The main campus of Illinois' oldest public university, Illinois State University, a fully accredited four-year institution, is in Normal, as is Heartland Community College, a fully accredited two-year institution.

Normal is adjacent to Bloomington, Illinois, and when mentioned together they are known as the "Twin Cities", "Bloomington–Normal", "BN", or "BloNo".

On August 31, 2021, a mass shooting occurred at a mobile home park in Normal that left three people dead and three more injured.

[25] Afni, a national customer service firm, and Illinois State University's Small Business Development Incubator (SBDI) are also expected to move into Trail East.

[31] The Children's Discovery Museum was subsequently featured on a Best of Illinois television program on CBS 2 WBBM Chicago and on the Travel Channel.

[32] The Illinois State University Planetarium offers a variety of science and astronomy programs for children from preschool to high-school.

[34] The Challenger Learning Center promotes leadership, communication, problem-solving and critical thinking skills while offering an interactive, simulated space and science experience through scheduled team missions for students, public and corporate groups.

[35] The Normal Public Library first began as a Reading Room sponsored by the Community Council with Margaret Hanna overseeing the collection of three hundred books.

In addition to showing classic movies and independent films, the theater is used for a variety of activities including group outings, meetings and other events where assembly seating is required.

This program invites students in grades 8–12 to perform in two different productions each summer at the Connie Link Amphitheater.

All events are performed and directed by local talent, drawing from a largely untapped but highly skilled pool of professional artists.

The two-day festival highlights musicians from the Central Illinois area on multiple stages around Uptown.

The combination of high-quality art, live music and food has kept the streets of Normal full of color and activity for over 22 years.

The festival has a unique trait- only original pieces of artwork are shown; not copies of prints or items purchased overseas.

The reasons for closure included a rising high per capita cost of care, the deterioration of many campus buildings, and dwindling numbers of children referred by state agencies.

The north–south segment of the trail follows the abandoned Illinois Central Gulf railroad from Kerrick Road in Normal to Grove Street in Bloomington.

The trail is open to walkers, runners, in-line skaters, skateboarders, cyclists, wheelchair users, and other non-motorized forms of transportation.

Opened in 1995, it provides the community with practical workshops on recycling, composting and energy saving, nature walks and educational field trips for schools and groups.

The arena is the home to the Illinois State Redbirds men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams.

In addition, the arena also hosts the Illinois High School Association Girls Volleyball State Finals, Illinois High School Association Girls Basketball State Finals, Gamma Phi Circus, concerts, tournaments, conferences, job fairs, and other events.

[61] The Corn Crib is home to the Normal CornBelters baseball team of the Prospect League and has been selected to host the Illinois High School Association Class 1A Boys Soccer State Finals through 2015.

The newly renovated stadium includes 7 luxury boxes and 500 club seats, all of which provide access to the 5,500 square foot Hancock Stadium Club, which plays host to a variety of events outside football games, including receptions, banquets, weddings, and private events.

From meeting facilities to cultural opportunities through the arts and excitement of numerous sporting events each year, ISU is a vital part of the Bloomington-Normal community.

Heartland Community College offers training in more than 40 career fields in innovative and technologically progressive leaning facilities.

Classrooms and labs combine the latest advances in technology with the type of personal, hands-on instruction students need to reach their academic goals.

The HCC Campus features a library, community meeting spaces, a pond, bookstore, café and numerous locations for students to study or work on school projects.

Recently, Heartland completed a new Corporate Education Center and founded an athletic program that includes baseball, softball and men's and women's soccer teams.

Normal is served by I-39, I-55, Interstate 74, one railroad line, the Central Illinois Regional Airport (BMI) in neighboring Bloomington, and Connect Transit provides public bus service in the area.

The Central Illinois Regional Airport is on Route 9 in Bloomington, approximately five miles (8 km) east-southeast from Uptown Normal.

The airport is served by four airlines, five rental car agencies, and has direct daily flights to Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas-Ft.