In the 1800s, if you were fortunate enough to have the means to travel, you could have slowly made your dust-covered way to French Lick, Indiana, to “take the waters” at the French Lick Spring Hotel or the West Baden Springs Hotel. Now, after gorgeous renovations of the once-crumbling luxury destinations, you can’t soak in the sulphur spring water, but you can take part in just about any other recreational activity you can think of, with just an easy drive from Louisville. Even taking the leisurely route up Indiana Highway 56 – which you must do, avoiding I-64 – the drive is short enough that you can make a day trip of it. Or book a room, a spa treatment and a dinner reservation and truly relax. Though many head up in the warmer months for golf, horseback riding and other outdoor activities, winter time in French Lick can be the wise traveler’s choice for a special getaway.
Special events at the French Lick Resort this winter include:
50 Days of Lights continues through January 11, 2015. The grounds are still decorated with holiday finery, and musical performances and a Victorian village transform the hotels from their year-round looks.
If you don’t mind remaining on the move a little more, book the January 22nd Bourbon Excursion, during which you’ll visit the Woodford Reserve Distillery and help the French Lick Resort select its own custom blend. Packages for this event include rooms, tours and a six-course gourmet dinner.
Valentine’s Day plans are perfected for you with the February 14th Chocolate Festival. For $35 per adult, you’ll be surrounded by every kind of chocolate treat, from “death by chocolate chip cookies” to chocolate-covered beef jerky. Gotta try it, right? At the least, it’ll be memorable.
February 21, the resort will hold its second Taste of Scotland – Highlands in the Valley event. It’s “all things Celtic,” from music and dancing and highland games to Scotch School and a Robert Burns dinner. Book a package with a room and you’ll be set to partake in all the festivities.
Leave room in the schedule for the casino, if games of chance are your thing, and a ride on the restored resort trolley, replicating the rides folks took between the two hotels and to downtown French Lick in the early 1900s. If you are sporty, book a package including skiing at Paoli Peaks. If you’re not that great on the snow – or they don’t have any snow – do make sure to stop in the charming little town of Paoli on the way there or on the way back and explore the town square.
French Lick Resort is located at 8670 West State Road 56, French Lick, Indiana.
Photo: The French Lick Resort
