Buddy Bonding At West Baden Springs

By Roberta Sotonoff

West Baden Springs Lobby

My best friend, Marci, lives in New Jersey. Our crazy work schedules have kept us apart. I miss her. So Marci, my daughter, Jamie, and I arrange to spend a weekend of relaxation at West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick.in Indiana.

We chat non-stop while driving the hilly, winding, two-lane roads between Louisville and French Lick. But the West Baden Springs Resort and its incredible dome stun us into silence.

Everything about the resort is large—the complex (3,000 acres) comprises two hotels, a casino and three golf courses including the Pete Dye golf course which costs big bucks to play ($350). In 2006, the resort underwent a $500 million renovation. It boasts incredible attention to detail like a football field-sized floor retiled with century-old, stamp-sized tiles. In front of the bathroom sinks, tiles simulate a woven mat.

West Baden’s atrium lobby dwarfs everything. Its width is high as the Washington Monument is tall (600 ft). A free standing 200-ft dome spans across the ceiling- one of the world’s largest. Picture the width of 12-13 cars parked bumper to bumper.

West Baden Springs Spa

For dinner at the 1875–The Steakhouse in the French Lick Hotel, West Baden Springs’ sister-hotel–we board the free shuttle. It’s more Las Vegas-y and “happening” than the quieter, classier West Baden counterpart, Sinclair’s. The glitzy, mythological- themed lobby, including a King Neptune ceiling mural, is also a sharp contrast. We walk through the basement hall toward the bowling alley and see rocks from the original foundation. In the 1800s, guests came here by train on their way to or from the Kentucky Derby. During prohibition, gambling and booze were the draw. Even Al Capone stayed here.

French Lick Resort’s 1875 steakhouse, takes its name from the first year running of the Kentucky Derby. This is definitely a place for man-sized appetites. The Kobe steakburger is bigger than side-by-side iPhones. Unless you have a ferocious appetite, you should split everything, especially the signature dessert, 1875 Kentucky Bourbon Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie.

On the way back to our digs, we stop at the casino. While Jamie ogles the craps table, and we fail to talk her out of gambling with her hard-earned money, Marci and I join the seniors at the expansive 1- and 2-cent slot area. We don’t last long, but we are laughing with delight as I walk away with $4.84 in winnings and Marci makes $1.

All this high-end gambling wears us out. The next day we rejuvenate at the spa. In 1902, when West Baden Springs was built, the spa was the main attraction. Visitors believed its mineral waters were a cure-all for everything. “Taking the waters” did make everyone feel better. How could you not after bathing and imbibing water that was spiked with lithium and had a laxative effect? Back in the day, guests left feeling calmed and cleansed- both inside and out. The springs are now covered.

French Lick Lobby

The modern spa is friendly but pricey, but we sample several treatments. We’d recommend the Zents Pedicures ($90); the 50-minute Hot Rocks Massage ($140), Sport’s Massage ($140) and the 50-minute West Baden Signature Facial ($180).

Our afternoon mission is to secure some Larry Bird memorabilia for Marci. The ex- Boston Celtics basketball player was tagged “The hick from French Lick.” We find mugs and autographed Larry Byrd Wheaties boxes at the Village Market. You can’t miss this old two-story building. A giant mural covers the exterior wall. Inside shelves bulge with everything from dishes to antiques. I find a Duncan yoyo like I had as a child. Everyone laughs when I tell them I won a yoyo contest.

“When you shop here, you walk through memories,” says owner Marilyn Fenton.

Fenton amassed all this stuff at farm auctions. There’s a Christmas room, a doll room, wreaths, quilts and souvenirs. You can spend the better part of the day listening to Fenton’s stories. No one wants to leave, but we are taking the Sunset Winery Cruise on Lake Patoka, about a 45-minute drive from West Baden.

As we munch on snacks and sip the grapes, the boat cruises by osprey and bald eagles nests, water skiers, tubers and swimmers. We shoot each other knowing glances when the wines aren’t to our liking, and laugh with some fellow cruisers about the oppressive heat.

Village Market Exterior

On the ride back, we crave dessert. West Baden’s snack shop, Xanadu, is closing. But, the clerk recognizes our desperation. She scoops up a heap of Haagen Daaz ice cream and plants it in a giant, freshly made, waffle cone. Jamie emits moans of joy. We slurp away while giggling and enjoying our post-dinner ritual of laying in the comfy chairs of the dimly lit lobby, hypnotically staring up at the light show in the center of the dome. Its colors constantly change. Jamie finally dumps the ice cream cone and heads upstairs. Marci and I tell ourselves we will just stay for one more time it turns red—or blue or green or rainbow-like. After two more hours, we finally leave.

We just don’t want our time together to end.

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IF YOU GO

West Baden Springs Hotel and French Lick Resort: (888) 936-9360; Website: www.frenchlick.com.