We ventured a little ways off the beaten path in last
week’s blog spotlighting nearby attractions to hit up while visiting French
Lick Resort. Today we’re highlighting a few more suggestions from our concierge
department, this time with Brandy Rominger from French Lick Springs Hotel
filling us in on a couple.
A broad piece of advice from Brandy: take some time and
check out these and other
little side adventures before you arrive.
“Most people that come here don’t realize everything that we
have to offer in this small, tiny little place,” Brandy says. “And by the time
they leave if they’ve been here for a couple days, they’re wishing they had a
couple more days to see what else there is to do.”
Patoka Lake (25-minute drive)
This is one of Brandy’s preferred spots to take a spin on
the water when it’s warm. And since we technically have more than three weeks
until summer molts into fall, there’s still plenty of opportunity to enjoy the
second-largest lake in the state.
“I’m big about Patoka
Lake, I spend a lot of time out there in the summertime. So peaceful out
there. I love doing the kayaking, and there’s a couple different companies around
that started the kayaking over the last couple of years.”
Fishing, trails, an archery range and beaches are just the
start here. You can rent
a pontoon for nine hours on the water and less than 20 bucks per person. Or
kick it up a notch with a party barge complete
with a waterslide and gas grill. The sunset wine cruises
have wrapped up for the summer — if you’re interested in one for 2019, book
ahead since they fill up fast — and now it’s the season for fall foliage wine
cruises, which run from September 8 through October 27.
Patoka is unspoiled by development as an Army Corps of
Engineers manmade lake, and with unique species such as the red-tailed hawk,
Eastern screech owl and bald eagle flying free in the airspace above the water,
the power of nature rings even stronger here.
Crazyhorse Ranch (10-minute drive)
Crazyhorse Ranch and Lodge is located in those outer reaches where your cell phone signal starts to go MIA
and your filet mignon or salmon is cooked over an open wood fire. Not many of
those places left.
“A lot of our guest that come in don’t get that country kind
of service anywhere, and they look for that kind of thing because they like
that country ambiance,” says Brandy. “They have farm animals, old-style
blacksmith things and workshops, I think they do some Amish style cooking and
baking. Everything they utilize around the ranch is from years ago: their
plates, their cups, they pour out of a metal pitcher, they use big metal ladles
for soups and cooked in these big pots that look like they’ve cooked in them
for 50 years. It gives them that feel of the old times.”
When you’re done eating a down-home dinner (which are by
reservation and open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays only), you’re free
to experience Crazyhorse at whatever pace you’d like. Spend time at the horseshoe
pits, horseback riding, fishing, hiking, or canoeing (BYOC; bring your own
canoe). Or take it a little slower and savor the evening sitting on a rocker on
the porch.
Its name says “crazy,” but serenity is the allure out here.
“It’s not like a tourist place. You’re not going to go out
there and see 40-50 people walking around checking it out,” Brandy says. “It’s
your group; it’s almost like a family reunion kind of feel. It’s just you.”
French Lick Scenic Railway
Count the passenger train among the simple yet forgotten pleasures
of contemporary culture.
The French
Lick Scenic Railway will take you for a ride (with a twist) on its themed
train excursions that depart from the depot adjacent to French Lick Springs
Hotel. The outlaws will be on the loose a little while longer in the remaining Wild West
Hold-Ups for 2018. The tasting trains have been a popular addition with
everything from chocolate to scotch to rum themes. (And a few tickets remaining
for the Bourbon
Train leaving the station on September 22.)
The Polar
Express is huge, but be aware — it’s a tough ticket to get. Of the 26 Polar
Express rides in November and December of 2018, many of them are already sold
out. Be sure to book several months in advance. And if you’re not able to board
the Polar Express until 2019, well, the anticipation only heightens the
experience.
“The themed train rides they have are exceptionally well
planned and performed,” Brandy says. “A lot of people come here because they
wanted to go on that Polar Express for years. We get that a lot from guests: I’ve been wanting to come here for years,
and now we’re finally here. We get to do it.”