French Lick Resort is located in French Lick, Indiana and is home to both French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel.  Dave grew up going to French Lick and spent most of his Easter weekends there hunting eggs and brunching with family.  It has a special place in his heart!

To be completely honest, I had never heard of French Lick before Dave.  It took awhile for us to visit together, but once we did a couple of years ago to celebrate my birthday we have continued going back.  It is a super easy getaway for us.  And with it only about an hour and a half from home, we can't beat it.

Up until recently, we had only stayed at the French Lick Springs Hotel.  This is always where Dave stayed growing up and you know how much we like tradition.  Plus, West Baden Springs Hotel went through several changes through the years.  If you enjoy that sort of history, you can read all about it HERE.

West Baden had been on our short travel bucket list, but it is different from our tradition AND it is always more expensive than French Lick.  Another good thing to keep in mind if you're looking for a cheaper time to check out this resort area is that winter is usually significantly cheaper than summer.

We visited recently and thought it was the perfect time to check West Baden off our list.  If you've never heard of the hotel, it is considered to be the "Eighth Wonder of the World" with its elaborate awe-inspiring atrium that spans 200 feet.  Both hotels have elegant pieces of history, but West Baden really is something special... the place is gorgeous!

West Baden Springs Hotel
8538 W Baden Avenue
West Baden Springs, IN 47469
(888) 936-9360 

The town of French Lick is cute, but these hotels are certainly the champions of the area.  There are endless activity and entertainment options between both for all ages.  The hotels sit about a mile from one another and are each filled with walking trails and gardens in addition to each having an outdoor pool.

One of our favorite things about this area, especially each hotel is that you feel like you're stepping back in time from the moment you arrive.  This might not be your thing, but we can't get enough of the sweet charm that fills their walls.  Don't let this fool you though as each hotel has great amenities while historic charm surrounds both.

We stayed on a Friday night and got there around lunch time to be able to enjoy the afternoon.  Before checking in at West Baden, we made a pit stop at French Lick to enjoy Pluto's Pizza for lunch.  The pizza isn't bad, but it's definitely not the best... and as much of a foodie as Dave is, it's all about the tradition (not exactly the pizza) that has us going back time after time.  Sweet boy!

We drove over to West Baden and got all checked in.  It is always SO appreciated when we don't request an early check in yet get one anyways.  We had walked through West Baden before while staying at French Lick, but this was the first time we got a glimpse of the rooms.

 
They were spacious and continued the historic charm theme.  We lucked out and not only had a room a floor from the top, but we also had a balcony!  This was such a treat!  When we visit again (and if you ever do) make sure to request a balcony room.  Rest assured, it's worth the extra money.  Look at this!

 

After checking out the room (and the awesome balcony!), we wasted no time changing into our suits and heading for the pool.  To get to the pools at West Baden you walk through the spa area and although we had no spa services booked it was fun to see the entrance.  French Lick and West Baden are known for having great spas, but we've actually never been to either.  If you have, let us know what you think!

West Baden (and French Lick) have both an indoor pool...

and outdoor!

We opted for the outdoor and enjoyed the scenery.  The weather ended up being perfect even though rain showers were expected.  Isn't unexpected perfect weather always the best, especially when traveling?

We headed back to the room to change and relax for a little while before heading to dinner.  It's not every day you get to enjoy a drink with a view... inside!

We took full advantage of this down time to soak in the time together and explore West Baden some more.  French Lick is always such a fun time away for us!  Can you tell?

Although the inside of West Baden is stunning the outside is pretty charming, too.  There was a crisp breeze in the air that was giving us all the fall feels!  Fall is OUR favorite time of year which makes it that much more special for each of us as it's something we share.

Speaking of FUN... there is a trolley that runs between West Baden and French Lick.  The original trolley service (which dates back to 1903) has returned and it is a neat way to travel between hotels.  We rode it a couple of years ago the first time I visited French Lick.  Such a neat experience and littles would LOVE it!

This time around we chose the more modern option and hopped on the shuttle.  These buses run about every 15 minutes between hotels 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Regardless of what hotel you are staying at, these shuttles make it easy to go from one to the other.

The shuttle is certainly faster than the trolley.  Plus, it can be a world of fun trying to keep your wine in your glass while driving through all of the brick streets.  We laughed SO hard!  It was one of those little things we talked about for days because we laughed like we were kids again... we just couldn't stop!

We hopped off, posed for another photo or two in front of French Lick Springs Hotel and then walked towards their downtown area which sits just beside the hotel.  We have dined at most of the restaurants on property which are great, but occasionally it's nice to do something different (and cheaper).

Our pick downtown is 33 Brick Street.  It's a sports-themed hub with a full menu of American classics and a good selection of craft brews.  I had a chicken quesadilla and Dave ordered the fish tacos.


The place is filled with lots of memorabilia.  They also have an outdoor patio.  The restaurant pays tribute to the now world-famous French Lick local, Larry Bird, a name basketball fans know well.

After dinner, we headed back to French Lick to visit the casino for a little while before catching the shuttle to get back to West Baden for the night.

I was exhausted when we got back and tucked myself into bed quick.  Meanwhile Dave hung out on the balcony to see the West Baden Lights.  In the evenings, colored lights shine at the top of the dome which is something that has stayed true to the history of the hotel dating back to the early 1900's.  I asked him to take pictures of it for me so that I could see it the next day and not miss out...

I told you, he's the best!  The pictures were so pretty that I can only imagine what it looked like in real life.  HA!  The next morning we were up EARLY to head to Lexington to watch our sweet little munchkin stuff her face with cake at her first birthday party.  Before leaving, we stopped in at Xanadu Coffee & Creamery which is located right off the lobby to get coffee (they serve Starbucks!) and a pumpkin muffin to share.  Fall is coming!!!

We took a few minutes to sit in the atrium and enjoy our freshly baked muffin... which was delicious, by the way!  The hotel was so quiet you could hear a pin drop and with such an open space, it was kind of wild.  Plus, it was so early that minus a few people heading out to golf the entire place was practically empty.  It was kind of cool to see it this way... much different from the typical hustle and bustle.

French Lick was always a special place for Dave and the more we go together, the quicker it is becoming a special place for me too!  It's probably a toss up between where we'll continue to stay between French Lick and West Baden, because after all French Lick follows tradition.  However, we had such a great time at West Baden.  Seriously though, you can't go wrong with either hotel!

Use the shuttles to go back and forth between hotels it is very easy and convenient. 

Always check the event calendars when you visit French Lick or West Baden.

Book a room with a balcony, even if it costs more.

Take advantage of the outdoors!  There are hiking trails, carriage rides and all kinds of fun activities.