West Baden Springs Resort & French Lick Hotel

During our stay at the Big Splash Adventure, I also wanted to go see the West Baden Springs Resort & the French Lick Hotel. I've never been there but had heard about them.

French Lick Hotel

Brian & Lora
There's a section in the hotel where you actually walk underground. That was kinda freaky. They dug the tunnel so that workers could work & go in & out without being seen by guests.

I was most excited about seeing the West Baden Springs Resort.

The original brick road from when it was built in the late 1800's is still there.

This is the garden. Of course there's nothing there right now. But the angels are around a fountain.

This dome is unreal. It's 700' across. From floor to ceiling is 100'. You literally have to lean your head all the way back to see the tippy top.

There are like 700 rooms around the dome for guests. There are some rooms that have balconies that look out into the dome.

Inside the dome area there were lots of sitting areas. It felt like you stepped back in time when you look around.There was a band playing music & a singer in front of this area. As we were walking through looking at the pictures - we saw this exact area in a picture from the 1920's. It's really neat how they've tried to be true to all the historic aspects of the restoration. Even the lights on the walls look exactly like the lights did back then.This is from inside looking at the entrance. The trees lining the drive were decorated with lights.

We walked around the whole thing. We found a room with some original artifacts from the resort.

I didn't know the story of the resort. I just knew that it was run down & a few years ago it got fixed up. It was built in the late 1800's/early 1900's. After the stock market crash in the 1920's - the owner gave it to some priests & they made it into a seminary. They capped off all the hot springs & now they don't run anymore. They let it run all to hell & after they vacated it - it just sat & dilapidated. Finally someone else purchased it & they fixed it all up to what it is today.

Overlooking the garden.

We walked around the garden. There were a couple of buildings out there too. This one had etched into the building that it was the "Billiard Bowling Pavilion". There was a sign at the door that said, "no visitors past this point". So we didn't go in - we just stuck our heads in. They must be working on fixing it up too. The ceiling has holes in it & it smelled SO musty & old.

From the back of the garden looking at the resort.