French Lick & West Baden Springs, Indiana: Exploring West Baden Springs Resort (Part 2)

The interior spaces of West Baden Springs Resort are stunning, but the property's outdoor spaces are beautiful as well.  If you visit, make sure you spend some time relaxing in a rocking chair on the veranda and taking a stroll through the gardens.

Entrance to West Baden Springs Resort

A beautiful veranda surrounds the hotel and overlooks the gardens and grounds.

Choose a rocker and relax.

While sitting on the veranda, you're sure to notice the swastika symbol in the railing.

You'll also notice the numerous signs explaining the swastika.

From the veranda you'll also enjoy the many different trees and flowers on the property.

You can also see and hear the fountains in the formal gardens just across the driveway.

Fountains in the formal gardens

Surrounding the gardens are other buildings original to resort.

Deer, rabbits, and other wildlife are abundant in this area.

This bridge crosses a small stream on the property and leads to the site of an old baseball field

The West Baden baseball field was the site of spring training for many professional teams in the early part of the 20th century.

The mineral springs are no longer operable, but a couple of the structures that housed them remain.

You can travel the resort by foot, car, horse, bike, trolley,
horse-drawn carriage, or these fun pedal cars.

French Lick & West Baden Springs, Indiana: Exploring West Baden Springs Resort (Part 1)

I highly recommend the tour of West Baden Springs Resort.  The hotel has such an interesting history, and it's great to know what you're seeing as you wander through the hotel and grounds.  Tours are offered a couple of times a day and last about an hour.  Here's some of what we saw on the tour and during our stay at West Baden.

West Baden Springs Resort

Rookwood Pottery tiles are used throughout the property, like in this crest at the entrance.

More Rookwood tiles on the floor in the atrium.  These ladies are enjoying afternoon tea.

One of the many seating areas in the atrium

Many statues and pieces of art are on the property. This lady was my favorite.

A focal point of the atrium is this fireplace surround created by Rookwood Pottery.

Detail of fireplace surround

One of many amazing light fixtures

Lobby by the check-in desk

One of several stained glass windows and doors

Hallway Lighting

At night, the massive light fixture in the atrium dome changes colors.

Loved the blues and purples here

French Lick & West Baden Springs, Indiana: Our Room at West Baden Springs Resort

Our room at West Baden Springs was lovely, comfortable, and quiet.  The king-sized bed, my husband and I agreed, was the most comfortable we'd ever slept on--and there were lots of pillows!  The room was the perfect size for the two of us, and the bathroom was bigger than most you find in a hotel.  The room had standard amenities such as cable TV, WIFI, and a small refrigerator and microwave.  Extras such as thick, soft towels and bath robes, complimentary tea, and attention to decorative details, however, kept the room from being just standard.  Perhaps what really put the room over the top were the large windows and the balcony that overlooked the beautiful atrium.

Such a comfortable bed!

One of the bedside tables

Image of the hotel on the bedside table

Lamp detail

Love this carpet!

Wet bar

A comfortable place to read

Bathroom fixtures and details

Wallpaper & tile detail in the bathroom

Our windows and balcony on the sixth floor

View of the hotel atrium from our room

French Lick & West Baden Springs, Indiana

The best gifts my husband and I give to each other usually involve travel and time together.  So to celebrate our 25th anniversary, we decided to take one of those "trips of a lifetime" this coming fall to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.  I can't wait!!!  But since our anniversary was this past June, I wanted to do something special at that time, too.  We ended up taking a short trip to the resort area of French Lick and West Baden Springs, Indiana, only a 2 1/2 hour drive from our home in Kentucky.

French Lick and West Baden Springs are small, side-by-side towns in The Hoosier National Forest.  Both were once home to magnificent resorts popular for their mineral springs.  After their popularity waned, the resorts fell into disrepair until investors stepped in to salvage and restore them to their former glory.  When you step into either the French Lick Resort or the West Baden Springs Resort, it's like stepping back in time.  We chose to stay at West Baden Springs Resort, which is a bit quieter and less hectic than neighboring French Lick Resort.  And, ohhhhh, that atrium!  It is easily the most stunning hotel atrium I have ever seen.

Today, let me give you just a taste of the West Baden Springs Resort.  I promise much more will follow.

West Baden Springs Hotel & Gardens

Hotel Entrance

Atrium Surrounded by Guest Rooms, Shops, Dining, Etc.

Center of Atrium Dome