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![The atrium of the West Baden Springs Hotel is billed as the eighth wonder of the world. The hotel is one of three that make up French Lick Resort in Indiana.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/10/26/NCOM/9c154ded-dc45-41d2-8b82-22ec9186dc36-cm_1022_hotels_13.jpg?width=660&height=441&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Southern Indiana: French Lick Resort
Relish the wealthy historical past of this storied, 3,200-acre property.
The sulfur springs and salt licks in southern Indiana initially introduced herds of bison to the realm, and by the mid-Nineteenth century, physicians and entrepreneurs adopted the animals’ lead in hopes of capitalizing on the supposed therapeutic powers of the mineral springs.
In 1845, Dr. William Bowles constructed the French Lick Springs Resort, which was bought in 1901 by a gaggle of buyers that included Indianapolis Mayor Tom Taggart, who reworked the property, including PGA-caliber golf programs. Taggart turned chairman of the Democratic Nationwide Committee, and for years French Lick Springs served because the unofficial headquarters of the DNC.
Only a mile up the highway from French Lick, West Baden Springs Resort, one other resort of roughly the identical classic, drew guests from throughout. A 1901 hearth spurred the development of the lodge’s 200-foot dome, which was mentioned to be the biggest free-spanning dome and billed because the eighth marvel of the world. Over time, although, West Baden Springs modified palms and fell into disrepair earlier than struggling a partial collapse in 1991. After tons of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} of funding from philanthropists Invoice and Gayle Cook dinner, the West Baden and French Lick resorts had been renovated and mixed to develop into French Lick Resort, which now features a third lodge, Valley Tower, added in 2019.
In the present day, you may be taught in regards to the resort’s fascinating historical past on trolley excursions of the three,200-acre property, which incorporates three golf programs, two spas, a on line casino, horse stables, indoor and out of doors swimming pools and extra. For youths and people who don’t know a sand wedge from a 9-iron, a 14-hole FootGolf course requires solely a soccer ball and toes. Horseback driving and mountaineering trails supply ample alternatives for escaping into nature (or go to the close by Hoosier Nationwide Forest for greater than 260 miles of trails). Hearth at sporting clays on a 75-acre vary, take intention at archery targets, excellent your badminton shot on the garden or bicycle as a household in two-, four- or six-pedal surrey carts.
For indoor actions, head to the bowling alley and arcade with video video games, pool tables, foosball, air hockey and a pizzeria. In the event you’re on the lookout for culinary adventures, attempt the wine and beer tastings or bask in finger sandwiches and scones throughout a sublime afternoon tea in West Baden Springs’ magnificent, dome-topped atrium.
Not dangerous for a spot that when claimed salt as its principal attraction.
The resort is a 4.5-hour drive from Columbus, with charges of $234 to $394 per night time.
Extra Fashionable Stays:25 Cool Hotels and Other Dazzling Destinations a Day’s Drive from Columbus
Pembroke, Virginia: Mountain Lake Lodge
Come for ‘Soiled Dancing,’ keep for the wilderness.
In the event you’re in any respect accustomed to the 1987 basic “Soiled Dancing,” you undoubtedly bear in mind the picturesque setting of Kellerman’s, the Catskills resort the place Child (Jennifer Gray) falls for dance teacher Johnny (Patrick Swayze).
In actuality, a lot of the film was filmed not in upstate New York however in Pembroke, Virginia, on the stunning, historic Mountain Lake Lodge. In the present day, company can stand on the identical porch from the film and look into the lodge’s Harvest restaurant, the place Child first noticed Johnny, or dine on the identical tables used in the course of the 1986 filming.
This yr, the lodge celebrates the thirty fifth anniversary of “Soiled Dancing” with themed weekend packages. However for a lot of company, the actual draw of Mountain Lake Lodge is the lodge’s wooded setting amid a 2,600-acre nature protect. Mountaineering trails present superb views of a wilderness that appears untouched. “It’s a really particular place on prime of this mountain,” says president and CEO Heidi Stone, who has served as normal supervisor since 2013, when Mountain Lake Lodge introduced her in to show the place round after years of monetary struggles.
The lodge additionally gives zip line adventures, clay taking pictures, archery, mountain bike leases and extra. “We’re not a mega resort,” Stone says. “You’ll be able to keep in a quaint cabin that has a really cottage-y really feel within the mountains. The meals is sweet, and it’s not pretentious. There’s no costume code. It’s simply comfy.”
Lately, Mountain Lake Lodge’s profile bought an additional enhance from The Actual Soiled Dancing, a actuality TV dance competitors filmed on the lodge. “[It] showcased our resort in a powerful means,” says Stone, who famous one other high-profile improvement in current months. “Jennifer Gray has emerged again onto the general public scene. She’s simply launched her guide [‘Out of the Corner’], and he or she’s speaking in regards to the sequel of ‘Soiled Dancing.’ … There may be an additional stage of pleasure this yr.” —Joel Oliphint
The lodge is a 5-hour drive from Columbus. Charges are $179 (lodge rooms) to $329 (cabins) per night time.
Lights! Digicam! Lodging!
4 extra cinematic locales out there for a fast getaway
Set your 6 a.m. alarm to play “I Received You Babe” on the Cherry Tree Inn B&B in Woodstock, Illinois—the identical place the place Invoice Murray’s Phil Connors character stayed within the iconic 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day.” cherrytreeinnbnb.com
The ballroom in Chicago’s Palmer House, a Hilton lodge, served because the backdrop for the climactic scene of the 1993 movie “The Fugitive,” when Dr. Richard Kimble, performed by Harrison Ford, interrupts a flowery dinner to confront the orchestrator of his spouse’s homicide. palmerhousehiltonhotel.com
Pack your pink bunny pajamas and keep within the third-floor loft of the “A Christmas Story” Home, the Nineteenth-century Victorian in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood that was featured within the vacation basic. Bookings begin at $395 per night time and embody a tour of the museum housed on the identical location. achristmasstoryhouse.com
The opening scene of the 1994 movie “The Shawshank Redemption” takes place at Malabar Farm’s Pugh Cabin in Lucas, Ohio. You’ll be able to stay overnight on the close by Maple Syrup Cabin, however the Pugh Cabin is barely out there to rent during the day by ODNR. ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/malabar-farm-state-park
This story is from the October 2022 problem of Columbus Month-to-month.
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