Will & Maggie’s Wedding
Location (and how to get there)
The wedding cermony will be held at 5:00 at Lake Monroe Village, with the reception immediately following at the same location. Lake Monroe Village is located at 8107 S. Fairfax Road, southeast of Bloomington. Guests are welcome to come early and enjoy the trails and fall colors. There will be changing rooms available for anyone who wishes to change clothes before or after the ceremony. Dinner will feature locally grown organic chicken as well as vegan options.
Travel
Bloomington is located about 50 miles southwest of Indianapolis, which is the site of the closest airport. Please contact us if you’re interested in carpooling. There is a shuttle service offered through Bloomington Shuttle that runs nine times a day for about $25/person. They also rent limousines (which can be cheaper for a large group). The shuttle service will only get you to the north side of Bloomington or the IU campus but we would be happy to drive folks out to Lake Monroe Village from there.
Bloomington is a medium-sized college town and it’s pretty easy to navigate except that there are a lot of one-way streets. Don’t panic; people are generally friendly and happy to help you out with directions. There is a public transporation system in town but it’s not wonderful.
Lodging
Lake Monroe Village has lots of campsites and a limited number of cabins available for rent. We have reserved one large building that sleeps about 20, for anyone who is comfortable with a bit of a bunkhouse atmosphere (or any campers who get caught in bad weather).
Wampler House Bed and Breakfast is probably the next closest option, about five miles up the road.
There are a variety of hotels and B&Bs in Bloomington, mostly either downtown or just north of campus. I’m afraid we haven’t stayed in any of them and can’t give strong recommendations but there is an inclusive list at visitbloomington.com. The option that intrigues Maggie the most is staying in one of the yurt-like retreat cottages at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center. They look pretty nice.
What to do (besides the wedding)
Oliver Winery - Located about ten miles north of Bloomington on State Road 37, this is a very beautiful and pleasant place to sample some pretty decent wine.
Butler Winery has pretty good wine and they have tasting room in downtown Bloomington. They also have a tasting room at one of their vineyards out towards Lake Lemon if you’re interested in a driving adventure.
The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market is the best place to be on Saturday mornings from 9:00 until 1:00 at the Showers Plaza. In the peak of summer there are over 100 vendors peddling their locally grown goodies, everything from flowers to honey to lamb to wheat to Asian melons. In October there should be fresh apple cider, many varieties of pumpkins, and the last of the summer crops to enjoy.
Lake Monroe - One of the largest manmade lakes in the Midwest, Lake Monroe is a nice place for swimming or boating. There are several access points, most of them about a twenty minute drive from Bloomington.
Indiana University - The IU campus features beautiful limestone buildings and several wooded areas that are quite nice for walking around on a lazy weekend. There are also several museums around the university, including the Wiley House (historic home of the first IU president) and the Lilly Library (an impressive rare book library).
Disc Golf - There are three disc golf courses in Bloomington. A long course with trees is offered at Karst Farm Park on the far west side of Bloomington. A small hilly course is located at Crestmont Park on the north side. The long course we use most often is at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church.
Where to eat (besides the wedding reception)
Bloomington is full of great restaurants, especially if you like ethnic food.
Fourth Street hosts a wide variety of international cuisines including Turkish (Anatolia) and Tibetan (Snow Lion or Little Tibet).
Will’s favorite restaurant is probably Esan Thai on Lincoln and Kirkwood (basically 5th Street).
We also often eat at Gratzie’s Italian Restaurant on the courthouse square (6th & College).
For a quick inexpensive meal, try a burrito from Laughing Planet on Kirkwood.
For some locally brewed beer and an excellent buffalo burger, visit Upland Brewery on west 11th Street.
We also often go to Dats on 4th Street for piles of cheap Cajun cooking.
And our favorite dessert option remains The Chocolate Moose, a tiny little roadside ice cream stand featuring handmade sweet treets (cash only) on Walnut Street, between 2nd and 3rd Streets.
Dress
Clothes are mandatory. Apart from that, you should dress so that you’ll be comfortable. We (the bride and groom) will be dressed up pretty formally but we are happy to have our guests come as they are.
Other Resources
Here’s a link to our alternative gift registry .