IU Bloomington, IU Indianapolis, Butler and Indiana State in 3 Days: An Indiana Drive Trip
A parent-first plan for seeing Indiana University Bloomington, IU Indianapolis, Butler University and Indiana State University from one hotel in downtown Indianapolis: official tour sign-ups, visitor parking at every campus, meals between tours, things for siblings and weather by season.
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
Check before you go. Tour times, sign-up rules, parking and seasonal closures change often, sometimes weekly. Every campus section below links to that school's official visit page and shows when we last checked it. Confirm there before you book or drive. College Visit Guides is not affiliated with or endorsed by any college or university. Names are used only to identify them.
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
Indiana University Indianapolis · Butler University, Indianapolis · Indiana University Bloomington · Indiana State University, Terre Haute
Days
3: IU Indianapolis and Butler on the same day, then IU Bloomington, then Indiana State before you fly home. Arrive the day before.
Fly into
Indianapolis International Airport (IND), about 27 minutes and 14 miles from the hotel with no traffic.
Best base
Courtyard by Marriott Indianapolis Downtown, about a 19-minute walk from IU Indianapolis's Campus Center.
Car or transit
Plan on a car: Butler is about 6 miles from the hotel, Bloomington about 50 and Terre Haute about 77.
Registration
All four schools take visit registration online. Butler's registration closes the day before, and each visiting student registers separately.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to see four Division I universities in central Indiana in one trip: IU Indianapolis and Butler in Indianapolis, Indiana University in Bloomington and Indiana State in Terre Haute.
Instead of changing hotels, you sleep downtown in Indianapolis every night. IU Indianapolis and Butler share a day, Bloomington is about an hour south, and Terre Haute is about an hour and a half west, on the same side of town as the airport.
Why this order
Day 1: IU Indianapolis's campus visit is about 90 minutes, a 15-minute admissions presentation and a 60-minute walking tour. Butler's Info Session with Campus Tour is a 30-minute information session and a 75-minute tour with a current student, about 14 minutes away by car.
Day 2: IU Bloomington's Discover IU visit is a 45-minute presentation at the Office of Admissions Welcome Center, then a 75–90-minute student-led walking tour.
Day 3: Indiana State lets you register for a Visit Day or schedule a personal tour for your family.
Book IU Indianapolis in the morning and Butler in the afternoon
The two campuses are about 14 minutes and 6 miles apart by car with no traffic.
IU Indianapolis's visit takes about 90 minutes and Butler's about 1 hour 45 minutes, so check both calendars for a morning slot downtown and an afternoon slot at Butler before you book. Butler recommends registering at least two weeks ahead.
Tour availability varies by season.
IU Indianapolis also offers a Spanish-language visit on select Thursdays.
Butler's Holcomb Observatory holds weekend public shows on select dates; more dates are posted as they're added.
Butler's garage switches to a $15 event rate for Clowes Hall events of more than 400 people, football games and men's basketball games.
Newfields offers free general admission to veterans and active-duty service members on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, and pay-what-you-wish admission on the first Thursday of every month.
2. The suggested 3-day plan
Drive and walk times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, using addresses geocoded with OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Rush hour around Indianapolis and winter weather can make them longer.
IU says Bloomington is in the Eastern Time Zone and observes daylight saving time.
Indiana State says Terre Haute is 60 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
Arrival day: fly into Indianapolis and check in downtown
IND → Courtyard Indianapolis Downtown (601 W. Washington St.)
Driving (no traffic)
~27 min, 13.7 mi (routing estimate)
Walking
Drive (rental car)
Hotel → Indianapolis Zoo (1200 W. Washington St.)
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Walking
~20 min walk, 0.9 mi
Check-in is at 4 pm and check-out is at 11 am. The minimum age to check in is 21.
The hotel has no airport shuttle. It's in the Marriott IndyPlace complex, steps from White River State Park, Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indianapolis Zoo.
Day 1: IU Indianapolis, then Butler
Hotel → IU Indianapolis Campus Center (420 University Blvd.)
Driving (no traffic)
~6 min, 1.5 mi to the Vermont Street Garage
Walking
~19 min walk, 0.9 mi
IU Indianapolis → Butler, Robertson Hall area (4600 Sunset Ave.)
Driving (no traffic)
~14 min, 5.8 mi
Walking
Drive
Butler → Newfields (4000 Michigan Rd.)
Driving (no traffic)
~7 min, 2.0 mi
Walking
~34 min walk, 1.6 mi
Butler → hotel
Driving (no traffic)
~13 min, 6.2 mi
Walking
Drive
IU Indianapolis's Office of Admissions is in Campus Center Room 255. If you drive, park on the east side of the Vermont Street Garage, attached to the Campus Center.
Butler visits begin in Robertson Hall, the only red-brick building on campus with a steeple. Your confirmation email says where to park.
Day 2: Indiana University Bloomington
Hotel → Forrest Avenue Garage (1015 E. 11th St., Bloomington)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 6 min, 50.4 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Walking
Drive
Forrest Avenue Garage → Welcome Center, Ernie Pyle Hall (940 E. Seventh St.)
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Walking
~11 min walk, 0.5 mi
Ernie Pyle Hall → Eskenazi Museum of Art (1133 E. Seventh St.)
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Walking
~4 min walk, 0.2 mi
Bloomington → hotel
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 5 min, 50.2 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Walking
Drive
Allow 30 minutes to park, walk to the Welcome Center and check in. Parking validation for the Forrest Avenue Garage is available at check-in.
Household pets can't join any part of the visit; service animals are welcome.
