Local Sights
The Bloomington/Normal area is home to many household names, such as State Farm and Beer Nuts. It is also the home of interesting history, sports and the arts.
Here are some things you can see and do while in the Bloomgington/Normal area.
See also the
B/N web guide
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Grave of Carl & Julia Scott Vrooman |
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| Carl was US Secretary of Agriculture under Woodrow Wilson, and he along with his wife Julia owned the mansion where Melinda and I are getting married, i.e. "The Vrooman Mansion". | |
| David Davis Mansion | |
| Judge David Davis was a close friend, mentor, and legal and political ally of Abraham Lincoln. After becoming President, Lincoln appointed Davis to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1862. You can also visit his grave | |
| Ewing Manor | |
| Another historical mansion site; when it was built it was on the edge of town, showing just how much Bloomington has grown since then! | |
| Grave of Adlai E Stevenson I | |
| Vice President of the U.S. | |
| Grave of Adlai E Stevenson II | |
| Illinois Governor, U.S. Presidential candidate, Ambassador, etc. Bob's grade school was named after him. | |
| Kathryn Beich Candies | |
| This is the fundraising candy that you're all probably familiar with, made right in my home town. When I was a kid, they used to do tours of the candy plant. Now that Nestle owns them, though, who knows if they still do? They don't provide an address to their plant, so I'm guessing not... :( | |
| Beer Nuts | |
| Mmmm... Beer Nuts. Yep, made right in Bloomington. | |
| State Farm Corporate Offices | |
| The life-blood of Bloomington. | |
| Prairie Aviation Museum | |
| Planes, planes and more planes. | |
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McLean County Museum of History |
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| Interesting stuff, including lynchings! | |
| Miller Park & Zoo | |
| Info on Miller Park Zoo, featuring red wolves, bald eagles, ZooLab, the Wallaby Walk-About, snow leopards, sun bears and much more, nestled inside of Miller Park. Miller Park, complete with a railroad workers memorial, several war memorials, a kids play area, and a large lake, is also a nice place for a picnic! You may also enjoy driving around the surrounding area where you are met with brick paved streets lined with trees and long standing houses. | |
| McLean County Arts Center | |
| "[The] Arts Center presents approximately twelve exhibitions yearly, including the annual Holiday Treasures exhibition and the annual Amateur Competition and Exhibition which for over 70 years has showcased the best amateur artists from the region." | |
| East Washington Street | |
| Drive down a street lined with huge, beautiful trees and mansions. | |
| Constitution Trail | |
| Bring your bikes for a nice ride through town. | |
| Normal Theater | |
| Nice historic theater renovated by a non-profit organization. | |
To get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.
-- Mark Twain