South Bend 2018 South Bend

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Who are we?

A sharp turn in the St. Joseph River gave us that sensible name South Bend. We’re Indiana’s fourth-largest city, located about 90 miles east of Chicago and just south of the Michigan border. We’re best known as home to the University of Notre Dame, where icons such as the Golden Dome, Touchdown Jesus and the Grotto draw legions to campus. But there’s much more to see and do in South Bend and Mishawaka, our next-door neighbor along the St. Joe. Trails follow the river through the heart of the two cities, which beckon with parks, shopping, museums, dining and even whitewater rafting.

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Life can be lived simply. Let us show you how.

south bend farmer's market cafe

retro dining

A pesto veggie grilled cheese packs 'em in at this spot that gets ingredients from market vendors. The breakfast crowd arrives early for loaded three- egg omelets and cinnamon French toast. WEBSITE | (574) 282-1259

LIVERY

Rustic & Relaxed

Creativity abounds at this Latin-influenced restaurant near Notre Dame. Tacos? Chicken torta? Canelones? There are no wrong choices. Start your experience with empanadas, then make sure to pair your meal with a house margarita. MENU | (574) 990-9110 MAKE RESERVATION

Rocky river tap & Table

local flavors

foodie & Fresh

Start with some barbecue duck nachos (made with smoked Indiana duck) at this restaurant that partners with area farmers, brewers and winemakers to fill plates and glasses with fresh-from-the-region meats, grains, fruits and veggies. MENU | (574) 272-5458

upscale

High-Stakes Dining

Copper Rock

The Four Winds Casino eatery tempts with seafood and steak creations, including aged Wagyu strip and a tower brimming with fresh oysters, jumbo prawns, lobster and crab. 1-866-4WINDS1 MAKE RESERVATION

Sustainable and Local

LaSalle Grill

The special-occasion spot has won four diamonds from AAA 21 years in a row. A wood-burning grill lends smoky flavor to meats, including signature-cut filet mignon and antelope tenderloin. MENU | (574) 288-1155 MAKE RESERVATION

Steaks and Seafood

Café Navarre

Enjoy European-influenced American cuisine in a historic former bank with impressive architecture and big-city atmosphere. The filet mignon and the wild mushroom soup win raves. MENU | (574) 968-8101 MAKE RESERVATION

A Touch of France

Sorin’s

Inside The Morris Inn on the Notre Dame campus, classic French cuisine takes on a modern Midwest feel. Favorites include grilled Faroe Islands salmon and the breakfast shrimp Benedict. MENU | (574) 631-2000 MAKE RESERVATION

drinks & small plates

Comfort Favorites

Kankakee Grille

Live music on the weekends complements wood-fired pizzas, burgers with Parmesan truffle fries and fish and chips at the Four Winds Casino restaurant. Enjoy brunch on the outdoor patio. (866) 494-6371 MAKE RESERVATION

Tavern Cuisine

LaSalle Kitchen and Tavern

Two floors above the swanky LaSalle Grill, kick back with shareable takes on tavern food (like pulled pork nachos), 120 whiskeys and Scotches, and dozens of craft brews and cocktails. MENU | (574) 288-1174

Spanish Tapas

Tapastrie

Next to the Morris Performing Arts Center, share small plates of Spanish-style bites like paella and toasted flatbread. The extensive wine list is longer than the food menu. MENU | (574) 232-9200 MAKE RESERVATION

Irish-Inspired

Rohr’s at the Morris Inn

The on-campus favorite for casual fare serves dishes like whiskey wings and steak and stout pie. Order a drink from legendary Murf, a bartender there for more than 50 years. MENU | (574) 631-2000 MAKE RESERVATION

Simeri’s Old Town Tap

Old-World Favorites

Italian dishes anchor a menu that also includes Hungarian goulash and nods to Greek cuisine. On summer weekends, the neighborhood tavern morphs into a live music venue. MENU | (574) 289-1361