Day 3: Indiana State in Terre Haute, then the airport
Hotel → Indiana State University (200 N. Seventh St., Terre Haute)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 32 min, 76.6 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Walking
Drive
Indiana State → IND
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 24 min, 68.4 mi (routing estimate)
Walking
Drive
Visitor parking is $2 an hour or $12 for 12 hours in the ISU Parking Garage at 8th and Cherry streets or the West Visitor Pay Lot on Chestnut Street between 4th and 5th. Pay by card when you leave; no cash or Apple Pay.
Check out of the hotel before you leave; check-out is at 11 am.
3. Campus by campus
Campus Center, IU Indianapolis (Oct 2025). Photo: Walkaboutwithcamera · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
The standard daily visit is a 30-minute information session with an admission counselor, then a 75-minute campus tour with a current student.
Butler recommends registering at least two weeks ahead, and every visiting student needs a separate registration.
Visits begin in Robertson Hall, the only red-brick building on campus with a steeple.
Visitor parking
Admission visitors park in the Sunset Avenue Parking Garage or in front of Robertson Hall; your confirmation email has the details.
In the garage, under an hour is free, then $2 up to 90 minutes, $3 after 90 minutes, $4 after 2 hours and $5 after 3 hours. Credit cards only, no American Express.
Getting there
About 14 minutes from IU Indianapolis and 13 minutes back to the hotel by car with no traffic.
What to know
Newfields, home of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and its garden, is about 7 minutes away by car. Holcomb Observatory, on the north end of campus, holds public shows on select weekend dates.
Contact
Admission: 317-940-8121, visit@butler.edu
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Discover IU is a 45-minute presentation at the Office of Admissions Welcome Center, followed by a 75–90-minute student-led walking tour.
You can add an information session with an academic school when you register. You can also see a sample residence hall room at Collins Living Learning Center.
Start at the Office of Admissions Welcome Center in historic Ernie Pyle Hall, 940 E. Seventh St.
Visitor parking
Admissions visitors park in the Forrest Avenue Garage, 1015 E. 11th St., and get parking validation at check-in.
Garage visitor rates run from $3 for up to an hour to $30 for the day.
Getting there
About 1 hour 6 minutes and 50 miles from the hotel by car with no traffic.
If you'd rather not drive, IU says GO Express Travel runs between the Indianapolis airport and Bloomington.
What to know
The Eskenazi Museum of Art, about a 4-minute walk from the Welcome Center, is always free.
Register for a Visit Day, or schedule a personal tour for you and your family, from the visit calendar.
Indiana State also offers a 360° virtual tour of its 435-acre downtown campus.
Visitor parking
Visitors can park in the ISU Parking Garage at 8th and Cherry streets or the West Visitor Pay Lot for $2 an hour or $12 for 12 hours, paid by Visa, Mastercard or Discover when you leave.
A $5 guest permit from Parking Services, 218 N. 6th St., covers any regular surface lot for the day.
Getting there
About 1 hour 32 minutes and 77 miles from the hotel, and about 1 hour 24 minutes to IND, with no traffic.
What to know
Indiana State points visitors to the Sycamore Dining Hall, George's Café and a Starbucks on campus.
One hotel for every night means no repacking. Bloomington and Terre Haute are both day trips from downtown, and Terre Haute is on the airport side of town for your last day.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
In Indianapolis
Eat
The Bistro
Courtyard Indianapolis Downtown, 601 W. Washington St.
The hotel's restaurant, with breakfast 6:30–11 a.m. and dinner 5–11 p.m., and Starbucks coffee.
IU's student union serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, with spots like Quarry Pie Co., Starbucks and the Sugar & Spice bakery. Cash is taken only at The Mix, Union Market and The Vault Pub.
Steps from the hotel, with seven attractions, including the Indianapolis Zoo, the Indiana State Museum and the Eiteljorg Museum, plus miles of trails and green space.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art and its garden, about 7 minutes from Butler. General admission is $23 for adults and $15 for ages 6–17; 5 and under are free.
Public evenings on select weekend dates pair a planetarium show with sky viewing, weather permitting. The big Holcomb telescope is under repair, so viewing uses smaller telescopes for now. $8 for adults and $5 under 18. There are 66 steps up to the telescope area and no elevator.
At IU Indianapolis, park on the east side of the Vermont Street Garage; up to 2 hours is $5.
At Butler, the Sunset Avenue Garage is free for under an hour, $3 after 90 minutes and $4 after 2 hours; bring a card other than American Express.
At IU Bloomington, park in the Forrest Avenue Garage and get your validation at check-in.
At Indiana State, the garage at 8th and Cherry is $2 an hour and takes cards only.
Hotel self parking is $40 a day.
Tour day comfort
The walking tours run 60 to 90 minutes, so wear comfortable shoes.
Indianapolis averages about 25 inches of snow a year, mostly December through February, so pack for winter driving if you visit then.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Indianapolis, Bloomington and Terre Haute)
Spring: April averages about 64–65°F highs and 42–43°F lows.
Summer: July averages about 85–86°F highs and 65–66°F lows.
Fall: October averages about 66–67°F highs and 43–46°F lows; November highs drop to about 52–53°F.
Winter: January averages about 36–37°F highs and 21°F lows.
Parent checklist
Register for all four visits online: IU Indianapolis, Butler, IU Bloomington and Indiana State. Butler needs a separate registration for each visiting student.
Book IU Indianapolis in the morning and Butler in the afternoon of the same day.
Book the Courtyard Indianapolis Downtown for every night and reserve a rental car.
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
4 Division I
Athletics
Indiana University Indianapolis
NCAA Division I Horizon League
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (Indiana University Indianapolis, Butler University, Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana State University): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
