With our lack of recent travel and very soon to be arriving baby girl, my wife and I had a bit of a travel bug. When we heard that her parents were going to be spending a weekend in French Lick, Indiana we jumped at the opportunity to join them. We planned the three-hour drive during our son’s afternoon nap, so we didn’t arrive at the French Lick Springs Hotel until around 4 P.M. this past Saturday. Her parents had already checked us into our room, so we dropped the car at the complimentary valet stand, and went upstairs to unload our luggage.

Our Room

The French Lick Springs Hotel was established in 1845 and was rebuilt in 1901 after the original building caught fire. The hotel is a massive structure with 443 guest rooms and suites, a 109,000 square foot conference and events center, and a 24-hour casino just to name a few amenities.

Lobby Ceiling

After walking through some of these features, we found our way over to their daily KidsFest. Here we found a few bounce houses, a large movie screen, Wii gaming consoles, and all the popcorn we could eat. KidsFest is a complimentary activity for kids ages 6-12, though smaller children are permitted as long as a parent stays with them.

KidsFest

After an hour or so at KidsFest, we rented a bicycle surrey cart to take our own tour around the outside of the resort. The highlight of the exploration was finding the French Lick Scenic Railway Museum where we could climb inside an old steam engine. Train rides are also offered daily.

Steam Engine

The rest of our evening was spent back inside the resort. We had worked up quite an appetite so we had pizza at Pluto’s Pizzeria, which is adjacent to the arcade and bowling alley. The bowling was a little too expensive and crowded for us, but we did take a few turns on the arcade games. From there we enjoyed the indoor and outdoor pools and outdoor hot tub, before finally making it to the casino for a little adult entertainment.

West Baden Springs Hotel’s Domed Atrium

The following morning we took a complimentary shuttle to the West Baden Springs Hotel, also owned by the French Lick Resort, to see it’s famous domed atrium. When it was built in 1902, the 200-foot dome was the largest in the world and held that title until 1913. Even to this day, it is a very impressive structure. The French Lick Springs Hotel seemed to have more activities to offer, but the West Baden Springs Hotel was much quieter. Either make for a fine place to escape, depending on what you are looking for.

French Lick on Dwellable