A 443-room Beaux-Arts grand hotel founded in 1845, restored under the same six-hundred-million-dollar program as West Baden, with the resort's casino, golf, and family base.
"The livelier half of the French Lick Resort. The casino, the bowling alley, the kids' club, the two indoor pools, the four restaurants, and the wide veranda that wraps the front of the building belong to French Lick Springs; West Baden gets the dome and the photographs, French Lick gets everyone fed and entertained. Both buildings are worth a trip; this is the one that actually houses one."
The French Lick Springs Hotel is the older and larger of the two grand hotels that anchor French Lick Resort, traceable in some form to 1845 when Doctor William A. Bowles built the first inn beside the sulphur springs that gave the village its name. The current building is the result of a series of expansions and rebuildings between roughly 1901 and 1925 under the ownership of Thomas Taggart, the former mayor of Indianapolis and a chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who turned the hotel into one of the most fashionable resorts in the United States during the first two decades of the twentieth century. The wide front veranda, the colonnaded entrance, and the Beaux-Arts central wing all date to the Taggart years.
The hotel was extensively refurbished under the same roughly six-hundred-million-dollar Indiana Landmarks program that restored West Baden Springs across the road, with the work finishing in 2007. The restoration kept the period exterior intact and rebuilt the interior to modern standards: the public spaces are now a living showcase of Beaux-Arts plasterwork, art-deco accents added during the 1925 expansion, and contemporary lighting; the lobby alone is worth thirty minutes' attention. The 443 guestrooms are arranged across three connected buildings and rise to seven storeys at the central tower; they range in size from compact 240-square-foot historic singles to two-bedroom Presidential Suites.
Decor is conservative four-star: traditional cherry furnishings, neutral upholstery, white linens, marble bathrooms with combination tub-showers in most categories. The hotel does not match the visual drama of West Baden's atrium-facing inventory, but the trade is value and breadth of facility: the property includes an indoor pool, a separate indoor family pool, a bowling alley, a children's club, a 51,000-square-foot conference centre, two casual restaurants and one fine-dining restaurant, the trolley to West Baden's restaurants and spa, and a twelve-table casino floor across the road in the Casino at French Lick. The Pete Dye Course (consistently ranked among the top public-access courses in the country) and the Donald Ross Course are both walking distance.
Service is unusually warm for a property of this scale and history; the front-of-house teams are long-tenured locals and the resort has the operating standards of a much smaller hotel. The mineral-water spa at French Lick Springs is smaller than West Baden's but runs the same Pluto Water and sulphur-soak menu. Children are welcome and well-catered-for. The casino is small (twelve tables, roughly five hundred slots) and intentionally low-key. The hotel is the right base for a multi-generational family trip, a bachelor or bachelorette weekend, or a corporate retreat that wants both meeting space and entertainment under one roof.
For a multi-generational family weekend in the Midwest, French Lick Springs is the clear booking. Two indoor pools, a bowling alley, a children's club, the on-site Pete Dye Course for the older children and grandparents, and the dome at West Baden ten minutes away on the trolley. The Family Suites sleep up to six and are reliably available six to eight weeks out. The kids' club runs structured programming in school holidays.
For a bachelor or bachelorette weekend within driving distance of Chicago, Louisville, St. Louis, or Indianapolis, French Lick Springs holds the most complete offer. The casino, the Pete Dye Course (for golf-led bachelor formats), the spa (for spa-led bachelorette formats), and the resort's bowling alley and bars sit inside the building or across the road. Block five to eight rooms on the same corridor through the group desk; the property handles private dinners and welcome receptions through the in-house catering team.
For a Midwest wellness weekend at sensible mid-week rates, the French Lick spa runs the same mineral-water programme as West Baden in a smaller, quieter setting. The Pluto Water immersion, sulphur soaks, and mineral mud wraps are the historic signature treatments; the modern facials and massage menu rounds out the offer. Off-season weekday rates regularly drop below USD 250 inclusive of breakfast.
8670 West State Road 56
French Lick, IN 47432
United States
Ninety minutes by car from Louisville (SDF); two hours from Indianapolis (IND); private trolley to West Baden Springs Hotel and the Casino at French Lick
443 rooms and suites across three buildings
Standard rooms from USD 229/night
Junior Suites from USD 379/night
Two-bedroom Family Suites from USD 549/night
Presidential Suite peaks to USD 1,400/night
Check-in: 4:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Founded 1845; current building largely 1901-1925; restored 2007; National Historic Landmark
Two indoor pools (one adult, one family)
Bowling alley, children's club
Mineral-water spa
Four restaurants and two bars
Pete Dye Course and Donald Ross Course
Trolley to West Baden Springs and the casino
Complimentary WiFi throughout
From USD 229/night. Family Suites and golf packages book three to four months ahead for spring (May) and autumn foliage (October); standard rooms generally open inside ten days outside school holidays. Mid-week off-season rates frequently drop below USD 250 including breakfast.
Compare Room Rates →The domed 1902 grand hotel across the road, the so-called Eighth Wonder of the World and the resort's flagship.
Bourbon Trail base; the closest commercial airport (SDF) and the cleanest pre-night before French Lick.
The second air gateway to French Lick and a natural one-night pre-stop on a longer Midwest itinerary.
A natural multi-stop pairing for travellers combining French Lick with a Music City weekend.
Sign up for deal alerts: fifth night free offers, resort credits, and the upgrade windows we would book ourselves.