Bloomington-Normal Area Convention & Visitors BureauBN Life
Tours
The Funk Prairie Home Museum has re-opened their doors for public tours! Come enjoy and learn more about the history of the Funk family and all of their political and agricultural accomplishments in McLean County. What began as a wedding gift from LaFayette Funk to his wife Elizabeth in 1864 has grown into one of […]
Viewers of the PBS show Downton Abbey are highly anticipating the release of the film, which comes out this weekend. The show followed the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and those of their servants. Its period costumes, old fashioned romance and lack of texting and tweeting provided a haven for viewers looking to escape […]
With so many Christmas-themed events happening in the Bloomington-Normal area, it’s easy to get into the holiday spirit! Christmas is the perfect season to spend time with your family, friends and loved ones. Uptown Normal, Downtown Bloomington and all of our attractions will fill you with the spirit of the season. The McLean County […]
From delicious food to important moments in history Avanti’s Italian Restaurant You don’t need to travel across the pond to try some classic Italian food. Avanti’s has been serving Italian dishes to the BN community since it was founded here in 1971. But it’s most famous menu item is the gondola: ham, salami, cheese […]
While most summer activities are meant to be enjoyed outside, sometimes the warm weather can be too hot to handle. The entire Midwest is suffering a heat wave, and temperatures are skyrocketing to dangerous heights. During a heat advisory, the best place to be in indoors. Take a look at our suggestions for fun things […]
The work that the travel and tourism industry does is vital to the economy. In 2017, Bloomington-Normal had 220,000 visitors and 44,611 hotel room nights, which generated an economic impact of $6,959,316. For every $1 of hotel tax received, $10.04 was returned to the local economy. Nationally, tourism is a $2.1 trillion industry. The industry […]
Listen to Your Art Look deeper into Bloomington-Normal’s culture scene and you’ll find a thriving, vibrant arts community. More than 20 art galleries offer a stunning variety of art, from studio crafts, to glass, photography, folk art, textiles and jewelry. Most of the galleries are located in Downtown Bloomington within a half-mile radius of Museum […]
Few places in Illinois played a more important role in shaping Lincoln’s political success than Bloomington-Normal. It was home to some of Lincoln’s closest friends and colleagues, including Jesse Fell and David Davis, and its residents became some of his most important backers on his pursuit of national office. The Looking for Lincoln Tour offers […]
Esquire called it “a work of genius.” The New York Times said that it was “the greatest novel to finish a century yet.” At 1,079 pages, Infinite Jest is not a novel of few words. Its author, David Foster Wallace, was full of them. Before his death at age 46, Wallace wrote three novels, three […]
