Your Weekend Guide to French Lick, IN

This winter has been all about creating fun “daycations” to keep things exciting through COVID restrictions. Staying in our home base of Indiana, we looked for a weekend trip with out-of-the-box experiences. Well look no further than French Lick, where you’ll get ambushed by emus and hit the casino all in one day! Check out our weekend guide to French Lick. We’ll give you the details on what you should do and see in this little oasis smack dab in the middle of rural Indiana:

Day 1

Starting from Indy, drive 2 hours south until you reach the quaint downtown of French Lick. The beautiful French Lick Resort can’t be missed. The historic look and feel of the 2 luxury hotels definitely gives off high-end European vibes. After checking in to French Lick Springs Hotel, grab brunch at one of the many restaurants on property, like the Grand Colonnade.

Remember that ambush of Emus we mentioned? Well you can have that terrifying experience too. One of the best kept secrets of French Lick is Wilstem, a wildlife park with up close and personal animal encounters. We did the Drive-Thru Safari Park, where we got to feed a range of different species – from llamas to yaks – right from our car window. It was equal parts amazing and scary; large animals stalking your car for food can get feisty. We’d also HIGHLY recommend not feeding the Emus. Those ugly birds are hell bent on stabbing your solo cup of food with their sharp beaks and will pop up out of nowhere, so nooo thank you. Never trust birds is the real lesson here. One of the highlights was getting to drive through a herd of bison.

• 

• 

• 

Night 1

Once you’ve been slobbered on and harassed for food by Wilstem’s finest creatures, head to French Lick Resort’s Casino for the night! While the gambling hasn’t changed, just know that some new COVID rules are in place. For example, you have to stay in designated lounge areas to have a drink. So take advantage of the slower pace and empty tables to learn some of those card games you’ve been too scared to try. We tried blackjack for the first time, and it was fun to just have the dealer and 1 or 2 other people at the table. There’s also still plenty of money to be won at the slot machines. 

After you’ve experienced a rush at the casino, wind down for the night with a dip in the outdoor hot tub. Have room service bring you a robe (they’re packaged in bags, so you know they haven’t been worn) and hit the hot tub in style. Nothing says vacation like enjoying a glass of champagne in a hot tub and then getting out to a warm, fluffy robe. 

Day 2

Start your morning off right by taking the trolley from the French Lick Springs Hotel to French Lick West Baden. Tour around the gardens and property before stepping into the hotel’s gorgeous atrium. How could you not feel like royalty in a place like this? The hotel has a really cool history too – it used to be a seminary and part of a private college – so take the historical tour if you can. 

• 

• 

• 

Looking for More To Do? Here are our Honorable Mentions:

• The Spas at French Lick West Baden and French Lick Report – *Because of COVID, spa services are limited. We plan on revisiting in the Summer to do a full review, stay tuned!
• Patoka Lake Winery – because a wine tasting is never a bad idea on vacation
• Paoli Peaks – If you’re visiting in the Winter and looking for something active, check out this ski resort where you can hit the slopes and try out arctic blast tubing 

French Lick is definitely a secret Indiana gem worth a weekend of exploring. Have anything we should add to our guide? Feel free to comment below!  You can find more weekend getaways in local travel.