| French Lick Resort | |
|---|---|
| Address | 8670 W. State 56 French Lick, Indiana 47432 |
| Opening date | 2006 |
| Theme | Las Vegas |
| Total gaming space | 38,000 sq ft (3,500 m2) |
| Signature attractions | Donald Ross Golf Course Pete Dye Golf Course |
| Notable restaurants | 1875: Steakhouse Sinclair's Fine Dining |
| Casino type | Land-Based |
| Owner | Orange County Holdings |
| Website | www.frenchlick.com |
French Lick Resort is a resort complex located in the towns of West Baden and French Lick, Indiana. The 3,000-acre (12 km2) complex includes two historic resort spa hotels, stables, a casino and three golf courses, all part of a $500 million restoration and development project.[1][2]
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The casino opened for business on November 3, 2006 after a gaming license originally intended for Patoka Lake was transferred to French Lick. Honoring state law allowing only water-based gaming, it was originally designed as a riverboat and surrounded by a small pond (commonly nicknamed the Boat in the Moat).[3] In 2008 the moat was filled in and the casino boat was converted into the state's first land-based casino.
The casino features more than 1,300 slot machines, and table games including blackjack, craps, roulette, and poker.
The location was originally known as the French Lick Springs Hotel, a grand resort that catered to those who came to partake of the advertised healing properties of the town's sulfur springs. The first hotel was opened in 1845 by William A. Bowles and was an immediate success. The original hotel burned in 1897, but the resort was rebuilt on an even grander scale by new owner Thomas Taggart, mayor of Indianapolis and chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
The historic 243-room luxury West Baden Springs Hotel in the adjacent town a mile away is also part of the Casino Resort complex. The hotel was built in 1902 and held the title of the largest free-spanning dome in the world. It remained the largest dome in the United States until the completerion of the Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1955. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, became a National Historic Landmark in 1987 and is an Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. In 2008 the West Baden Springs Hotel was cited by Condé Nast Traveler readers as one of the best mainland U.S. resorts.[4]
A golf course known as the Hill Course was added in 1917 and was designed by Donald Ross. It hosted the 1924 PGA Championship won by Walter Hagen and also has hosted the 1959 and 1960 LPGA Championship and was the home of the Midwest Amateur from the 1930s through the 1950s. In 2006-07, the course was restored to its original specifications in cooperation with the Donald Ross Society. The PGA returned to French Lick in June 2010 for the PGA Professional National Championship.
Pete Dye is a renowned golf course designer who has built exceptional courses for over 50 years. The Pete Dye Golf Course at French Lick opened in June, 2009. Mount Airie, Thomas Taggart's 1928 Colonial-style home, was purchased and transformed into a clubhouse and pro shop which overlooks much of the course.
The Valley Links adjacent to the hotel and casino was originally designed as an 18-hole course by Tom Bendelow and has been altered to become a 9-hole course as a result of the casino construction.