Fiddler’s Hearth

Celtic Cuisine

Irish ales and whiskeys dominate the bar offerings at this pub that serves fish and chips, bangers and mash, and shepherd’s pie. Regular live music adds to the ambience. MENU | (574) 232-2853

South Bend Brew Werks

Small-Batch Brews

pub grub

Come for 17 taps of beers made on-site (like Colonel Eddy Oatmeal Stout) and stay for burgers, flatbreads, and gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches (like Touchdown Cheezus). MENU | (574) 334-0356

O’Rourke’s Public House

Game-Day Favorite

The pub across the street from campus attracts crowds with hot wings and cold drinks, including IPAs, porters and stouts on draft. Dine on Irish fare like Guinness beef stew and enjoy the pet-friendly patio. MENU | (574) 251-0355

Peggs

Downtown Classic

The breakfast-and-lunch spot draws families with its kid-friendly atmosphere and reasonable prices. Try breakfast tacos, huge pancakes and creative takes on eggs Benedict. MENU | (574) 520-1777

Brothers Bar and Grill

Sports Bar Ambience

pet/kid friendly

Get fired up with this grill that caters to adults and kids. Start with cheese curds, order a chicken sandwich and finish with fried Oreos. There’s a kid’s menu and a patio open to furry friends. MENU | (574) 287-2767

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pet/kid friendly

pub grub

Drinks & small plates

upscale

Foodie & Fresh

What's Your Dining Style?

AT THE MORRIS INN

Meet Murf, the legendary bartender

south bend cubs

four winds casino

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Four Winds casino

south Bend Cubs

find adventure

Adrenaline Boost

Take a wet and wild raft ride through the heart of downtown South Bend at East Race Waterway (North America’s first man-made whitewater rafting course). Go ziplining and tackle treetop obstacle courses in scenic Rum Village Park through Edge Adventures Rum Village Aerial Adventure Park, just 15 minutes from the Notre Dame campus. Choose from five courses at different skill levels, including intermediate, moderate and advanced. Book a two- or three-hour adventure or play all day. After the excursion, explore Rum Village Park’s 160 acres of rolling woodlands.

Best bets

Explore Four Winds Casino, an indoor playground geared for grown-ups. Try your hand at 1,800 games, many linked to a 16-state Native American progressive gaming network. Rock to live music (with legends like Foreigner, Kansas, the Temptations and the Four Tops). Indulge in steaks and award-winning wine at the Copper Rock Steakhouse, or wood-fired pizza and craft beer at the Kankakee Grille. A 350-seat buffet offers flavors from around the globe. Take a break from gaming at the Players Lounge, coffee shop, retail store and three bars at the newest casino in the Four Winds family (opened January 2018).

Sporty options

Find active pursuits at St. Joseph County Parks, including disc golf, hiking, water sports and geocaching. Go tubing, paddleboarding, canoeing, kayaking or hiking through the woods at St. Patrick’s County Park, a nearly 400-acre gem along the St. Joseph River. Rent kayaks and gear on-site and use the shuttle service after runs (visitors can take two- and four-hour trips).

go for the sports

golf coursework

Forgiving fairways lead to raised, contoured greens at Blackthorn Golf Club. Warm up on the bonus Blarney Hole and drive through the old barn on No 13. Designed by Bill Coore and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, the links-style layout at Warren Golf Course serves as home course for the Notre Dame golf teams and host site of the 2019 U.S. Senior Open. Be ready for undulating greens, native grasses, a meandering stream and a peek at the iconic Golden Dome. Golf legend Arnold Palmer once strolled Erskine Park, one of South Bend’s municipal tracks. Find out more about all eight public courses in The Bend in this guide.

Fighting Irish

Notre Dame football dominates the South Bend sports scene with its history and global following, but it’s not the only game in town. Collegiate athletic contests take place all over the Notre Dame campus throughout the academic year. Watch sports like women’s basketball (2018 NCAA champs), track and field, baseball, hockey and fencing at affordable prices—or sometimes free (like women’s lacrosse). If you can’t get football tickets, at least tour the iconic Notre Dame Stadium. Visitors get an inside look, plus a chance to take photos on the field and in front of the famous Play Like a Champion Today sign.

