Visiting Indiana University: A Parent’s Guide
Move-in, family weekend or graduation. How to make the trip a good one.
You are going to have a very nice lunch, walk campus, and then hit the part of the visit where nobody knows what to do next. This is a guide to that part.
The shape of a good visit
Campus in the morning, downtown in the afternoon, dinner on Kirkwood. The two ends of Kirkwood are a walk if the weather cooperates and a very short drive if it doesn’t.
Something that isn’t a meal
The hard part of a family visit is the unstructured hours, and food is not a plan — it’s a pause. An escape room gives you sixty minutes where everyone is doing the same thing and nobody is on their phone. Bring the roommates: rooms hold up to eight.
Which room for a family
DaVinci’s Workshop (5/10) is the gentlest. The Stolen Artifact (7/10) has no mobility requirements. Tiny House of Horrors (7/10) uses light and sound effects — no horror content, but worth knowing. Children 13 and under need an adult with them, and children 10 and under play free.
Move-in and family weekends
These are the busiest weekends of the year downtown. Book anything with a start time well in advance, and remember that Friday, Saturday and Sunday carry a 4-person minimum for private games.
Our hours
Monday to Thursday 12–8pm, Friday and Saturday 12–9pm, Sunday 12–7pm. Live availability is here.
Common questions
What is there to do with an IU student besides eat?
Downtown Bloomington is at the other end of Kirkwood Avenue from campus. Get Out: Bloomington has three escape rooms and an outdoor mystery inside Fountain Square Mall.
Is an escape room suitable for a mixed-age family?
Yes. The rooms contain no scary or horror content. Children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult, and children 10 and under play free.
Should we book ahead on move-in or family weekend?
Yes. Those are the busiest weekends of the year in downtown Bloomington.
Three rooms and an outdoor mystery.
Right inside Fountain Square on Kirkwood Avenue, a couple of minutes from campus.