In the summer, when leafy canopies of hundred-year-old sycamores shade white country churches and bridges cross meandering streams, follow the back roads (and they’re all back roads) to two tiny Hoosier towns—French Lick and West Baden, Indiana, home to the splendors of French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel, both magnificent early 20th-century resorts.

Despite their setting far off the beaten path, the resorts’ early days were grand. At one time 14 trains a day transported passengers to the two resorts. Disembarking at various times over the decades were glamorous American movie stars from the Silver Screen era—the Marx Brothers, Lana Turner, Bing Crosby, and Bob Hope; rising political stars—in 1931, the Democratic Governor’s Conference nominated attendee Franklin Delano Roosevelt for president in what was described as a smoke-filled back room sort of way; and the biggest of the bad boys—Al Capone and John Dillinger frequented the resorts as well.

According to the Indiana Historical Society, a stay at West Baden Springs Hotel in the 1920s cost twice as much as an overnight at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. It was that kind of place.

They came for the spring-fed mineral waters with a sulfuric stench known as Pluto Water, thought to be perfect for restorative baths as well as a purgative for stomach ailments—hence the saying, “What nature won’t, Pluto waters will.” But there were other reasons as well, such as gourmet dining in grand surroundings and a chance to play on the same golf course where Walter Hagen won the 1924 PGA Championship. But the biggest draw was gambling. Illegal in Indiana for decades, it wasn’t until 1949 when, as in the movie “Casablanca,” officials were “shocked” to discover people were playing games of chance for money in French Lick and finally shut it down.

If Pluto Water wasn't enough then, the trains stopped running, and the resorts soon faded with neglect. West Baden was sold to the Jesuits for $1 and finally abandoned. French Lick, though it remained open, languished, its intricate mosaic tiles chipping, its glorious gilt dulling.

All that changed when the late William Cook, an ardent preservationist who had made a fortune in medical equipment, determined to make the resort profitable. Opening a casino would accomplish that. But Cook also resolved, at a cost of more than $400 million, to restore both resorts to their former magnificence. The renovations started in 1997 and were completed almost ten years later. It was a gamble built on gambling, once again legal in Orange County, and it worked.

Each resort is architecturally unique. Called the eighth wonder of the world, West Baden, built in 1902, was famed for its freestanding dome. It was the world’s largest, a record that held for another 60 years until the Houston Astrodome was built. At the top of the 130-foot-high, 208-foot-wide atrium is a medallion, and a pendant chandelier reflects prisms of light, creating, at night when the dome is darkened, a light show extraordinaire. The atrium, with its potted palms and Victorian-era furniture, also boasts an immense Rookwood tiled fireplace, built in 1917 and valued at over a million dollars.

Just down the road (and accessible by a walkway or free trolley ride), the Beaux Arts style French Lick—note to basketball enthusiasts, French Lick is Larry Bird’s hometown—with its all gold leaf, gilded royal crown moldings, hand-painted tapestry ceilings, and broad front porch, is equally majestic.

And there’s plenty to do.

The Spa at West Baden, with its 28,000 square feet of European-style treatments, has made Condé Nast Traveler’s list of Top 100 U.S. Resort Spas for numerous years. The traditions of The Spa at French Lick, including their famed Pluto Waters, are part of the pampering available at The Spa at French Lick with its 27,000 square feet of indulgences. Both resorts have indoor and outdoor pools as well as indoor tennis and basketball. There are shops and restaurants and live music, and if you wander into the depths of the French Lick resort, you might happen upon a statue of Pluto lurking in the hallway, a remnant from a different era.

Family activities include hiking and bike rentals. Horseback riders can hit the trail at The Stables at French Lick Resort with its 27 carefully trained horses that traverse over six miles of fields and hills. There are also pony rides for children and carriage rides for all. Other children's activities can include dive-in movies in the pool and s’more making.

Historic tours are available at both resorts, concerts, movies, formal teas, historic tile painting, a chance to meet with the hotel historian, and, in the keeping of the time of year, gnome scavenger hunts. Dragon’s Lair Bingo and hayrides.

The formal gardens at West Baden are crisscrossed with walkways and accented with architectural details. Dining can be casual under the dome at West Baden; at French Lick’s Power Plant Bar and Grill, where the large electrical switchboard that once supplied the resort’s electricity is on display, Café Sinclair’s for breakfast, or The Grand Colonnade Family Restaurant with its elaborate breakfast buffet. Formal dining can be had at either the 1875 Steakhouse at French Lick or Sinclair’s at West Baden, each of which emphasizes locally sourced foods. Table One is a chef’s dining table for private dining for up to ten.

Children—and adults—will also enjoy the renovated Pluto’s Alley on the lower level for the French Lick Springs Resort, which includes six lanes of bowling, an arcade, and, for food, Pluto’s Pizzeria.

The French Lick Casino offers the state’s largest non-smoking gambling venue and features more than 600 slots as well as 25+ table games.

For golfers, there are four different courses, including the 18-hole Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort, the Donald Ross Course where Hagen won the PGA and the family-friendly Valley Links course, which was commissioned in 1907.

Nearby, bird lovers can flock to Patoka Lake, the state’s second largest reservoir lake for eagle and osprey sightings. Houseboat and floating cabin rentals are available at Patoka Lake Marina and Hoosier Hills Marina and there are daily boat tours and monthly wine cruises.

Those traveling with children can find adventure at the French Lick West Baden Indoor Karting and SHOTZ Lazer Tag & Miniature Golf. There are canopy tours at Lark Valley Ziplines in nearby Shoals, and the French Lick Scenic Railway offers trips through the countryside aboard their historic train cars as well as themed rides such as the Wild West Express. Oenophiles can sample wines at the award-winning French Lick Winery and shop in French Lick’s quaint downtown.

Notes

French Lick Resort.