes, I'm still a huge fan of J Mac). :)

Jesse McCartney was my first concert I'd ever been to in 4th grade, so when I found out he was coming to Bloomington, Normal, I knew I had to go! I used to always listen to TPain as a younger kid, too. I found out about this event through social media. Many people were sharing it to get the word out there. Anyone was welcome to come-student of Illinois State University (ISU) or not. The perk of being an ISU student was that you got a discount on the tickets. If you weren't an ISU student, you paid full price (which still wasn't too expensive). University Program Board was advertising when tickets went on sale. That was also being shared throughout Facebook. Ticket sales were first come first serve to ISU students, then a couple days later were advertised to the general public to buy. Tickets for an ISU student were $21.50. They were $30 to the general public. I bought my ticket the first day they went on sale. The concert was in the Braden Auditorium at the Bone Student Center located at S University St & W College Ave, Normal, IL. That is also where I bought the tickets from (pictured below).

I also bought Meet & Greet tickets which we available to the general public as well. A couple of my friends and I bought a package of 4 meet & greets for $40/person. (It was so worth it!!!!!) The pictures below are of me at the meet & greet on Oct 12, 2017. The other one is of my friends and I at his concert on May 10, 2005 at Rosemont Theatre. (True fan right there!)

Transportation/Parking:

Everything in BloNo is fairly close to each other (especially if you live on or near campus). I live 4 minutes from campus, so transportation was not an issue when it came time for the concert. My friends and I walked there, but there are many Uber drivers and taxi services that are always around for a decent price. If you were located off campus in BloNo, you could get to the Braden Auditorium very quickly. Parking isn't an issue when visiting a concert at the Braden Auditorium either. There is a big parking lot outside of the Bone Student Center that was available for the concert, along with two other parking lots that were right down the road. Admission to park was $10 per car. $10 is pretty cheap for parking, but to make it even cheaper, I would suggest fitting as many friends into one car as possible and splitting the cost.

Food:

If you're looking for a place to eat that is nearby the Braden Auditorium when you are attending a concert or show of some sort, you are in luck! First off, there are many really good places to eat in the Bloomington, Normal community, but what's even better, is there are quite a few places where you can eat before you watch the show that are in SAME building as the concert would be in! Convenient, right? There is a little grab-n-go shop where they have your typical gas station snacks/drinks, but if you're looking for an actual dinner, there is a Burger King, Pizza Hut, Einsteins, and McAlisters. None of these restaurants are fancy, but they'll all satisfy your hunger. Burger King has all sorts of burgers, chicken sandwiches/nuggets, fries, etc. Pizza Hut has different pizzas, breadsticks, and pastas. Einstens has muffins, bagels, fruits, yogurt, and

coffee, and last but not least, McAlisters is my favorite! They have a variety of different soups, salads, and sandwiches.

If you're looking to get a bite to eat on your way to the venue but nearby, there are plenty of places to eat on/near campus as well such as Jimmy Johns, Avantis, Chipotle, Noodles & Company, Meatheads, Potbelly, Buffalo Wild Wings (all located on the same street-Main St.), and DP Dough, La Bamba, Insomnia Cookies, Firehouse, and much much more! (located on the same street as well-Beaufort St.)

Bars/Pubs:

If you are into nightlife, there are many well-known bars located in the area. If you're a college student, you will have a lot of fun at the bars provided in BloNo. If you're not a college student, you'll still enjoy yourself. All of the bars listed below are extremely close to campus (where the concert/show is held). There are many, many more bars, too, but these are some where I've provided their address.

Fat Jacks-511 N Main St, Bloomington, IL

Kilarneys Irish Pub-523 N Main St, Bloomington, IL

Daddios-527 N Main St, Bloomington, IL

Drifters-612 N Main St, Bloomington, IL

Mulligans-531 N Main St, Bloomington, IL

Pub America-602 N Main St, Bloomington, IL

(All of the bars listed above are on the same street/strip of bars.)

Pub II-102 N Linden St, Normal, IL 61761

Maggie Miley's-126 E Beaufort St, Normal, IL 61761

Brewe-Has-102 S Linden St, Normal, IL 61761

(All of the bars listed above are in walking distance of each other.)

Each of these bars has a different special on drinks every night. On weekends, chances are, there will be a live band and/or DJ playing at one of these bars and the many others that aren't listed.

For example, this week at Daddios:

Thursday-Drink special: $1 Pitchers, $2 Shots/Mixers/Beers, and $3 Top Shelf with a $5 cover charge to see DJ Andy Sommers,

Friday-no cover charge, DJ Tuggs, with $3 Epic Flavored Vodka Mixers, $3 Cherry Bombs

Saturday-Milk n Cooks performs with a $5 cover charge along with the drink specials of $3 Epic Flavored Vodka Mixers, and $3 Cherry Bombs.

Hotels:

There are many different places to stay in the BloNo area. If you're looking for the hotels that are close to the Braden Auditorium, there are plenty!

Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center-201 Broadway, Normal, IL (4.5 stars)

Hyatt Place Bloomington-Normal-200 Broadway, Normal, IL (4.5 stars)

These are the two closest hotels to the venue. There are many more located around the Bloomington, Normal area, but these would be the most efficient ones if you're looking to save money with transportation and not having to drive home (if you're not from around the area). They both have received great ratings with good hospitality, big rooms, cleanliness, etc.