French Lick Springs Resort- French Lick Indiana

I mentioned before that we stayed at the West Baden Springs Hotel.  Well, about a mile down the road is the French Lick Springs Resort, both are part of the French Lick Resort Property.  Busses are pretty much constantly going between the two so guests can get back and forth.  There is also a nice trolley ride you can take to go from one hotel to the other!

We also did a historic tour of this hotel.  We had a fun and knowledgeable guide named Tom while we explored here.

Again, I wouldn't want to give too much away about the tour here, but Tom told some great stories.  Photos are up of the various celebrities who have stayed here.  Names like Lana Turner, Ronald Reagan and FDR popped up, among many others.

FDR is forever connected to this location, as he received the nomination to run for President here (one of the hotel's restaurants is now in the spot where the announcement was made).

French Lick was known for "Pluto Water" up until the very early 1970s.  This was a water from the French Lick area springs that served as a laxative.  It was popular during its time.  Lithium was in the water though, and they could no longer sell it as anything other than a medication.

Their mascot was named "Pluto" after the Roman god of the underworld, though his appearance was a red devil.

Inside of the hotel, there was a great display case showing various branded Pluto Water items (including a toy doll!).  I thought the Pluto Water bottles were ornate.


Our tour guide Tom told us a great story relating to the Pluto/Devil mascot.  The hotel now houses a casino.  At one time, the French Lick Springs Resort had two gold Pluto statues by the doors(more on those statues in a later post).  Well, some religious lady told the hotel's GM that she would not be patronizing any casino with the devil by the door.  Our tour group appreciated the irony of the statement.

Just like at the West Baden Resort, French Lick Springs has several classy shops and restaurants.  I had a tasty portabella at the Power Plant Bar and Grill.  I found some nice postcards at the gift shops here too.