South Bend Cubs

About 100 miles from Wrigley Field in Chicago, catch big-league baseball prospects in action as the Class A minor league affiliates of the Chicago Cubs play their home games at Four Winds Field. The season runs from early April to Labor Day, with promotions like Belly Buster Monday (all-you-can-eat hot dogs, peanuts and popcorn), Fantastic Friday Night Fireworks, and Saturday flat-screen TV giveaways (one every inning). Free souvenirs (like bobbleheads of Chicago Cubs players) add to the fun on Wednesdays and Sundays. Also on Sundays, you can play catch on the field before the game and stick around afterward for an autograph session with the team.

see the sights

Museums

The world’s largest collection of pre-automobile presidential carriages– including the one Lincoln used the night of his assassination–is one of the highlights at the Studebaker National Museum’s three-level facility. Studebaker celebrates the longtime automobile company that was based in South Bend. The History Museum includes exhibits on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (the league immortalized in A League of Their Own had a team in South Bend) and the nearby Oliver Mansion. The Bend is home to more than 10 museums total. You can find out more about all of them in this guide.

Stunning Structures & Gardens

Learn fascinating details about the history and architecture of downtown buildings from an expert guide with the Historic Preservation Commission. The 90-minute Downtown South Bend Architectural Walking Tours take place the first Friday evening of each month (May through October) and cost just $2 per person (cash only). Shiojiri Niwa Japanese Garden honors the sister-city relationship between Mishawaka and Japan’s Shiojiri City. One of the few Japanese-style gardens in Indiana, it features four bridges, striking trees and plantings, more than 200 large boulders, and a teahouse pavilion.

Potawatomi zoo

Indiana’s first zoo continues to grow while maintaining an easy-to-tour collection of nearly 500 creatures grouped roughly by continent. The cats and primates stand out, as does the large variety of hoof stock animals like the rare okapi and native bison. The zoo hosts special events throughout the year, including beer tastings, Zoo Boo (safe trick-or-treating), evening family safaris and summer camps for kids.

Bright River Lights

Interactive light sculptures on the St. Joseph River splash the water with color at South Bend River Lights. Created for South Bend’s 150th birthday in 2015, the public art installation features motion sensors that cause the light colors and patterns to change as people move toward and away from the sculptures. It’s open every evening, with the lights turning on 30 minutes before sunset and staying on until sunrise (the interactive features stop at midnight).

follow a trail

Sight-Seeing on Bike

Discover the ease of bike sharing by hopping on one of The Bend’s neon-green two wheelers. Use an app on your smartphone to quickly find a LimeBike. Unlock it with the app (the cost is $1 for every 30 minutes) and you’re ready to pedal anywhere. Even better, LimeBikes don’t need a docking station. Simply stop riding, lock the back wheel again and your trip is over. LimeBikes are spread around downtown South Bend and the availability of bike lanes with well-labeled crossings makes them a perfect mode of transportation to explore the sites.

Cruise urban areas

Trails include Mishawaka Riverwalk, a circular trail that hugs both sides of the St. Joseph River; East Bank Trail, a 3.5-mile route that skirts the Notre Dame campus; and the Riverside Trail, a 3.4-mile route between Riverside and Brownfield parks. The trail (also perfect for walking or jogging) parallels Riverside Drive and the tree-lined banks of the river.

opt for nature

Trails fill Potato Creek State Park. Walk an easy half-mile loop past wetlands and woods, bike a winding and moderately difficult 3.3-mile paved trail through hills, or hike a rugged 2-mile route to the park’s highest point. At Spicer Lake Nature Preserve, you can explore 320 acres of wetlands, woods and old-growth fields at this home to several endangered plants and animals. A boardwalk and trails take you through eco-zones of trees, brush, woodland flowers and aquatic plants. Bird-watchers flock here, too.