The quest for a perfect photo to post on Instagram is truly an art. In Bloomington, we're lucky to be surrounded by a variety of photogenic spaces that keep both locals and visitors exploring, seeking inspiration through the lens. If you're on the hunt for some aesthetically pleasing B-Town shots for the 'Gram, scroll on.
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Amy Weingartner Branigin Peninsula
The Amy Weingartner Branigin Peninsula is Bloomington's most unique trail — it's a mile-long peninsula that juts out into Monroe Lake. It's a rewarding hike for several reasons: the views are incredible, the exercise is great for you, and you're able to capture a 12/10 shot for the 'Gram.
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Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve
Beanblossom Bottoms is another beautiful nature destination in Monroe County. The wetland habitat is home to an array of wildflowers, birds, and endangered species. The tangled, overgrown nature preserve is truly stunning — you feel like you're stepping into nature as it once was long ago: totally uninterrupted.
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B-Line Trail
What makes the B-Line so photo-worthy is the various downtown destinations it winds through and by: Switchyard Park, Hopscotch Coffee, Le Petit Cafe, the Community Farmers' Market, WonderLab Museum... We could go on, but we think you get the picture. (Pun 100% intended.)
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Buskirk-Chumley Theater
The Bus-Chum was once a silent movie house, erected on Kirkwood Avenue in 1922. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the theater is now primarily a venue for musical, performing arts, and other touring acts. Its vintage sign is its standout feature — capture it yourself next time you're in B-Town.
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Butler Winery
Butler Winery is Indiana's fourth oldest winery, located right here in Bloomington. Its charming grounds make for the perfect Instagram backdrop — raise your glass of wine in front of the growing grapevines, or smile for a photo with your crew on their patio.
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Dunn Woods
Dunn Woods is one of the most beautiful spots on IU's campus, especially during fall. The grand trees, the winding brick sidewalks, and the charm of old IU make for a gorgeous nature shot to share on Instagram.
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Fountain Square Mall
One side of Fountain Square Mall is painted a pretty pink shade, which makes for a great backdrop any time of year, but the wall really pops during summer when all of the windowsill planters are in full bloom. If you capture only the wall and nothing else, it looks like a scene out of Greece!
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Fourth Street
Fourth Street is known as International Restaurant Row due to its many restaurants that serve international cuisine. You can find authentic Korean, Turkish & Mediterranean, Thai, Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, Burmese, and Japanese cuisine on this colorful, culturally diverse street — both the food and the restaurants make for great Instagram photos.
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Graduate Bloomington Hotel
The Graduate is Bloomington's most unique hotel — its entire design is inspired by the culture of Bloomington, Indiana University, and Indiana. Its decor is definitely a contributing factor to its Instagrammability (that's a word, right?), but they also offer an incredible view of downtown from their Jack & Diane Terrace, a funky mural on one side of their building, and shelves lined with kitschy cookie jars in their Poindexter Cafe.
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Griffy Lake Nature Preserve
Griffy Lake offers kayaking & canoeing, fishing, hiking, paddleboarding, picnicking, and even ice skating. These activities, along with its scenic lake and wooded views, make it a great B-Town destination to capture for the 'Gram in any season.
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Hickory Ridge Fire Tower
The Hickory Ridge Fire Tower is one of the most popular destinations as far as Bloomington photo ops go. The tower is 110 feet tall and offers a view of the Hoosier National Forest like no other. Those who are afraid of heights may face a challenge with the 133-step staircase, but we promise that the view is well worth the climb.
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Indiana Memorial Union
Almost every corner & crevice of IU is photo-worthy, but the IMU is near the top of the list. With three floors of interesting shops and lounges, as well as gorgeous views all the way around its 500,000 square-foot exterior, you'll have enough photos to create a dedicated Indiana Memorial Union IG account.
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Indiana University Biology Greenhouse
The Biology Greenhouse is a B-Town destination everyone should visit at least once. Home to rainforest, desert, and insectivorous plants from around the globe, the greenhouse transports you to lands far from Indiana and provides plenty of photo opportunities for the 'Gram.
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Kirkwood Avenue
While there are specific places on Kirkwood that are top-notch photo spots, like the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and Graduate Hotel, the entire avenue is also worth capturing. It's almost a Bloomington rite of passage to shoot a photo looking down the iconic street from either Sample Gates or The Square.
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Leonard Springs Nature Preserve
Leonard Springs is a beautiful nature preserve that features two caves, a spring, and an abundance of forestry. Visitors and locals love to capture photos of the caves, the spring, and the wooded staircase on the Leonard Springs Trail.
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Monroe County Courthouse
Located in the heart of downtown, the Monroe County Courthouse is one of the most popular photo destinations in town. Photographers, visitors, and locals all love to share their shots of the historic courthouse on Instagram — its beauty can't be denied!
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Monroe Lake
The largest lake in Indiana resides in beautiful Bloomington, and it offers tons of incredible views to share on Instagram. Whether you're boating, beaching, hiking, camping, biking, or fishing, there's a great photo opportunity available on every shore of Monroe Lake.
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Oliver Winery
Oliver Winery is one of the nation's most renowned wineries, and its grounds are just as incredible as its wine. With beautiful landscaping, a sweeping patio, and a pond nestled in the valley of their wooded grounds, Oliver looks like a secret garden that you'll definitely want to share on the 'Gram.
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Sample Gates
If you can only take photos at one spot on Indiana University's campus, it has to be at Sample Gates. The most iconic and most photographed feature of the campus is something that all visitors, regardless of if they attended IU or not, feel a sentimental connection to. It's a 15/10 shot for any Instagram feed.
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Showalter Fountain
But if you can walk around campus and take more photos, definitely make sure Showalter Fountain is on your list! The fountain is known for its legendary missing fish (look it up if you're not familiar with the story) and stands in front of the IU Auditorium, offering a stunning view of the Fine Arts Square for your camera to capture.
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The Square
Much like Kirkwood Avenue, The Square offers a few specific locations worth capturing, but is photo-worthy as a whole as well. Shoot a photo with your camera looking down any of its four streets for a great downtown shot, capture a pic of the many visually-captivating storefronts, or shoot from a street corner to capture the Courthouse and as much of The Square as possible.
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Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center
The TMBCC is dedicated to fostering, preserving, and sharing the Tibetan & Mongolian cultures with the Bloomington community and the United States as a whole. Their grounds offer many beautiful views of cultural architecture, decor, and design that make you feel like you've been transported to Asia. It's Bloomington's most unique place to visit, and you'll definitely want to capture photos of your experience.
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Want to see your most Instagrammable B-Town photos in one of the galleries above? Post your Bloomington shots on IG using #visitbtown and you just might find it here in the future!