BEAD District Character Areas

BEAD is one district comprised of ten distinct character areas; each with a personality all its own.

B-Line Trail:

This linear park and trail through the heart of downtown offers a walk, stroll, run and ride dotted with seating areas, historical and informational markers and other amenities. For BEAD, it is literally the ARTery, with public art all along the trail, pumping artistic and creative inspiration throughout the rest of the District. Learn more about the B-Line Trail.

Youth Area:

This section of the B-Line Trail between W. Kirkwood Avenue and W. Fourth Street is anchored by the WonderLab Museum of Health, Science & Technology which infuses the area with a sense of playfulness all its own. A sweeping plaza highlighted by the museum's educational green space, the Wonder Garden, welcomes all to experience the youthful energy created here.

City Commons:

The City Commons area features vibrant common space anchored by City Hall in the historic saw-tooth-roofed building of the former Showers Brothers Furniture Factory. It's not just public art that's available here, but also the constant democratic exchange of ideas as well as the bustle of local commerce. The City Hall Atrium Art Gallery Enjoy rotating selections of works from local artists at the City Hall Atrium Art Gallery or permanent sculptures such as limestone fountain Bloomington Waters and B-Line signature sculpture Bloomington Banquet. From April through November, City Commons becomes the place to be each Saturday morning when local farmers and artisans sell produce and handmade arts and crafts while local performers provide the score to Bloomington's nationally recognized Community Farmers' Market. In addition to the marketplace of ideas taking shape inside City Hall each day, Plaza oneA along the B-Line Trail is an open "stage" where visitors may happen upon anything from an impromptu soapbox speech or a one-person musical show. BEAD's City Commons, inspired by the notion that public space should be the epicenter of community dialogue and activity, showcases a progressive Bloomington supported by an expressive arts culture.

Festival Streets:

Festival Streets are interwoven throughout BEAD and feature a wide range of events both scheduled and spontaneous. The Tuesday Farmers' Market - a weekday version of Bloomington's successful Saturday Community Farmers Market - is a perfect afternoon stop on the Madison Festival Street for going-home commuters and visitors. Each Fall, the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival and the 4th Street Festival of the Arts fill up BEAD's Festival Streets. Watch year-round for the occasional street dance or block party in celebration of Bloomington's own music and street scene.

Show District:

Anchored by the historic Buskirk-Chumley Theater, the John Waldron Arts Center and the Bloomington Playwrights Project, and infused with many other local and legendary entertainment venues such as The BlueBird nightclub, it's easy to find a live performance in the Show District. It might be the City's own Lunch with the Arts series with noontime live music on the Courthouse Square, or a theatrical production by Cardinal Stage Company, or a favorite bluegrass trio performing at Max's Pizza. Whatever the performance, it's live and it's here.

Market District:

This is shopping Bloomington-style! Pedestrian-friendly and peppered with plenty of fine dining or café-style eateries to duck into for more fuel, the Market District features everything from art galleries to tattoo parlors, bookstores to frame stores, clothiers to piano sellers, and yoga studios to barber shops. In BEAD's Market District, visitors and residents find the latest trends and other odds and ends nestled in the historic framework of the downtown square.

Kirkwood Ave:

Kirkwood Avenue is where town meets gown. At one end of the Avenue is the Courthouse Square, at the other is the Sample Gates, the striking entrance into Indiana University's picturesque campus. The Kirkwood character extends beyond the Avenue itself and includes local hotspots on Sixth Street just north of Kirkwood Ave. Here, the spirit is eclectic, colorful and energetic. With history-making collegiate hangouts like Nick's English Hut and the Runcible Spoon Café interspersed with local and regional magnets like the Monroe County Public Library, the Monroe History Center and People's Park, the Kirkwood Avenue district holds plenty of nooks and crannies for the exchange of ideas and cultures. Too heady? An evening stroll, shopping for unusual gifts and the latest trends in clothing, stopping for a bite to eat and some people-watching - these are all ready-made Kirkwood Ave adventures too.

Restaurant Row:

Restaurant Row is the section of East 4th Street easily identified by the wafting smells of the diverse and delicious fare of several ethnic restaurants that have transformed bungalow homes into destination eateries.Tibet, India, Thailand, France, Italy, Greece, Ethiopia - these are just a few of the world cuisines that can be sampled in Restaurant Row. Each Labor Day weekend, the street is transformed as part of the 4th Street Festival of the Arts. Restaurateurs of the Row bring their most popular dishes to the sidewalk as artists from all over the country sell fine hand-crafted works of art from booths along the street.

Arts Row:

This emerging area centered around S. Rogers Street and W. Kirkwood Avenue offers an eclectic blend of cozy cafes, coffeehouses, antique shops and unique stops all nestled among historic bungalows that give the area a neighborly yet energetic vibe.

Arbor District:

Characterized by tree-lined Third Street Park, the Arbor District combines ample green space with humming artistic activity. The park's outdoor amphitheater showcases everything from outdoor festivals to movie screenings to live theatre with seating and play spaces that invite a prolonged visit. For the club scene, go no further than Rhino's All Ages Music Club, a regional destination for emerging and established young musicians, producers and fans. In 2010, Bloomington Transit's new station will locate here, making the Arbor District even more of a hub for downtown activity!

Center Corner:

Center Corner is literally at the crossroads of downtown where three of its busiest streets join: E. Third Street, S. College Avenue and S. Walnut Street. Visitors can choose to slow down the hustle and bustle to a leisurely pace on the B-Line Trail's elegant elevated pedestrian bridge or join in the buzz at street level, patronizing the shops and galleries that are making this corner of BEAD their new home. Bloomington's music scene comes alive nightly at The Players Pub where local musicians are showcased. The Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center is always in the mix with its year-round schedule of festivals, expos, performances and other special events.