South Bend is a mere 90 miles away from Chicago's towering skyscrapers and bright lights. It lies on the St. Joseph River in northern Indiana, and this curving body of water lends the city much of its appeal and character. This is, of course, University of Notre Dame territory, so you'll notice all the trappings of a famous college town.
Dig a little deeper, and you'll see signs of an industrial past, as the Studebaker family name dotted all over the place or the urban whitewater rafting course spawned from a waterway that powered factories.
01 University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame is one of the top colleges in the country, particularly for Law and Architecture, and has been dubbed a "New Ivy" alongside schools like Carnegie Mellon and Emory. Notre Dame is a Catholic institution, and the Gothic-style Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the campus's spiritual nucleus. Community members come here for Mass, confessions, and to marry, and tours are available to view the art, Church artifacts, and impressive stained glass windows.
The Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes is another significant Christian landmark at the university, a smaller replica of the shrine at which the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette multiple times in the mid-19th century. People visit for a moment of peace, to light candles, pray the Rosary, or propose to their significant other.
On a less religious note, Notre Dame Stadium is close to a century old and has a capacity for 80,795 football-loving spectators.
02 Studebaker National Museum
Studebaker National Museum is open daily and attracts classic car enthusiasts and those looking to learn more about transportation history. Recent exhibits focused on electric vehicles, pickup trucks, and the history of family haulers like the station wagon. Among the museum's permanent collections are carriages that conveyed presidents and military vehicles that the local company produced.
Events such as monthly Cars and Coffee meet-ups, a speaker series, and opportunities to see unique automobiles fill the museum's dynamic calendar.
03 The History Museum
At the same site as the Studebaker National Museum, you'll find the History Museum, which has the 38-room Oliver Mansion (aka Copshaholm) and gardens as its centerpiece. Tour an American Treasure, a Victorian home with its original furnishings, and get a peek into the lives of the wealthy family that resided here and their workers. The museum also goes further back into South Bend's history with the help of several dioramas and interactive displays.
Visitors can see how the Potawatomi people were forcibly removed, how the city developed, and how women from The Bend formed one of the OG baseball teams in the league that inspired the movie "A League of Their Own." The History Museum is open daily.
04 Potawatomi Zoo
South Bend locals have grown up with this lively attraction, which has hosted countless field trips and camps and has been upgraded over the years. In addition to seeing animals like rare Andean bears, otters, and red pandas, kids love the train ride, carousel, and giraffe feedings. Add-on interactive experiences with flamingos, sloths, okapis, rhinos, Galapagos tortoises, and otters ensure a memorable adventure.
The Hoosier State's oldest zoo is open daily in summer, fall, and spring. However, hours vary depending on the season, and the park occasionally closes for special events such as Brew at the Zoo. The zoo is inclusive when it comes to folks with sensory needs.
05 East Race Waterway
You won't come across an attraction like this every day. East Race Waterway is one of the few urban whitewater rafting courses in the U.S., so if you love active, outdoorsy recreation, you're in for a treat. The waterway was constructed in 1840 to aid local industry and became a thrilling water sports attraction in 1984. You can go solo and hone your kayaking skills or take friends or family members along and ride Class 2 rapids collectively.
You'll find lifeguards in attendance, so be sure to follow their safety guidelines. The East Race Waterway is open on the weekends in summer, and prices are affordable. An annual festival comprising racing and seriously fun contests with pool floaties is a new highlight on the calendar.
06 South Bend Museum of Art
For thoughtfully curated and inspiring sculptures, paintings, drawings, and mixed media collections, consider a visit to the South Bend Museum of Art. Two floors of the museum are dedicated to studio space for ceramics, dark room photography, metalsmithing, weaving, and other creative practices. Join workshops for different age groups and give the right side of your brain time to shine. Admission is free, but classes may come with a separate charge. The galleries are open until late on First Fridays, so you can stroll through after work.
Plus, the museum provides a platform for emerging and established regional artists with the popular three-month Around the Bend exhibition showcasing diverse and vibrant works, so look out for that.
07 Century Center
Century Center in downtown South Bend is one of the largest convention and event spaces in Michigan, allowing multiple events to co-occur across a hall, ballroom, theater, and 18 meeting rooms. You can watch a play or concert, check out a car show, attend a graduation or business expo, and enjoy scenic waterfront views with bonus feel-good vibes from couples doing their wedding shoots.
A small contemporary art gallery is the cherry on top of the cake for visual art lovers. At night, the lights along the river add a magical flair to proceedings.
08 Morris Performing Arts Center
How about a night out at a beautiful, historic theatre? The Morris Performing Arts Center is a go-to spot for live performances of ballet, stand-up comedy, and productions like Mamma Mia or Wheel of Fortune Live. Get your dose of culture with events such as free Fridays by the Fountain lunchtime music concerts or monthly movie nights.
