Three Favorite Spots to Photograph in Bloomington, Indiana

My recent trip to Bloomington led to several amazing places to photograph, despite my main goal being to acquire a food coma from international cuisine as quickly as possible. Let me share with you the three places I recommend exploring while you are in town!

Read about my favorite (and least favorite) restaurants here!

Let’s just jump into it!

Downtown Square

Without a doubt, there are plenty of amazing spots to photograph (and shop/eat) right in the heart of the city. The Square features the stunning Courthouse, the beautiful exterior of the Fountain Square Mall, and the awesome Indiana Theater sign outside of Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

Aerial of Courthouse and The Square

Iconic Indiana Theater Sign

Ceiling of Courthouse

Mandatory Telephone Pole shot

Wide Angle of Courthouse Interior

Stunning Fountain Square Mall Exterior

View of Courthouse from sidewalk

Indiana University Campus

Bloomington is known for its stunning IU Campus, which is a pretty large area of forest and campus buildings to explore and photograph. Sample Gates is its iconic entrance and a great place to start! It is on the far western side and leads into the entire campus. I also had fun checking out the Kirkwood Observatory, Dunn’s Woods, and walking over to the Metz Bicentennial Grand Carillon, which had plenty of great places to see along the way.

Sample Gates

Franklin Hall

I'll just leaf this here

Metz Bicentennial Grand Carillon

Indiana University Bookstore

Stunning tree on campus

Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center

This is last on my list here, but literally the OPPOSITE of my least favorite. A stunning place to explore and relax, and did I mention it's FREE? It is a great experience for all ages! I enjoyed going here alone and had a wonderful time in the refreshing, early morning air as I took a peaceful walk around the entire property. The monk there was extremely kind and let me go into the shrine before they opened. Their gift shop is worth a visit as well!

See my Tiktok on the Cultural Center

Resting Buddhist Statue

Statue among gardens

Pink flowers surround statue

Mani Korlo

View in 360

Mani Korlo

Chorten II

Inside Chamtse Ling Temple

Orchids in Temple

Prayer Flags

Statue in the woods with offerings

View over Lotus Pond

Lotus Flowers

Beautiful potted plants

Bonsai tree with geodes

Tree stump covered in tiny fungi

Detail of fungi covering tree log

In Summary

That’s that! Between this blog and my previous one about food in Bloomington, you’ve got an excellent trip ready to go! If you’ve been to Bloomington or are from Bloomington, what is one of your favorite places to see? Let me know in the comments below, especially if it's somewhere I haven’t mentioned yet!