Things to do in South Bend

Local Places to Check Out

  • Wineries – Michigan is known for having some great wineries
    • Lemon Creek Winery
    • Round Barn Winery, Distillery & Brewery
    • Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant
  • Breweries – Michiana boasts multiple independent, award-winning breweries and brewpubs
    • Evil Czech Brewery & Public House
    • South Bend Brew Works
    • Crooked Ewe Brewery & Ale House
    • Heavenly Goat Brewing Company
  • East Race – South Bend has its own man-made whitewater park that is open during the summer
  • Potawatomi Zoo – located in South Bend, host of annual “Zoo Brew” craft beer festival
  • South Bend Cubs – South Bend Minor League Baseball team
  • For Live Music:
    • Fiddler’s Hearth
    • LaSalle Grill
    • Chicory Cafe
    • Evil Czech
    • Sights and Sounds (Downtown South Bend)
    • Langlab
    • Morris Performing Arts Center
  • For Comedy:
    • The Drop Comedy Club (South Bend)
    • Morris Performing Arts Center

Student Recommended Restaurants

Sushi/Thai
Woochi (South Bend)
Soho (Granger)

Pizza 
Rocco’s (South Bend)
Tony Sacco’s (NY style- Granger)

Italian
Papa Joe’s Casa de Pasta (Mishawaka)
Macri’s (South Bend)
Papa Vino’s (Mishawaka)

Mexican
Salsa’s (Mishawaka)
Flamingo (South Bend)

Irish
Fiddler’s Hearth (south bend)

Cafe
Chicory Cafe (South Bend)

Gastropub
South Bend Brew Werks (South Bend)
Evil Czech Brewery & Public House (Mishawaka)
Crooked Ewe Brewery & Ale House (South Bend)
Iechyd Da Brewing Company (Elkhart)

American
Scotty’s Brewhouse (Mishawaka)
Lots of other local places

Upscale restaurants
Corndance (Mishawaka)
Lasalle Grill (South Bend)

Whiskey Bar
The Exchange (South Bend)

Weekend Events

As a heads up: South Bend holds plenty of events but aren’t the best at marketing. If you want to see what’s going on downtown look at the website below, grab a local newspaper, or grab event flyers located at restaurants downtown.

Here is a great website for local events/activities: http://events.inthebend.com/

Hit downtown South Bend for First Fridays – held (you guessed it) on the first friday of every month, local business and community organizations set up booths and activities downtown for all ages. Past themes include “Fire and Ice,” “Downtown Flavors,” “Dog Days of Summer,” and more.

Make sure to also check out the Morris Performing Arts Center.

Selected Places of Worship

Nearby Places to Visit

  • Chicago – About a 1.5-hour drive away, or take the train from the South Bend airport
  • Lake Michigan- A nice ~45 min road trip in the summer (popular beach spots are Silver Beach County Park, Warren Dunes State Park, and Indiana Dunes State Park)
  • Detroit- About a 3.5 hr drive away, or take a bus from the South Bend airport

Nearby Amusement Parks