09 Potawatomi Park
A nice add-on to a day at the zoo, Potawatomi Park has a splash pad for hot days, an exercise track, and covered picnic tables and grills. The Universally Accessible Playground features equipment for different ages, so kids up to around 11 can have a blast. This is a dog-friendly park, so bring your pooch along for a walk.
Trees provide shade, and rentable sheltered pavilions are great for parties. There's plenty of parking and wheelchair-accessible portable toilets. Pop by the conservatory to see what's growing, or sit back and relax during summer concerts at the band shell.
10 Four Winds Field
Football's a big deal in South Bend, but what if you're more of a bat-and-ball kinda person? Enter Four Winds Field, home of the minor league team, the South Bend Cubs. The Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium has a family-friendly atmosphere, and kids can look forward to a splash pad, bounce house, and running the bases after the game. The entertainment in between innings will put a smile on your face, as will the fireworks at the end of the evening. Tickets are currently $13 if you purchase them in advance.
11 Rum Village Nature Center
You don't need to step out of the city to feel like you're far away from it all. Rum Village Park on the city's south side covers 160 rolling acres and is everything you could want in a green space. There are three miles of well-marked wooded nature trails for walking and wildlife spotting. Dogs are welcome on a leash, but a separate dog park facilitates off-leash time, so that's a plus. The mountain biking trails cater to various skill levels; just watch out for hikers. At the Nature Center, patience is rewarded at the viewing window, and you can also see snakes and other animals in displays.
During fall, free, themed guided walks educate visitors, and in winter, the snow often allows for sledding. Rum Village Park boasts an 18-hole disc golf course and an aerial ropes course.
12 South Bend Chocolate Company
Outings don't get tastier than a visit to South Bend Chocolate Company with its large factory and museum full of memorabilia, such as a 1,300-year-old Mayan chocolate pot. Funny tour guides explain how gourmet chocolate is made without putting listeners off to sleep like a mug of cocoa, and tour participants get to sample the goods and receive a same-day 10% discount on products at the enormous store. A cozy cafe with a fireplace provides board games and a little play area, and the food doesn't feel like a second thought.
13 Studebaker Golf Course
Looking for a public golf course? You'll be pleased with the facilities at Studebaker. Opened in 1919, this well-kept, 9-hole golf course won't hurt your wallet. You can expect tree-lined fairways, bentgrass greens, and water hazards. The course is suitable for beginners learning the game while providing a challenge for seasoned golfers. Kids golf for free, and a no-cost Junior Metro tournament for players between 6 and 16 years old is a beloved annual fixture. Keep an eye out for educational youth programming from First Tee.
14 Ignition Music Garage
Head to Ignition Music Garage in Goshen for an unbeatable selection of new and used vinyl records, CDS, and cassettes. For millennials who grew up with physical units of music, this record store is the embodiment of nostalgia. If you're new to gramophones and turntables, the staff explain how to use them, and if you're looking for recommendations, there's a good chance they'll introduce you to new favorites.
On weekends, the store's racks roll to the sides to accommodate bands playing original music, and the intimate setting, coupled with excellent acoustics, makes for an awesome venue—book early to avoid disappointment.
15 Downtown Walking Tours
West of downtown, you'll find the West Washington National Historic District packed with at least eight different architectural styles and lots of shops and restaurants. Guided 90-minute walking tours of downtown take place on First Fridays from May to October and are currently cash-only, but you can also download a map and do a self-guided tour. If you're interested in urban planning and streetscapes, you might want to go to the West Side Main Streets, too.
Thanks to revitalization projects over the last decade or so, Lincolnway West and Western Avenue have transformed and now incorporate walkable spaces, bike lanes, street furniture, more trees, and improved facades for mom-and-pop stores.
16 Indiana Whiskey Company
You can easily spend an hour at Indiana Whiskey Company. Learn about the distillery's history and the distilling process on a guided tour complete with five or more tastings. Traditional methods, local ingredients, and fab guides are par for the course. Kids are welcome for free but cannot partake in the booze for obvious reasons.
17 South Bend Farmers Market
It all began at the Colfax Bridge in 1911. Cut to today, and the farmers' market still takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and on Fridays, too, for much of the year. At this Northside Blvd landmark, you'll find fresh produce, antiques, garden seedlings, pain lotions from Ceres and Co., angel food cake from Parcell's Pantry, and crafts galore.
18 The bottom line
Clearly, there's more to South Bend than the illustrious University of Notre Dame. There are loads of things to see and do, from art and architecture crawls to frequenting multiple live performance venues and green spaces. The best way to find the city's gems is to go out, explore, and chat with the locals. If you're well-acquainted with this part of Michiana, we'd love to know your favorite hangout spots.
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